^ 


\ 


M^' 


BIOGRAPHICAL  REVIEW 


VOLUME    XXIII 


CONTAINING  LIFE  SKETCHES  OF  LEADING  CITIZENS  OF 

CHESHIRE   AND    HILLSBORO 

COUNTIES 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


"  Biography  is  tlie  home  aspect  of  history " 


BOSTON 

Biographical  Review  Publishing  Company 

1897 


ATLANTIC  STATES   SERIES  OF  BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEWS. 


The  volumes  issued  in  this  series  up  to   date  are  the  following:  — 


I.  Otsego  County,  New  York. 

II.  Madison  County,  New  York. 

III.  iJRooME  County,  New  York. 

IV.  Columbia  County,  New  York. 
V.  Cayuga  County,  New  York. 

VI.  Delaware  County,  New  York. 

VII.  Livingston     and    Wyoming     Counties, 
New  York. 

VIII.  Clinton  AND  Essex  Counties,  New  York. 

■A- 

IX.  Hampden  County,  Massachusetts. 

X.  Franklin  County,  Massachusetts. 

XI.  Hampshire  County,  Massachusetts. 

XII.  Litchfield  County,  Connecticut. 

XIII.  York  County,  Maine. 

XIV.  Cumberland  County,  Maine. 


XV.     Oxford     and     Franklin     Counties, 

Maine. 
XVI.     Cumberland  County,  New  Jersey.' 
XVII.     Rockingham     County,     New     Hamp- 
shire. 
XVIII.     Plymouth  County,  Massachusetts. 
XIX.     Camden    and    Burlington    Counties, 
New  Jersey. 
XX.     Sagad.\hoc,      Lincoln,      Knox,      and 
Waldo  Counties,  Maine. 
XXI.     Strafford    and    Belknap    Counties, 

New  Hampshire. 
XXII.     Sullivan  and  Merrimack    Counties, 

New  Hampshire. 
XXIII.     Cheshire    and    Hillsboro    Counties, 
New  Hampshire. 


Note. —  All  the  biographical  sl<etches  published  in  this  volume  were  submitted  to  their  respective  subjects  or  to  the  sub- 
scribers, from  whom  the  facts  were  primarily  obtained,  for  their  approval  or  correction  before  going  to  press  ;  and  a  reasonable 
time  was  allowed  in  each  case  for  the  return  of  the  typewritten  copies.  Most  of  them  were  returned  to  us  within  the  time  allotted, 
or  before  the  work  was  printed,  after  being  corrected  or  revised;  and  these  may  therefore  be  regarded  as  reasonably  accurate. 

A  few,  however,  were  not  returned  to  us  ;  and,  as  we  have  no  means  of  knowing  whether  they  contain  errors  or  not,  we 
cannot  vouch  for  their  accuracy.  In  justice  to  our  readeis,  and  to  render  this  work  more  valuable  for  reference  puqjoses,  we  have 
indicated  these  uncorrected  sketches  by  a  small  asterisk  (*),  placed  immediately  after  the  name  of  the  subject.  They  will  all  be 
found  on  the  last  pages  of  the  book. 


October  i,  1S97. 


K.  R.  PUB.  CO. 


PREFACE. 


HISTORY  sets  forth  the  principal  events  marking  the  progress  of  civilization, 
deals  with  the  nations  and  a  few  great  leaders;  genealogy  offers  a  study  of 
drv  names  and  dates ;  biography,  acknowledging  its  indebtedness  to  both,  has 
its  own  special  province,  concerns  itself  with  the  individual,  is  history  intimately 
written,  shows  personal  character  and  action  on  the  stage  of  existence.  The  average 
newspaper  of  to-day  gives  undue  prominence  to  the  evil  done  by  men  of  ill-will  or 
misguided  passion.  To  the  writer  of  select  biographies  falls  the  pleasant  task  of 
setting  down  what  is  best  deserving  of  remembrance  and  emulation  in  the  careers  of 
workers  in   \-arious  fields  of  useful  activity. 

The  persons  whose  life  stories  are  outlined  in  this  volume,  present  or  former 
residents  of  Cheshire  and  of  Hillsboro  Counties,  have  earned  the  right  to  be  com- 
memorated. The  accounts  here  given  are  of  used  talents  and  opportunities,  of 
industry,  energy,  and  enterprise,  far-reaching  and  to  good  ends ;  not  of  slothfulness, 
not  of  selfishness,  knavery,  and  greed,  but  of  fair  dealing,  of  public  spirit,  patriot- 
ism, self-sacrifice. 

Some  attention  has  here  been  given  to  tracing  lines  of  descent  and  kinship, 
interesting  in  themselves  and  often  valuable  as  showinq;  the  transmission  of  both 
physical  and  mental  traits.  Every  wise  generation,  it  may  be  said,  does  its  own  work 
in  its  own  way,  and,  writing  its  own  records,  leaves  its  reputation  and  its  example 
as  a  legacy  to  posterity. 

B.  R.  PUB.  CO. 

October  i,   1897. 


HORACE     GREELEY. 


BIOSRAPHIGAL 


GRACE  GREELEY,  printer, 
founder  of  the  New  York 
Tribune^  who,  after  a  busy  and 
useful  life  of  sixty  years, 
passed  to  his  rest  on  the  2gth 
of  November,  1872,  is  still 
remembered  in  this  his  native 
State  as  a  Hillsboro  County 
boy.  A  son  of  Zaccheus  and 
Mary  (VVoodburn)  Greeley, 
the  third  in  a  family  of  seven 
born    in    Amherst,     N.  H., 


children,     he    was 
February  3,   181 1. 

In  place  of  the  tiresome  three-brother  story 
of  ancestry  soberly  repeated  by  his  biog- 
raphers, may  here  be  mentionetl,  on  authority 
of  Savage,  the  fact  that  Andrew  Greeley,  who 
came  to  New  England  in  1640,  and  was  an 
original  proprietor  of  Salisbury,  Mass., 
whence  he  removed  to  Haverhill,  Mass., 
where  he  died  in  1697,  was  the  father  of  four 
sons:  Philip,  born  in  1644;  Andrew;  Joseph; 
and  Benjamin,  born  in  1654.  Horace 
Greeley  has  left  on  record  that  his  father, 
grandfather,  and  great-grandfather,  all  bore 
the  name  of  Zaccheus.  A  Benjamin  Greeley 
is  elsewhere  spoken  of  as  a  remoter  ancestor, 
whence  it  may  be  inferred  that  Horace  was  of 
the  si.xth  generation  in  descent  from  Andrew, 
the  line  running  thus:  Andrew  (first);  Ben- 
jamin (second),  born  in  1654;  Zaccheus 
(third);  Zaccheus  (fourth);  Zaccheus  (fifth); 
Horace  (sixth).  It  is  a  question  whether 
room  should  be  made  for  an  Ezekiel,  who  has 
been  brought  forward  by  some  as  of  this  stock, 
but  whose  name  appears  to  have  been  a  mis- 
print for  the  first  Zaccheus. 

On  the  maternal  side  Mr.  Greeley  was  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  so   called.      His   mother 


was  a  daughter  of  David  and  Margaret  (Clark) 
Woodburn,  and  a  grand-daughter  of  John 
VVoodburn,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Lon- 
donderry, N.H.,  where  land  was  allotted  to 
him  about  1721  in  the  High  Range.  David 
Woodburn  was  John  VVoodburn's  son  by  his 
second  wife,  Mary  Taggart. 

Mrs.  Mary  Woodburn  Greeley's  two  elder 
children  had  died  shortly  before  the  birth  of 
Horace,  so  that  for  some  time  she  gave  him 
all  her  care.  She  had  an  unusually  active 
mind,  well  stored  with  ballads,  stories, 
traditions,  which  she  had  acquired  from  her 
grandmother,  and  which  she  in  turn  imparted 
to  the  eager  child.  Nor  was  this  all.  She 
was  a  great  Jover  of  books ;  and  I  lorace,  who 
inherited  so  many  of  her  mental  traits,  seems 
to  have  learned  to  read  as  naturally  and  as 
easily  as  he  cut  his  milk  teeth,  and  nearly 
as  soon,  poring  over  the  pages  of  the  big 
Bible  on  the  floor  when  he  was  but  little  more 
than  twenty-four  months  old,  or  curiously 
studying  the  newspaper,  asking  of  his  motiier 
question  after  question  about  pictures  and 
letters.  At  three  years  of  age  he  could  read' 
ordinary  children's  stories,  and  before  he  was 
six  years  old  he  had  read  the  whole  Bible. 
Ever  hungry  for  books,  beginning  in  his  third 
winter,  which  he  spent  at  his  grandfatiicr 
Woodburn's,  and  continuing  till  his  tenth 
year,  he  attended  district  schools  in  London- 
derry, Amherst,  and  Bedford,  N.H.  He  early 
distinguished  himself  for  his  mental  abilities 
and  his  attainments  in  literary  lore;  and 
being  as  modest  as  he  was  capable,  and  always 
social  and  friendly,  he  was  a  favorite  with 
teachers  and  fellow -pupils.  "Words,  words, 
words,"  were  his  delight,  and  he  shortly  be- 
came the  champion  speller  of  the  schoiils.      To 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


make  books  appeared  to  him  the  most  desir- 
able if  not  the  greatest  thing  to  do  on  earth. 
At  six  years  of  age  he  had  fully  made  up  his 
mind  to  be  a  printer,  and  the  world  knows  how 
well  in  after  life  he  carried  out  the  plan  that 
pleased  his  childish  thought.  The  best  books 
that  he  could  borrow  for  miles  around  were 
eagerly  read  by  the  light  of  pine  knots  in  the 
evenings  at  home,  their  contents  stored  in  his 
capacious  and  retentive  memory.  As  son  of  a 
hard-working  and  not  "forehanded"  farmer, 
the  little  lad  helped  to  do  the  chores  on  the 
home  place ;  and  it  is  recorded  that  he  was 
uniformly  faithful  in  the  performance  of  his 
tasks,  even  when  detained  an  hour  from 
school,  as  sometimes  happened,  in  his  seventh 
year,  to  ride  the  horse  to  plough. 

Hopelessly  bankrupt,  Zaccheus  Greeley 
early  in  1821  removed  with  his  wife  and  four 
children,  two  boys  and  two  girls,  to  West 
Haven,  Vt.  They  were  very  poor.  Frugal 
living  and  severe  toil,  clearing  wild  land  and 
raising  scanty  crops,  were  the  order  of  the  day 
in  the  new  home.  Horace  there  finished  his 
schooling,  and  also  ended  his  youthful  experi- 
ence in  farming,  which  had  occupied  him 
somewhat  from  his  sixth  to  his  fifteenth  year. 
In  the  spring  of  1826,  his  tather  having  de- 
cided to  remove  to  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania, 
Horace  went  to  work  in  East  Poultney,  Vt., 
to  learn  the  printer's  trade.  No  stranger 
could  suspect  the  coarsely-clad  rustic  of  being 
the  intelligent,  well-informed,  and  capable 
youth  that  he  was;  and  he  made  no  preten- 
sions, but,  when  asked  as  to  his  qualifications, 
simply  replied  that  he  had  "read  some."  He 
soon  showed,  however,  that  he  had  found  the 
right  place  for  the  exercise  and  development 
of  his  powers;  and  in  after  life  he  expressed 
the  opinion  that,  in  "learning  a  trade  under  a 
good  master,  most  boys  may  better  acquire  the 
knowledge  they  need  than  by  spending  four 
years  in  college."  His  increased  opportuni- 
ties for  reading  both  books  and  newspapers 
were  eagerly  improved;  and  a  debating  so- 
ciety, of  which  he  was  an  active  and  valued 
member,  afforded  him  futther  means  of  cult- 
ure. He  had  a  marvellous  memory,  and  early 
distinguished  himself  by  his  knowledge  of  po- 
litical matters. 


Leaving  East  Poultney  in  June,  1830,  he 
spent  the  next  twelve-month  partly  in  visiting 
his  father  and  mother  in  Erie  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, partly  in  working  at  his  trade  in 
different  places,  and  then  took  his  next  deci- 
sive step  in  life,  sharing  his  recent  earnings 
with  his  father,  and  starting  afoot  for  New 
York  late  in  July,  1831,  with  twenty-five  dol- 
lars in  his  pocket,  and  carrying  a  small  bundle 
of  clothing.  Arriving  in  the  great  city  on 
the  17th  of  August,  and  applying  for  work  at 
a  newspaper  office  next  day,  he  was  accused  of 
being  a  runaway  apprentice.  After  many  dis- 
couraging rebuffs  he  found  a  job  of  typeset- 
ting, at  which  by  working  twelve  or  fourteen 
hours  a  day,  he  could  earn  about  five  dollars 
and  fifty  cents  a  week.  This  was  a  beginning. 
He  kept  on  doing  what  he  could  find  to  do, 
and  at  length  with  a  friend  started  a  printing 
business. 

In  March,  1834,  Mr.  Greeley  and  a  partner 
issued  the  first  number  of  a  weekly  paper, 
the  New  Yorker,  a  very  good  paper,  which 
was  continued  for  some  years,  but  did  not  pay. 
In  1838  he  was  engaged  on  a  salary  of  one 
thousand  dollars  to  edit  the  Jejfersonian^  a 
Whig  paper,  at  Albany.  In  1840  he  estab- 
lished the  successful  Harrison  campaign 
paper,  the  Log  Cabin;  and  on  April  10,  1841, 
he  issued  the  first  number  of  the  New  York 
Tribune,  with  which  his  name  will  always  be 
connected.  In  the  autumn  Thomas  McElrath 
became  his  partner  and  the  business  manager 
of  the  concern,  and  from  that  time  on  its 
financial  prosperity  was  assured.  In  Septem- 
ber the  New  Yorker  ended  its  days,  and  the 
Weekly  Tribune  took  its  place.  A  self-made 
man  of  noble  type,  Horace  Greeley  as  editor- 
in-chief  of  the  Tribune  for  the  next  thirty 
years  exerted  a  masterful  influence  in  many 
progressive  movements.  As  Mrs.  Stowe 
wrote  of  him,  "When  the  Rebellion  broke  out 
he  stood  by  the  nation  to  the  best  of  his  abil- 
ity; and,  if  he  gave  mistaken  counsels  at  any 
time,  his  mistakes  were  the  unavoidable  re- 
sults of  his  mental  organization,  and  not  in 
the  least  due  to  any  conscious  swerving  from 
principle,  either  in  ethics  or  politics."  The 
Tribune's  columns  bear  witness  to  his  numer- 
ous  interests  and    activities,   a  record   which 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


vvoulil  fill  volumes.  ■  A  member  of  Congress, 
December  i,  1848,  to  March  4,  1849,  he 
showed  up  the  abuses  of  the  mileage  system, 
and  advocated  the  homestead  law.  In  1851 
he  served  as  one  of  the  jurors  at  the  famous 
World's  Fair  in  London,  and  in  1859  he  made 
a  fruitful  journey  of  observation  across  the 
continent.  Nominated  for  the  Presidency  by 
the  Liberal  and  Democratic  parties  in  1872, 
he  gave  himself  to  the  work  of  the  campaign 
in  the  spirit  of  "reunion  and  fraternity,"  and 
received  over  two  and  a  half  million  votes. 
Failing  of  election,  he  returned  to  his  news- 
paper work.  But  the  end  was  near.  De- 
pressed by  the  loss  of  his  wife  and  exhausted 
by  long  and  wearying  labors,  he  died  of  in- 
flammation of  the  brain  on  the  29th  of  Novem- 
ber. The  funeral  services,  held  in  the 
Church  of  the  Divine  Paternity,  conducted  by 
the  pastor,  Dr.  Chapin,  with  a  brief  address 
also  by  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  were  attended 
by  a  large  concourse  of  people,  including 
President  Grant,  the  Vice-President,  and  Chief 
Justice,  and  many  other  persons  of  distinction 
in  public  and  in  private  life. 

Mr.  Greeley  married  in  North  Carolina,  in 
1836,  Miss  Mary  Y.  Cheney,  a  Connecticut 
school  teacher,  whose  acquaintance  he  had 
made  in  New  York.  Four  children,  two  sons 
and  two  daughters,  were  born  to  them,  but 
only  the  daughters  survived  their  parents. 
For  many  years  the  summer  home  of  the  fam- 
ily was  at  Chappaqua,  about  thirty-three  miles 
from  the  city,  on  the  farm  that  he  bought 
early  in  his  married  life,  and  of  which  he  was 
very  fond. 

In  religion  Mr.  Greeley  was  a  Universalist. 
He  was  the  author  of  several  books  that  were 
published  in  his  lifetime.  Among  them  may 
be  named:  "Glances  at  Europe,"  "Overland 
Journey  to  San  Francisco,"  "The  American 
Conflict,"  "What  I  know  of  Farming,"  and 
"Recollections  of  a  Busy  Life,"  the  latter 
thus  dedicated  :  — ■ 

"To  our  American  boys  who,  born  in  pov- 
erty, cradled  in  obscurity,  and  early  called 
from  school  and  rugged  labor,  are  seeking  to 
convert  obstacle  into  opportunity,  and  wrest 
achievement  from  difficulty,  these  Recollec- 
tions are  inscribed  by  their  author." 


The  many  volumes  of  the  'Jribuiu-  for  which 
he  was  resijonsible  are  an  evidence  of  the  in- 
defatigable labors  of  "our  later  Franklin,"  as 
he  was  designated  by  John  G.  Whittier,  and  suf- 
ficiently attest  the  claim  that  has  been  made, 
that  he  was  "perhaps  the  greatest  editor  and 
certainly  the  foremost  political  advocate  and 
controversialist,  if  not  also  the  most  influential 
popular  writer,  the  country  has  produced." 


§OHN  B.  FISK,  an  influential  citizen 
of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  widely  known 
and  highly  respected  as  the  "Veteran 
Justice,"  was  born  in  this  town  on  the 
farm  which  is  still  his  home,  on  April  10, 
1816,  son  of  Thomas  and  Lucinda  (Trow- 
bridge) Fisk.  The  Fisk  family,  which  is  of 
English  origin,  has  been  identified  with  the 
industrial  development  of  different  parts  of 
New  England,  and  has  produced  men  and 
women  of  ability  and  solid  worth.  John  B. 
Fisk  is  a  descendant  of  Nathaniel  Fisk,  who 
was  great-grandson  of  Robert  and  Sybil  P'isk, 
of  Broad  Gates,  England.  Nathaniel  settled 
in  Watertown,  Mass.,  in  1642.  His  son  John 
was  the  father  of  John  Fisk,  second,  who  set- 
tled in  Shelburne  P'alls,  Mass.,  and  whose 
son  Isaac  died  in  Framingham.  Isaac  was  the 
father  of  John,  third,  grandfather  of  John  B. 
Fisk.  Grandfather  I"'isk  was  born  in  Fram- 
ingham, and  died  there  in  i8ig.  He  and  his 
wife,  Abigail  Howe,  had  eight  children. 

Thomas  Fisk,  above  named,  son  of  John 
and  Abigail,  was  born  in  1774.  When  about 
two  years  of  age  he  had  a  severe  attack  of 
scarlet  fever,  which  left  him  deaf.  He  con- 
sequently never  learned  to  talk,  but  was  able 
to  read  intelligently  and  to  handle  numbers 
accurately.  When  fifty  years  of  age  he  was 
admitted  to  the  school  for  deaf-mutes  at  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  where  he  remained  for  one  year, 
making  remarkable  jjrogress,  and  learning 
much  that  was  of  value  to  him  during  the  rest 
of  his  life.  He  died  on  July  25,  1S61,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-seven  years.  The  farm  he 
bought  was  then  known  as  the  Ezra  Davis 
farm,  and  the  house  built  by  him  in  1S07 
is  the  last  one  in  Chesterfield  on  the  Hinsdale 
side.      The  place   is  now  known  as  the   "Fisk 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Homestead,"  a  sign  on  the  front  of  the  house 
telling  its  name  to  the  passer-by.  When  liv- 
ing in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  in  his  early  years  of 
activity,  Thomas  Fisk  manufactured  playing 
cards,  being  under  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
seven  hundred  dollars,  not  to  reveal  the  secret 
of  the  process.  After  coming  to  Chesterfield 
he  engaged  in  farming,  and  was  successful  and 
prosperous.  His  wife,  Lucinda,  who  survived 
him  for  some  years,  died  at  the  same  age 
as  himself,  eighty-seven.  The  children  of 
Thomas  Fisk  were:  Thomas  T. ,  who  was  born 
November  27,  1806;  Lucinda,  born  March  4, 
1809;  Mary  Ann,  born  June  28,  18 14;  and 
John  B.  Thomas  T.  Fisk  resided  in  Hins- 
dale. He  was  twice  married,  the  first  time  to 
Emily,  daughter  of  Elijah  Hildreth,  the  sec- 
ond time  to  Adeline  Goodnow ;  and  his  chil- 
dren were:  George  C,  Lucius  G. ,  Noyes  W. , 
and  Addie  E.  Lucinda  Fisk,  now  deceased, 
married  Nathaniel  Hildreth,  of  Charlestown, 
Vt.  Mary  Ann,  who  married  Hosea  Newton, 
died  in  Keota,  la. 

John  B.  Fisk  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  and  in  the  academy  at  Chesterfield, 
and  in  his  early  manhood  he  taught  school 
during  the  winter  and  worked  at  farming  in 
the  summer.  He  finally  decided  to  make  farm- 
ing his  occupation,  and  has  since  resided  in 
Chesterfield,  with  the  e.vception  of  three  years 
spent  in  Hinsdale.  He  was  appointed  Justice 
of  the  Peace  in  1854,  and  held  the  position 
until  1896,  when  poor  health  constrained  him 
to  resign  his  commission.  He  was  also  for 
twenty-five  years  a  Justice  of  the  Quorum  ;  and, 
being  for  many  years  the  only  Trial  Justice 
in  town,  he  tried  many  cases,  some  of  them 
criminal  cases  which  he  sent  up  to  the  grand 
jury.  His  title,  the  "Veteran  Justice,"  be- 
stowed by  courtesy,  it  is  thus  seen  has  been 
well  won.  In  his  official  capacity  Mr.  Fisk 
has  settled  a  large  number  of  estates,  probably 
more  than  any  other  man  in  town,  and  has 
often  acted  as  guardian  and  trustee.  This 
business  has,  in  many  cases,  made  it  necessary 
for  him  to  visit  different  parts  of  the  country, 
and  he  has  been  West  on  eight  different  trips. 
He  was  for  many  years  agent  for  the  Cheshire 
Insurance  Company,  but  gave  up  the  position 
twenty  years  ago. 


In  politics  Mr.  Fisk  was  an  old-time  Whig. 
Later  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  has  since  been  one  of  the  most 
loyal  members  of  that  organization.  He  has 
been  an  active  political  worker,  and  his  views 
have  carried  great  influence;  but  he  has  not 
desired  political  jjreferment  for  himself.  He 
served  the  town  as  Selectman  for  one  year, 
and  he  has  been  sent  as  delegate  to  party  con- 
ventions times  innumerable.  When  the  move- 
ment was  made  to  open  a  post-ofifice  at 
Spofford  Lake,  Mr.  Fisk  remonstrated,  and  his 
arguments  and  statement  of  facts  to  Senator 
Gallinger  were  so  effective  that  the  movement 
fell  through.  Mr.  Fisk  is  a  strong  temper- 
ance advocate,  and  is  interested  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  religious  work,  although  he  is 
not  connected  with  any  church. 

Mr.  Fisk  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1838,  was 
Arabel  Robertson.  She  died  in  1876,  having 
borne  three  children,  namely:  Harrison  F.  ; 
Martha  D.,  who  died  in  1893;  and  Frank  D. 
The  second  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  on 
November  21,  1877,  was  Mrs.  Pierce,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Ann  Chandler. 
Frank  D.  Fisk  is  a  commercial  traveller.  He 
is  married  and  resides  in  Brattleboro.  Harri- 
son resides  in  Springfield,  111.,  and  is  agent 
for  a  whip-manufacturing  concern.  Martha 
D.  was  twice  married.  Her  first  husband  was 
Henry  C.  Walker,  of  Portsmouth,  N.H.,  a 
wealthy  man  and  son  of  a  well-known  Ports- 
mouth family.  Pie  died  on  January  7,  1874; 
and  she  subsequently  married  Edward  Steb- 
bins,  now  a  leading  man  of  Hinsdale. 

George  C.  Fisk,  mentioned  above,  son  of 
Thomas  .T. ,  and  a  nephew  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  on  March  4,  1831,  was 
married  on  June  7,  1853,  to  Maria  E.  Ripley, 
and  resides  at  Brightwood,  Mass.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Wason  Car  Company  and  of  the 
F"isk  Manufacturing  Company,  makers  of  soap 
at  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  president  of  the 
Fisk  Paper  Company,  of  Hinsdale.  He  has 
worked  his  own  way  from  being  clerk  in  a 
store  in  Hinsdale  to  be  the  head  of  numerous 
successful  enterprises.  A  reputed  millionaire, 
he  is  considered  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  of 
the   city  of    Springfield.      He    is    modest   and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


'3 


simple  in  his  tastes.  Noyes,  his  brother,  is 
treasurer  of  the  soap  company;  and  Lucius, 
another  brother,  now  deceased,  was  a  member 
of  the  same  concern. 


~|1^0DNEY  JOHNSON,  a  well-known 
I  ^Y^  real  estate  owner,  lumberman,  and 
J_b\  farmer    of    Goffstown,    was    born  in 

^"""^  this  town,  November  13,  1824,  son 
of  Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  McAuley  Johnson. 
The  grandfather,  Timothy  Johnson,  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Goffstown.  He  took  up 
new  land,  and  made  for  himself  a  home  in  the 
wilds,  where  there  was  then  abundance  of  wild 
game,  and  near  the  present  centre  of  the 
town.  In  the  course  of  time  he  acquired  pos- 
session of  other  tracts  of  land.  He  died  at 
an  advanced  age,  esteemed  by  every  one  who 
knew  him.«  Of  his  family  of  seven  children, 
two  sons  and  five  daughters,  none  are  now 
living. 

Ebenezer  Johnson,  the  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  also  interested  in  real  es- 
tate and  farming,  and  was  skilled  in  handling 
tools.  He  was  a  very  industrious  man  and  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Always  ac- 
tively interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  native 
town,  he  was  in  early  life  a  Whig  and  later 
a  member  of  the  Republican  party,  which 
thereafter  had  his  stanch  support  until  his 
death  in  1S47.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-seven  years  in  Wisconsin, 
where  she  spent  the  last  years  of  her  life.  Of 
their  six  children  George  died  at  the  age  of 
seven  years,  and  Susan  Newman  about  the  age 
of  fifty.  The  four  living  children  are:  Sarah 
J.  Johnson,  residing  in  Prescott,  Wis.  ;  Syl- 
vanus  C.  Johnson,  whose  home  is  in  Clifton, 
Wis.;  PZliza,  who  resides  in  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  the  widow  of  Levi  Bailey;  and  Rod- 
ney Johnson,  who  grew  to  manhood  and  re- 
sides in  Goffstown,  having  been  educated  in 
the  public  schools. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  Rodney  Johnson 
was  engaged  in  lumbering  and  farming  for 
himself,  also  dealing  in  grain  and  flour.  In 
185 1  he  went  to  California  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus,  being  thirty  days  on  the  way,  and 
was  there  engaged  for  three  years  in  trade  and 


mining.  After  a  visit  to  Goffstown  he 
started  in  1854  for  Wisconsin,  where  he  be- 
came largely  interested  in  real  estate  and 
grain  and  in  the  city  of  Prescott.  He  did  an 
extensive  business  there  for  a  number  of 
years,  shipping  large  amounts  of  grain  down 
the  river  and  to  Milwaukee  and  Chicago. 
He  returned  to  Goffstown  in  1857,  and  has 
since  that  time  been  a  permanent  resident 
here,  though  he  still  retains  his  real  estate  in- 
terests in  Wisconsin. 

In  1 8  50  Mr.  Johnson  was  niarried  to 
Harriet  F.  Adams,  who  was  born  in  Bedford, 
N.H.,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Seaver) 
Adams.  Isadore  Johnson,  the  eldest  of  his 
three  children,  born  in  California,  Jime  22, 
1854,  now  resides  with  her  parents.  She  has 
been  the  librarian  of  the  Rogers  Free  Library 
since  its  establishment  in  1888  and  the  or- 
ganist of  St.  Matthew's  Episcopal  Church  for 
several  years.  Ernest  Johnson,  one  of  the 
sons,  born  in  Prescott,  Wis.,  in  1855,  was 
married  to  Miss  Carrie  Eastman,  and  has  two 
children  —  Howard  K.  and  Rodney  A.  He  is 
a  lumber  merchant  and  surveyor,  and  has  been 
Town  Clerk  and  a  member  of  the  School  Board 
and  of  the  Board  of  Health  in  his  native  town. 
He  is  a  communicant  of  the  Episcopal  church, 
and  has  membership  in  the  New  England 
Order  of  Protection.  In  1896  he  was  Grand 
Dictator  of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and  he  is 
now  Past  Grand,  as  well  as  Grand  Representa- 
tive to  the  Supreme  Lodge.  Frank,  the  other 
son  of  Rodney  Johnson,  was  born  April  7, 
1857,  at  Goffstown.  Like  his  brother,  a  lum- 
ber merchant,  he  is  also  interested  in  farming. 
For  the  last  ten  years  he  has  been  Town 
Clerk.  He  is  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  belongs 
to  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and  is  a  communi- 
cant of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1896  to  Jessie  A.  Hawthorne,  who  was 
born  in  Hopkinton,  N.H. 

Rodney  Johnson,  the  fortunate  father  of 
these  two  sons,  is  a  self-made  man.  He  has 
always  been  busily  engaged  in  successful  en- 
terprises. He  is  one  of  the  largest  real  estate 
owners  in  Goffstown,  and  has  been  Selectman 
for  four  years,  and  for  many  years  Supervisor. 
In  1868  he  was  a  Representative  to  the  General 
Court,  being  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Mr.  Johnson  is  an  active  communicant  of  the 
Episcopal  church,  and  was  largely  instrumen- 
tal in  having  the  present  church  building 
erected  here.  Mrs.  Johnson  is  a  grand-daugh- 
ter of  a  Revolutionary  veteraii.  Her  grand- 
father, William  Adams,  of  the  Adams  family 
of  Hillsboro  County,  served  as  a  soldier  for 
two  years  in  the  struggle  for  American  inde- 
pendence. Mrs.  Johnscin  naturally  feels  much 
pride  in  her  ancestry. 


'ESSE  C.  EMERSON,  who  was  a  lead- 
ing farmer  of  VVeare  at  one  time,  was 
born  in  this  town,  March  23,  1809,  son 
of  Marden  and  Polly  (Dow)  Emerson. 
He  was  descended  from  one  of  three  brothers 
named  Emerson,  who  came  to  this  country  in 
the  early  period  of  its  history.  They  settled 
in  Weare,  where  the  Emersons  have  since 
been  a  leading  family,  and  remarkable  for 
their  industry  and  physical  strength.  Marden 
Emerson,  born  in  VVeare,  February  11,  1781, 
died  December  18,  1864.  On  November  15, 
1803,  he  married  Polly  Dow.  She  was  born 
near  Georgetown,  N.H.,  July  13,  1782,  and 
died  October  30,  1875. 

Jesse  C.  Emerson  grew  to  manhood  in  the 
town  of  Weare,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
town  schools.  Prosperously  engaged  in  gen- 
eral agriculture,  he  was  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  the  district.  In  religious  belief  he 
was  a  Congregationalist.  His  political  views 
carried  him  into  the  Democratic  party,  with 
which  he  invariably  voted.  On  June  20, 
1839,  he  married  Harriet  Duke,  who  was  born 
in  Andover,  Mass.,  December  29,  18 16,  and 
died  in  Grasmere,  March  2,  1895.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Phoebe  Holt  Duke. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emerson  had  four  children  — 
Louisa  P.,  Emeline,  Mary  A.,  and  Hattie  A. 
Louisa  P.  died  at  the  age  of  five  years;  Eme- 
line married  Albert  Tirrell,  of  Weymouth, 
Mass. ;  Mary  A.  married  Edwin  Flanders,  of 
whom  a  separate  sketch  will  be  found;  Hattie 
A.  resides  in  Grasmere,  a  part  of  the  town  of 
Goffstown,  where  she  has  a  beautiful  home. 
A  very  intelligent  lady,  she  takes  much  in- 
terest in  preserving  the  family  history,  of 
which  she  may  be  justly  proud.      Mr.    Emer- 


son's death   occurred    March   27,   18S7,  in 
house  beneath  whose  roof  he  was  born. 


the 


..,     Cheshire     County,     N.H.,     June 
Mr.    Lovell    was    born    in    Drews- 


N.  BOLIVAR  LOVELL,  an  e.xcel- 
ent  example,  as  has  been  well  said, 
of  the  best  type  of  the  village 
lawyer,  died  at  his  pleasant  home  in 
Drewsville, 
10,    1893. 

ville,    August    30,    1826,    and   was  the   second 
son  of  Aldis  and  Martha  (Willard)  Lovell. 

His  father,  Aldis  Lovell,  who  was  the  third 
son  of  Elijah  and  Abigail  G.  Lovell,  was  born 
in  Rockingham,  Vt.,  August  2,  1789.  Until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  Aldis  assisted 
his  father  about  the  farm,  availing  himself  in 
the  meantime  of  such  educational  opportuni- 
ties as  the  little  town  afforded.  But,  wearying 
of  farm  life,  he  determined  to  seek  more  con- 
genial fields.  Deciding  to  fit  himself  for  the 
legal  profession,  he  spent  a  few  terms  at  the 
Chester  Academy,  and  in  18 18  went  from 
there  to  New  Market,  N.  H.,  to  pursue  a 
course  preparatory  for  college.  Having  com- 
pleted that  course,  he  entered  the  law  office 
of  the  Hon.  Daniel  Kellogg,  of  Saxton's  River, 
Vt.,  and  after  two  years'  close  study  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Newfane,  Vt.  He  took 
up  practice  in  his  native  town,  but  shortly 
removed  to  Drewsville,  N.H.,  where  he  con- 
tinued active  in  his  profession  till'  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  March  12,  1866,  his 
duties  extending  into  Alstead  and  other  ad- 
jacent towns.  He  was  County  Solicitor  for 
ten  years,  between  1840  and  1850;  but,  while 
he  figured  prominently  in  public  life,  he  held 
few  offices.  He  is  spoken  of  "as  a  lawyer, 
honest,  and  in  pursuit  of  justice  untiring. 
Nothing  would  make  him  more  impatient  than 
to  see  wrong-doing  go  unpunished.  He  was 
one  who  enjoyed  a  good  story,  and  could  tell 
one  himself."  He  was  a  close  observer  of 
human  nature,  and  had  the  courage  of  his  con- 
victions. He  married  Martha,  daughter  of 
Paul  and  Martha  (Haskell)  Willard,  and 
grand-daughter  of  Colonel  Henry  Haskell,  of 
Revolutionary  fame.  She  was  born  at  Lan- 
caster,  Mass.,  May  26,  1799,  and  died  at 
Drewsville,    N.H.,    August     12,     1851.      The 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


'5 


children  of  this  union  were  Alclis,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Maria,  who  died  in  1S36,  at  the  age 
of  twelve  years;  Bolivar,  the  special  subject 
of  this  sketch;  Henry  A.,  who  married 
Georgie  B. ,  daughter  of  Ignatius  Fellows; 
and  Willard  A.,  who  married  Julia  A.,  daugh- 
ter of  Lyman  Chandler. 

Bolivar  Lovell  received  a  limited  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools  of  the  town  of 
VValpole,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  was  taken 
into  the  employ  of  Cragin  &  LLartwell,  mer- 
chants of  Providence,  R.L,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years.  The  young  man,  however, 
had  inherited  a  taste  for  the  law,  and  he  re- 
turned home  at  the  age  of  nineteen  to  read  law 
in  his  father's  office  at  Alstead.  Appointed 
Deputy  Sheriff  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-one, 
he  acted  in  that  capacity  until  the  year  1855, 
when  he  was  appointed  Sheriff  for  the  county 
of  Cheshire.  This  office  he  held  for  ten 
years.  In  1862  he  was  made  United  States 
Assessor  of  Internal  Revenues  for  the  Third 
New  Hampshire  District  for  eight  years.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Sullivan  County  bar  in 
1869,  and,  entering  at  once  upon  the  duties  of 
his  profession  at  Alstead,  there  acquired  a 
remunerative  practice,  and  became  widely 
known.  In  1873  and  1874  he  was  a  member 
of  Governor  Cheney's  Council,  and  in  1879 
he  served  on  the  State  Board  of  Equalization  of 
Taxes.  In  1880  he  removed  to  Drewsville, 
where  he  built  himself  a  handsome  residence, 
adding  a  finely  equipped  office  and  well-chosen 
library. 

He  married  in  1848  Sarah  E.  B. ,  daugh- 
ter of  Hope  and  Fanny  (Cooper)  Lathrop,  of 
Drewsville.  Mrs.  Lovell's  father  came  origi- 
nally from  Connecticut.  In  youth  he  learned 
the  plater's  trade  in  Westminster,  Vt. ,  and  in 
1819  he  removed  to  Drewsville,  where  he  fol- 
lowed his  trade  for  a  few  years,  afterward 
for  a  number  of  years  holding  the  office  of 
Deputy  Sheriff.  His  next  interest  was  in  the 
hotel  business,  and  he  likewise  held  the 
office  of  Postmaster  for  several  years.  He 
was  a  director  of  the  Connecticut  River  Bank 
at  Charlestovvn,  N.  H.,  and  was  president 
of  the  bank  for  some  years  before  his  death. 
Mr.  Lathrop  was  cautious  and  sagacious  in 
business,   and   under  his  presidency  the  bank 


prospered  as  it  had  never  done  before.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  intellectual  ability,  added  to  an  in- 
domitable energy  and  persistency  of  character. 
He  was  twice  married ;  and  by  his  first  wife, 
formerly  Miss  Fanny  Cooper,  he  had  three 
daughters — Sarah  E.  B. ,  Lucia  A.,  and 
Fanny.  Mrs.  Fanny  C.  Lathrop  died  June  4, 
1837,  and  Mr.  Lathrop  married  second  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Drew,  and  widow  of 
Joseph  Bond,  M.  D.  His  home  was  in  Drews- 
ville, where  he  amassed  a  large  fortune,  and 
became  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the 
town.  Mr.  Lovell  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
Mrs.  Sarah  E.  B.  Lovell,  and  three  children, 
namely:  Martha  Ellen,  who  married  Dr. 
S.  T.  Smith ;  Hope  L.  and  Aldis,  both  of 
whom  make  their  home  in  Drewsville. 

Capable  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of 
trusts,  liberal-minded,  hospitable,  uniformly 
kind  and  courteous,  Mr.  Lovell  was  much 
admired  and  beloved.  However  engrossed  by 
private  business  or  public  duties,  he  was  ever 
foremost  in  any  movement  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  schools,  the  morals  of  youth,  and 
the  welfare  of  the  community.  When  his  use- 
ful and  honorable  career  was  closed  by  death, 
the  press  did  not  fail  to  pay  tribute  to  his 
memory,  one  to  whom  he  was  well  known 
writing :  — 

"As  sheriff  he  was  a  model  officer,  fear- 
less, exact,  careful,  and  courteous,  giving  to 
his  office  the  dignity  and  character  which  the 
tradition  and  teaching  of  our  law  demand. 

"As  a  lawyer  he  was  exact,  careful,  and 
painstaking,  a  wise  and  prudent  counsellor  and 
a  most  faithful  attorney.  He  never  took  up  a 
case  until  thoroughly  convinced  of  its  merits, 
and  then  strove  with  all  of  his  characteristic 
tenacity  and  strong  will  to  accomplish  his 
client's  ends.  While  his  modesty  prevented 
him  from  taking  the  more  showy  and  promi- 
nent positions  in  the  trial  of  causes,  our  best 
lawyers  knew  when  associated  with  him  how 
greatly  his  skilful  preparation  of  the  case  con- 
tributed to  their  success  in  the  court. 

"While  his  business  life  was  thus  faithful 
and  conscientious,  his  private  life  was  equally 
sweet  and  true,  and  his  devotion  to  his  family 
was  as  marked  as  to  his  clients  and  friends." 


i6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


AHLON  C.  DIX,  M.D.,  of  Hins- 
dale, N.  H.,  a  physician  well 
known  throughout  Cheshire 
County,  was  born  in  Troy,  Vt., 
January  12,  1844,  son  of  Samuel  and  Maria  B. 
(Church)  Dix.  Samuel  Dix,  the  son  of  John, 
was  born  in  Reading,  Mass.  When  a  young 
man  he  went  to  Montpelier,  Vt. ,  and  was 
there  in  association  with  Mr.  Mahlon  Cottrill, 
connected  with  the  stage  line  running  from 
that  city  to  Boston,  being  thus  engaged  until 
the  railroads  supplanted  the  stage-coach.  In 
politics  he  was  a  strong  Democrat.  He  died 
in  1872,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years,  his 
wife  surviving  him  ten  years.  Seven  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them,  namely:  Samuel  N., 
now  living  in  Montgomery,  Vt. ,  a  retired 
merchant;  Mahlon  C,  the  Doctor;  Francis  F. 
(deceased)  ;  John,  a  house  carpenter,  residing 
at  Lebanon,  N.  H.  ;  and  three  who  died  in 
infancy,  one  being  a  daughter,  Mary  Jane. 

Mahlon  C,  the  special  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  educated  at  the  academy  in  Al- 
bany, Vt. ,  where  his  father  had  resided  for 
more  than  twenty  years.  While  in  attend- 
ance at  the  academy,  he  enlisted  in  the  Fif- 
teenth Vermont  Regiment,  Company  I.  He 
served  nine  months,  and,  re-enlisting  in  1864, 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he 
received  his  discharge  at  Burlington,  Vt. 
Though  he  did  not  participate  in  many  en- 
gagements during  the  war,  his  company  being 
chiefly  called  to  do  guard  duty,  he  experienced 
many  severe  marches,  most  of  them  made  at 
night,  when  much  ground  had  to  be  covered  in 
quick  time.  After  his  war  experience  he  took 
up  teaching,  spending  his  summers  in  work  on 
farms,  and  thus,  earning  and  saving,  he  was 
soon  able  to  commence  the  study  of  medicine. 
He  took  his  first  course  of  lectures  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont at  Burlington  in  1873,  and  after  some 
years  of  study,  partly  under  the  tutelage  of 
Dr.  George  W.  Woodward,  of  Albany,  he 
received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine 
from  the  University  in  1S75.  During  these 
years  spent  in  study  he  was  also  engaged  in 
teaching  at  Albany,  at  Craftsbury,  Westfield, 
and  North  and  South  Troy,  thus  earning  his 
way  through  college.      Though  his  medical  ed- 


ucation had  cost  him  eighteen  hundred  dollars, 
he  was  but  one  hundred  dollars  in  debt  when, 
August  I,  1875,  he  began  the  practice  of 
medicine  at  Hinsdale,  where  he  has  since 
remained. 

Dr.  Dix  has  served  for  seventeen  consecu- 
tive years  on  the  Hinsdale  Board  of  liduca- 
tion,  raising  the  standard  of  work,  and  classi- 
fying the  schools  into  grades  and  districts. 
He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  high 
school,  and,  with  Dr.  Leonard,  has  been  in- 
fluential in  making  numerous  advantageous 
changes  in  text-books  and  in  other  ways. 
Today  the  standard  of  all  the  schools  of 
Hinsdale  is  as  high  as  the  best  in  any  city, 
and  the  graduates  of  the  high  school  are  ad- 
mitted to  Dartmouth  on  the  signature  of  the 
principal.  In  other  ways  the  Doctor  has  been 
influential  in  the  town.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat,  but  voted  for  McKinley  in  the 
recent  election.  He  has  been  Selectman  for 
one  year.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the 
Golden  Rule  Lodge,  No.  jy,  and  has  taken 
the  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite, 
thirty-second  degree;  is  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  Red  Men,  Squakheag  Lodge,  No. 
27;  and  of  Sheridan  Post,  No.  14,  G.  A.  R. 
His  preference  in  religion  is  for  the  Congre- 
gationalists. 

In  minor  surgery  Dr.  Dix  does  much  work, 
being  called  to  many  such  cases  among  the 
mill  hands  of  the  town;  but  his  principal 
practice  is  in  obstetrical  cases,  of  which  he 
attends  at  least  half  that  occur  in  the  town. 
His  services  are  sought  in  neighboring  towns 
throughout  the  county.  He  married  August 
13,  1S77,  Addie  E.,  daughter  of  Alfred 
Marble,  a  leading  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Hinsdale,  and  is  at  present 
senior  Deacon.  Mrs.  Dix  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  this  church.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife 
have  no  children. 


ENDRICK  KENDALL,  of  the  well- 
known  firm  Kendall,  Hadley  &  Co., 
manufacturers  of  sashes,  blinds, 
window  frames,  etc.,  at  Goffstown,  was  born 
in  Mont  Vernon,  N.H.,  January  26,  T838,  son 
of  Ira  and   Cyrene  (Batchelder)  Kendall.      Ira 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


17 


Kendall  and  his  wife  were  also  natives  of 
Mont  Vernon.  While  his  regular  occupation 
was  that  of  farmer,  he  was  often  engaged  in 
settling  estates,  and  he  served  in  a  number 
of  town  offices,  including  that  of  Selectman. 
His  life  was  spent  in  Mont  Vernon,  and  he 
had  four  children. 

Kendrick  Kendall  lived  in  Mont  Vernon 
with  his  parents  during  the  early  years  of  his 
life.  He  received  a  fair,  general  education, 
but  fitted  for  no  special  line  of  business.  On 
leaving  Mont  Vernon,  he  went  to  Nashua, 
and  lived  there  for  a  few  years.  In  1858  he 
came  to  Goffstown,  and  for  ten  years  was  em- 
ployed by  the  sash  and  blind  manufacturers, 
William  Hadley  and  his  successor,  Ded  D. 
Gregg,  acting  in  the  capacity  of  manager  for 
a  part  of  the  time.  The  firm  of  Kendall, 
Hadley  &  Co.  was  then  formed,  and  the  busi- 
ness has  since  been  successfully  carried  on 
under  this  title,  though  Mr.  Hadley  is  now 
deceased.  The  factory  is  fitted  up  with  im- 
proved machinery,  and  furnishes  continuous 
employment  for  from  seventy  to  seventy-five 
men.  Much  credit  is  due  to  Mr.  Kendall  for 
the  success  with  which  the  enterprise  has 
been  conducted. 

In  March,  1864,  Mr.  Kendall  was  married 
to  Miss  Rebecca  Warren,  of  Goffstown.  They 
have  two  sons  and  a  daughter — Frank  W., 
Annie  M.,  and  Lewis  B.  Mr.  Kendall  is  an 
independent  politician.  He  has  served  as 
Town  Treasurer,  and  in  1875  he  was  sent  as  a 
Representative  to  the  lower  house  of  the  New 
Hampshire  legislature.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at 
Goffstown. 


§OHN  G.  DODGE,  one  of  the  best 
known  and  esteemed  residents  of  Goffs- 
town, was  born  February  17,  1844, 
son  of  John  G.  and  Polly  (Tallant) 
Dodge.  The  Dodge  family  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  history  of  Goffstown  ever  since 
the  town  was  settled.  Antipas  Dodge,  the 
great-grandfather  of  John  G.,  was  one  of  the 
interesting  characters  figuring  in  the  early 
history  of  the  tovyn.  Born  in  Old  Haverhill 
Neck    in    1732,    he   died   July   4,   1834,  at    the 


advanced  age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years. 
He  served  in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and 
in  the  Revolutionary  War  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  For  his  services  in  the  French 
and  Indian  War  he  was  granted  a  tract  of 
land  in  the  Uncanoonuc  Mountains,  where  on 
the  4th  of  March,  1762,  he  settled  near  the 
site  of  the  village  of  Goffstown.  He  came 
alone,  bringing  on  his  back  from  Londonderry 
besides  one  bushel  of  corn — which  he  had 
ground  at  McGregor's  old  mill  —  a  blanket, 
an  axe,  a  gun  with  ammunition,  an  iron  kettle, 
and  a  bag  of  salt.  In  this  way  he  entered  on 
his  new  estate,  and  began  to  make  a  home  in 
the  wilds.  His  last  days  were  spent  in  Goffs- 
town, where  he  made  an  honored  name  for  his 
descendants.  The  farm  settled  by  Antipas 
Dodge  continues  to  the  present  time  in  the 
family. 

James  Dodge,  who  was  born  on  the  old 
homestead  in  1771,  like  his  father  was  sturdy, 
industrious,  and  progressive.  He  made  many 
improvements  on  the  home  property,  and  built 
one  of  the  best  houses  of  his  time,  which  still 
stands  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  He 
was  a  stanch  Presbyterian  and  a  member  of 
the  Democratic  party.  He  had  two  sons  and 
three  daughters,  all  now  deceased,  who 
reached  maturity.  They  were:  John  G., 
Jerusha  L.,  Maria,  Mary,  and  Daniel  G.  John 
G.  Dodge,  Sr. ,  passed  his  entire  life  on  the 
old  homestead,  chiefly  occupied  in  the  culti- 
vation of  its  four  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres.  He  was  a  Universalist  and  a  Demo- 
crat. He  died  on  the  17th  of  July,  1882;  and 
his  wife,  who  was  a  native  of  Canterbury,  died 
in  1870.  Four  daughters  of  this  worthy 
couple  —  Margaret,  Jerusha,  Mary,  and  Maria 
—  are  now  deceased.  Their  son  James,  late 
of  Pembroke,  N.H.,  died  May  11,  1897,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven  years  and  si.v  months. 
One  daughter,  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  William 
H.  H.  Hart,  of  Goffstown,  and  John  G. 
Dodge,  Jr.,  are  living. 

John  G.  Dodge,  the  youngest  of  his  jiar- 
ents'  children,  grew  to  manhood  on  the  old 
home  farm.  After  completing  the  course  of 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  he 
studied  for  a  while  at  New  Boston  and  later 
at  Boscawen   Academy.      Then,  after  teaching 


i8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


school  for  one  term,  he  engaged  in  farming, 
carpentry,  and  lumbering.  At  present  his 
business  interests  are  almost  entirely  confined 
to  lumbering  and  real  estate.  He  still  holds 
an  interest  in  the  Dodge  homestead,  which  is 
looked  upon  by  the  whole  family  with 
mingled  pride  and  reverence. 

Mr.  Dodge  contracted  his  first  marriage 
with  Addie  M.  Travis,  who  died  January  14, 
1883.  The  present  Mrs.  Dodge  was  before 
marriage  Miss  Lucy  A.  Colby,  daughter  of 
George  W.  Colby.  Both  she  and  her  husband 
are  attendants  of  the  Congregational  church. 
In  politics  Mr.  Dodge,  holding  to  the  family 
tradition,  is  a  well-known  Democrat.  He  is 
a  Mason  of  Bible  Lodge  at  Goffstown ;  an 
Odd  Fellow  of  Webster  Lodge,  No.  24;  and 
he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  No.  37, 
Advance  Lodge;  and  to  Eastern  Star,  No.  6. 
Active  and  enterprising  all  his  life,  Mr. 
Dodge  has  carved  his  own  fortunes.  In  1874 
he  moved  from  the  Dodge  homestead  into  the 
village,  where  he  has  a  happy  home  with 
pleasant  surroundings.  He  takes  much  inter- 
est in  the  early  history  of  Goffstown. 


ILLIAM  W.  DINSMORE,  a  leading 
resident  of  A 1  stead  and  a  native  of 
this  town,  was  Born  February  12, 
1857,  son  of  John  G.  and  Mary  E.  (Spencer) 
Dinsmore.  The  great-grandfather,  Thomas 
Dinsmore,  who  was  the  first  of  the  name  in 
this  part  of  New  Hampshire,  and  who  settled 
in  Alstead  as  a  farmer,  took  a  leading  part  in 
public  affairs,  and  was  generally  respected. 
His  wife  was  a  Green.  Calvin  Dinsmore,  the 
grandfather,  was  born  in  Alstead,  and  died 
there  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  a  blacksmith,  and  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  the  town.  He  was  univer- 
sally beloved  because  of  his  genial  and  kindly 
manners,  and  was  known  by  everybody  in  the 
place  as  "Uncle  Calvin."  He  was  active  in 
town  affairs  and  one  of  the  liberal  supporters 
of  the  Universalist  church.  His  wife,  in 
maidenhood  Lucy  Walker,  was  born  in  Lang- 
don,  and  lived  to  be  seventy-eight  years  old. 
They  had  a  family  of  ten  children. 

John    G.  Dinsmore,    the   third    child    of   his 


parents,  was  born  in  Alstead,  January  29, 
1817,  and  died  December  i,  1892.  He 
worked  as  a  farmer  until  he  came  of  age,  when 
he  bought  a  smithy,  and  worked  at  the  black- 
smith's trade  for  twenty-three  years.  Then 
he  engaged  in  the  wholesale  flour  and  grain 
business,  which  he  carried  on  for  three  or 
four  years,  when  he  was  obliged  to  retire  from 
active  life.  He  was  always  interested  in  public 
affairs,  and  was  more  or  less  closely  associated 
with  the  administration  of  the  town  business. 
A  member  of  the  Congregational  church,  he 
was  an  active  worker  in  that  body  and  one  of 
its  generous  supporters.  His  business  rela- 
tions were  always  characterized  by  strict 
honesty,  and  he  was  everywhere  known  as  a 
man  of  absolute  integrity.  His  wife's  father 
had  been  a  director  and  the  president  of  both 
the  Charlestown  National  Bank  and  the  Con- 
necticut River  National  Bank  for  many  years 
at  the  time  of  his  death. 

William  W.  Dinsmore  was  an  only  child. 
After  receiving  his  education  in  the  town 
schools  and  at  Barre  Academy,  of  Barre,  Vt., 
he  began  his  business  life  as  clerk  in  a 
grocery  store  at  Keene,  where  he  remained  for 
two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  re- 
turned to  Alstead,  and  entered  the  flour  and 
grain  business,  in  which  his  father  was  at 
that  time  engaged.  He  has  remained  here 
since,  assisting  his  father,  who  was  in  feeble 
health,  in  the  management  of  his  business  in- 
terests. Since  the  death  of  the  latter  he  has 
been  engaged  in  settling  the  estate  and  look- 
ing out  for  the  property.  He  is  an  attendant 
of  the  Congregational  church,  and  takes  an 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  that  town.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  Tax  Collector  for  the  past 
six  years.  Mr.  Dinsmore  married  N.  Emma 
Emerson,  of  this  place,  who  was  born  Sep- 
tember 15,   1857. 


AN  BUREN  MARTIN,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Goffstown,  was  born  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1840,  son  of  Francis  B.  and  Betsy 
B.  (Hadley)  Martin.  His  grandfather.  Cap- 
tain Joshua  Martin,  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers   here.       A    hard-workinjr  and  industrious 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RFA'IKW 


>9 


man,  Captain  Martin  cleared  the  place  his 
grandson  occupies.  He  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier,  and  was  taken  prisoner  By  TRe 
Indians. 

Francis  B.  Martin,  who  was  born  here,  July 
I,  1793,  also  followed  the  life  of  an  agricult- 
urist. On  December  25,  18 17,  he  married 
Miss  Betsy  B.  Hadley,  who  was  born  July  i, 
1797,  being  his  junior  by  five  years  to  a  day. 
He  died  November  15,  1S72,  and  she,  May 
10,  1879.  Ten  children,  seven  sons  and 
three  daughters,  were  born  to  them,  as  fol- 
lows: Abigail  H.,  July  26,  1818;  Joshua, 
March  5,  1820;  F"rancis,  April  24,  1822; 
Emily  A.,  November  26,  1823;  Richard  H., 
December  17,  1825;  Joshua  (second),  Febru- 
ary 20,  1828;  Luther  P.,  December  23,  1830; 
Calvin,  August  15,  1833;  Elizabeth,  Febru- 
ary 6,  1837;  and  Van  Buren,  February  26, 
1840.  Three  sons  and  two  daughters  are  now 
living  —  Abigail  H.,  Francis,  Calvin,  Eliza- 
beth, and  Van  Buren.  Both  parents  were 
members  of  the  Congregational  church.  In 
politics  the  father  was  a  Democrat. 

Van  Buren  Martin  has  always  resided  on 
the  homestead,  of  which  he  is  the  present 
owner.  Not  content  with  simply  caring  for 
his  farm,  he  has  branched  out  into  other  lines, 
and  as  a  result  of  his  thrift  and  enterprise 
now  owns,  in  addition  to  the  home  place,  on 
which  he  has  made  numerous  improvements, 
two  hundred  acres  in  Dunbarton  and  sufficient 
other  land  in  Goffstown  to  make  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  acres.  On  March  30,  1868, 
he  married  Mary  Ellen  Bucklin,  who  was  born 
in  Grafton,  N.H.,  March  7,  1842,  daughter  of 
James  and  Lydia  Bucklin.  Both  her  parents 
have  passed  away.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  have 
had  three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter. 
The  daughter,  Dora  May,  born  in  October, 
1 87 1,  died  November  19,  1893.  The  sons, 
both  living  at  home,  are:  James  F. ,  born 
February  19,  1870;  and  Herbert  E.,  born 
June  8,  1879. 

Mr.  Martin  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Bible  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Goffs- 
town; of  Webster  Lodge,  No.  24,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
at  Goffstown;  and  the  encampment  at  Man- 
chester; and  of  Granite  Lodge,  No.  3,  K.  of 
P.,  at  Manchester.      James  F".,  the  older  son. 


is  also  a  member  of  Bible  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
and  of  Webster  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  In  relig- 
ion both  parents  are  liberal. 


RANCIS  MARTIN,  now  over  seventy- 
five  years  of  age,  is  the  oldest  living 
son  of  Francis  B.  and  Betsy  B.  (Had- 
ley) Martin.  He  received  a  district-school 
education.  With  the  exception  of  three  years 
spent  in  Quincy,  Mass.,  he  has  constantly  re- 
sided in  this  his  native  town.  The  farm  on 
which  he  now  lives,  and  which  has  been  his 
home  for  the  past  fifty  years,  contains  about 
seventy-five  acres,  and  is  under  good  cultiva- 
tion. On  December  8,  1846,  Mr.  Martin  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Clarinda  Had- 
ley, who  was  born  in  Goffstown,  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  and  Hannah  Hadley.  They  have 
one  son,  Henry  F.  Martin,  born  April  7, 
1848.  Henry,  who  is  a  well-known  and  suc- 
cessful farmer  of  this  town,  married  Georgia 
Austin,  of  Hookset,  N.H.  She  has  borne 
him  two  daughters  —  Clara  May  and  Jennie 
Belle.  In  political  affiliation  Francis  Martin 
is  a  Democrat.  While  both  he  and  his  wife 
hold  liberal  religious  views,  they  are  attend- 
ants of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


OHN  A.  BRYER,  a  leading  business 
man  of  Antrim,  was  born  September  i, 
1846,  in  Lake  Village  (now  Lakeport), 
N.  H.,  son  of  Jonathan  K.  and  Maria 
(Annis)  Bryer.  His  grandfather,  David 
Bryer,  a  native  of  Canterbury,  N.H.,  was  a 
stone  mason  and  a  contractor  for  the  erection 
of  stone  walls  throughout  New  Hampshire. 
After  an  industrious  and  successful  business 
career  David  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-three  years.  In  politics  he  was  suc- 
cessively a  Whig  and  a  Republican.  Of  his 
seven  children  who  reached  maturity  Julia, 
Martha,  Mary,  and  Albert  S.  are  living. 
Julia  is  now  the  widow  of  Smith  Morrill,  late 
of  Rumney,  N.  H.,  and  has  one  child  living, 
Sarah  Morrill.  Martha  is  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Thing,  of  Lakeport,  N.H.,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren —  Warren  and  George.  Mary  married 
George   Hackett,  of   Elizabeth  City,  N.J.,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


has  two  children — •  George  and  Ella.  Albert 
S.  married  Lucy  Hardy,  of  Groton,  N.  H., 
and  has  one  child,  Ella. 

Jonathan  K.  Bryer,  the  third  child  of 
David,  born  in  Canterbury,  N.H.,  was  a 
farmer  there  for  some  years.  Then  he  moved 
to  Groton,  where  his  father  bought  a  large 
farm.  Here  he  resided  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  seventy- 
two  years  old.  A  man  of  integrity  and  untir- 
ing industry,  he  was  greatly  esteemed  by  all. 
Maria  Annis  Bryer,  the  first  of  his  two 
wives,  bore  him  six  children,  of  whom  Clar- 
ence L.,  John  A.,  David  P.,  Herbert  K. ,  and 
Charles  A.  are  living.  Clarence  L.  has  been 
twice  married,  and  became  the  father  of  four 
children  by  his  first  wife;  David  P.  married 
Mary  Sawyer,  of  Antrim,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren—  Myrtie  and  Walter;  Herbert  K.  mar- 
ried Lizzie  Stacy,  of  the  same  town,  and  has 
four  children  —  Bertha,  Albert,  Grace,  and 
Mary;  Charles  A.  married  a  Miss  Putney,  of 
Hebron,  N.H.,  and  has  five  children.  Jon- 
athan's second  wife  was  Lydia  I'ellows 
Bryer,  who  had  three  children  —  Annie, 
George,  and  Leon.  Annie  is  now  the  wife  of 
Lewis  Brown,  of  Groton,  and  has  one  child. 

John  A.  Bryer  received  his  education  in 
Groton.  On  March  30,  1864,  being  then  but 
seventeen  years  old,  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  Fourth  New  Hampshire  Regiment, 
Company  I,  and  thereafter  served  in  the  war 
until  its  close,  participating  in  the  siege  of 
Petersburg  and  the  actions  at  Deep  Bottom, 
Fort  Fisher,  and  Richmond.  He  was  wounded 
by  a  stray  ball  at  Petersburg,  and  was  dis- 
charged July  I,  1865.  He  then  returned  to 
Groton,  and  went  to  farming,  and  later  on 
worked  in  a  truss  factory  for  two  years  and  a 
half.  Subsequently  in  Haverhill,  N.H.,  he 
was  for  a  short  time  engaged  in  the  black- 
smith business,  after  which  he  spent  one  year 
and  a  half  in  Lebanon  and  one  year  in  Bris- 
tol, N.  H.  In  1870  he  purchased  his  present 
shop  in  Antrim,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

On  June  11,  1869,  Mr.  Bryer  married 
Lodemia  E.,  daughter  of  Able  Bailey,  of 
Groton.  They  have  no  children.  Mr.  Bryer 
has  been  lown  Clerk,  and  is  now  Second  Se- 
lectman.     He   is  a  comrade  of  the  G.  A.  R. 


Post  No.  87,  Ephraim  Weston,  of  Antrim; 
and  for  twenty  years  has  been  a  member  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  V.  He  has  taken  all  the  degrees 
in  Waverly  Lodge,  No.  59,  and  occupied  all 
of  the  chairs.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Bryer  have 
been  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  for 
the  past  twenty  years.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  is  highly  esteemed  and  pop- 
ular in  Antrim. 


,^TEPHEN  C.  COBURN,  an  es- 
teemed resident  of  Milford  and  a 
good  representative  of  New  Eng- 
land's self-made  men,  was  born  No- 
vember 19,  1825,  in  Mont  Vernon,  N.H.,  son 
of  Josiah  and  Judith  (Carlton)  Coburn.  Jo- 
siah  Coburn  lived  in  Dracut,  Mass.,  until  ten 
years  of  age.  Then  he  went  to  Mont  Vernon, 
where  he  afterward  resided  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  while  he  was  yet  in  the  prime 
of  manhood.  He  married  Judith  Carlton,  a 
daughter  of  Deacon  John  Carlton.  Deacon 
Carlton  fought  for  independence  in  the  Revo- 
.lution.      He  was   a   lifelona:  resident   of   Mont 


Vernon,  of  which  his  father  was  a  pioneer. 

Stephen  C.  Coburn  was  an  infant  when  his 
father  died.  He  remained  with  his  widowed 
mother  throughout  his  boyhood,  assisting  her 
as  much  as  he  could  in  the  maintenance  of  her 
family,  and  obtaining  a  practical  education  in 
the  common  and  high  schools  of  his  native 
town.  When  sixteen  years  old  he  began  serv- 
ing an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  to  shoe- 
making  with  John  Mills,  of  Milford,  whither 
he  removed  for  that  purpose.  Having  become 
an  adept  at  this  work,  Mr.  Coburn  followed  it 
for  thirty-five  years,  the  last  thirty  years  of 
the  time  being  prosperously  engaged  as  a  man- 
ufacturer and  retailer  of  boots  and  shoes  in  this 
town,  employing  at  times  as  many  as  twelve 
men  to  assist  him  in  meeting  the  demands  of 
his  customers.  In  1882  he  retired  to  his  pres- 
ent farm,  which  contains  about  si.xty  acres  of 
land,  and  has  since  devoted  his  time  to  farm- 
ing pursuits.  Mr.  Coburn  has  ever  been  in- 
terested in  all  enterprises  tending  to  improve 
and  benefit  the  town  or  county.  He  has  given 
his  hearty  support  to  all  such  projects,  and  is 
an  active  worker  in   the   cause   of   temperance. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


He  has  served  the  community  in  some  of  the 
most  responsible  offices.  From  1879  ^mtil 
18S3,  inclusive,  he  represented  the  town  in 
the  State  legislature.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education  for  four  years,  and  Se- 
lectman of  Milford  for  five  years,  being  chair- 
man of  the  Board  for  all  but  one  year  of  the 
time.  He  belongs  to  the  local  lodge  of  Odd 
Fellows.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
In  1856,  September  11,  Mr.  Coburn  mar- 
ried Miss  Ann  Jane  Putnam,  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Aaron  K.  Putnam,  of  Wilton,  N.H.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Coburn  are  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  Albert 
A.  Gilson,  of  Walpole,  N.  H.  ;  Florence  S., 
the  wife  of  William  H.  Whitmore,  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio;  Grace,  the  wife  of  George  A. 
Mclntire,  of  this  town;  Stephen  C.  Coburn, 
Jr.,  of  Milford;  and  Charles  H.,  a  resident  of 
Hanover,  N.  H. 


OHN  F.  BUTLER,  M.D.,  the  well- 
known  physician  and  surgeon  of  Ches- 
terfield, Cheshire  County,  N.H.,  and  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born  in 
Marlow,  N.H.,  June  14,  1831,  son  of  Jona- 
than and  Martha  (Russell)  Butler.  His 
great-grandfather,  William  Butler,  settled  in 
that  part  of  Gloucester,  Mass.,  which  became 
known  as  Butler's  Point,  and  is  now  included 
in  the  town  of  Esse.x'.  He  later  removed  to 
Lyndeboro,  N.  H.,  where  he  passed  the  rest  of 
his  days.  He  was  married  late  in  life,  and 
the  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah  Per- 
kins. She  lived  to  be  ninety-two  years  old. 
William  and  Sarah  Butler  had  three  sons, 
Jonathan,  William,  and  Jacob,  all  of  whom 
served  in  the  Rgyplutionarv  War.  Jacob,  who 
was  taken  prisoner,  died  of  small-po.\  while  in 
captivity  in  Nova  Scotia;  and  William,  who 
became  a  captain,  died  at  sea. 

Jonathan  Butler,  Dr.  Butler's  grandfather, 
was  born  in  Ipswich,  Mass.,  in  1752.  He 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and  in  1777 
settled  in  Lyndeboro,  N.  H.,  where  he  died 
December  5,  1844,  aged  ninety-two  years. 
In  1778  he  married  Lois  Kidder,  by  whom  he 
had  three  sons  and  nine  daughters. 


Jonathan  Butler,  second,  eldest  son  of  Jona- 
than, first,  and  father  of  Dr.  John  F.  Butler, 
was  born  in  Lyndeboro.  When  a  young  man 
he  settled  upon  a  tract  of  wild  land  in  Mar- 
low,  in  the  northern  part  of  Cheshire  County, 
where  he  cleared  a  farm  and  spent  his  active 
years  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  died  July 
19,  1843,  aged  fifty-eight  years.  His  wife 
Martha,  whom  he  married  in  1807,  was  a 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  Russell,  a  mechanic 
and  a  hotel-keeper  of  Wilmington,  Mass. 
Nathaniel  Russell  responded  to  the  call  to 
arms  made  by  the  midnight  rider  from  Bos- 
ton on  the  night  of  the  iSth  of  April, 
1775;  and,  gun  in  hand,  he  followed  on  to 
Concord.  He  served  all  through  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  and  was  discharged  in  the  Caro- 
linas.  Mrs.  Martha  Russell  Butler  died  Jan- 
uary 24,  1856.  She  and  her  husband  were 
born  the  same  year.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  all  born  in  Marlow,  named 
as  follows:  Nathaniel  R.  ;  Martha;  Susan; 
Mary;  William;  Sarah  Jane;  Lucinda;  Jona- 
than Wesley;  John  I".,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  ;  and  two  others  who  died  in  infancy. 
Nathaniel  R.  Butler  was  early  in  life  engaged 
in  the  shoe  business,  and  also  interested  in 
lumbering.  He  later  went  to  Ashburnham, 
Mass.,  to  rest,  and  recover  his  health,  and 
while  there  took  up  farming.  He  afterward 
made  a  specialty  of  poultry-raising,  supplying 
eggs  and  chickens  to  hotels  at  good  [trices; 
and  he  accumulated  considerable  property. 
He  died  in  Gardner,  Mass.  Susan  Butler  be- 
came the  wife  of  John  Ramsey,  and  died  a  few 
years  after  marriage.  Mary  wedded  Francis 
Buss,  a  manufacturer  of  Acworth,  N.H. 
William  always  resided  in  Marlow,  and  was 
an  exceedingly  active  business  man.  He  be- 
came a  successful  cattle  and  real  estate 
dealer,  and  acquired  a  small  fortune.  The 
last  twenty  years  of  his  life  were  passed  in 
retirement.  His  widow  survives  him.  Sarah 
Jane  was  the  second  wife,  and  is  now  the 
widow,  of  John  Ramsey,  late  of  Orange, 
Mass.,  who  was  the  original  manufacturer  of 
the  Ramsey  sleigh,  and  who  built  the  Man- 
sion House  in  Orange.  Jonathan  Wesley  But- 
ler died  unmarried  at  the  age  of  twenty-five 
years. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


John  F.  Butler  was  but  twelve  years  old 
when  his  father  died,  and  was  therefore  thrown 
mainly  upon  his  own  resources  at  an  early  age. 
With  the  assistance  of  his  mother  he  managed 
to  acquire  a  fair  education,  and  during  his 
vacations  he  taught  district  and  writing 
schools.  He  was  fitted  for  college  at  the 
Marlow  Academy  and  at  Tubbs  Union  Acad- 
emy in  Washington,  N.  H  ;  but,  instead  of  en- 
tering upon  a  classical  course,  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Marshall  Perkins, 
of  Marlow.  He  later  attended  lectures  at 
Dartmouth  College.  He  entered  the  Tremont 
Medical  School,  Boston,  in  1853,  and  in  1854 
was  graduated  at  the  Harvard  Medical  School, 
where  he  was  a  classmate  of  e.x-Mayor  Samuel 
A.  Green,  of  Boston.  He  was  among  the 
eighteen  out  of  a  class  of  twenty-seven  who 
passed  a  favorable  examination,  and  his  di- 
ploma was  signed  by  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes.  While  in  Boston  he  had  the  advan- 
tage of  practical  observation  in  the  different 
ho.spitals,  and  thus  equipped  he  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  in  Chester- 
field. During  the  Crimean  War  Dr.  Butler 
was  offered  an  opportunity  to  enter  the  Rus- 
sian service,  but,  seeing  the  disadvantages  that 
an  American  must  labor  under  in  such  a  posi- 
tion, he  declined.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he 
was  commissioned  by  Governor  Andrew  As- 
sistant Surgeon  of  the  Thirty-ninth  Regiment, 
Massachusetts  Volunteers,  then  attached  to  the 
Fifth  Army  Corps.  While  serving  in  front  of 
Petersburg,  he  contracted  fever  and  ague,  and 
had  a  thirty  days'  furlough,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  duty.  He  also  served  as  Surgeon  of 
the  Sixteenth  Maine  and  the  Eighty-eighth 
Pennsylvania  Regiments.  After  the  war  he 
resumed  his  practice  here,  and  his  professional 
labors  have  since  extended  over  a  wide  terri- 
tory. Not  only  his  skill  both  as  a  physician 
and  surgeon,  but  his  kindly  disposition  and 
deeds  of  charity  commend  him  to  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  his  fellow-townsmen. 

In  1857  Dr.  Butler  married  for  his  first  wife 
Julia,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Silas  Quimby,  of 
Lebanon,  N.H.  She  died  in  1861,  and  her  in- 
fant died  soon  afterward.  In  1863  the  Doctor 
wedded  for  his  second  wife  Celia  A.  Brewster, 
daughter  of    John     L.    Brewster,    of    Lowell, 


Mass.,  and,   like   his  first   wife,  a  graduate   of 
the  New  Hampshire  Conference  Seminary. 

Politically,  Dr.  Butler  is  a  Democrat.  He 
represented  Chesterfield  in  the  legislature 
during  the  years  1874  and  1875,  ^nd  served 
upon  the  committee  on  the  Insane  Asylum. 
He  served  on  the  School  Board  for  twelve 
terms,  and  for  many  years  was  Moderator  at 
town  meetings.  He  is  still  actively  engaged 
in  his  professional  work,  and  has  a  lucrative 
practice. 


m 


LLIAM  McQUESTEN,  an  influen- 
tial resident  of  Merrimac.  was 
born  in  Litchfield,  this  State, 
March  15,  1831,  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
(Chase)  McQuesten.  He  comes  of  a  family 
that  has  long  been  settled  in  the  State,  and 
has  been  closely  allied  with  its  growth  and 
history.  His  grandfather  was  a  pioneer  of 
Litchfield,  where  he  was  one  of  the  leading 
men,  and  spent  a  long  and  useful  life.  His 
son  Henry,  after  he  grew  to  manhood,  contin- 
ued to  reside  on  the  homestead,  and  engaged 
in  farming.  Henry  also  did  some  teaming. 
He  served  the  town  as  Selectman,  and  held 
various  minor  offices.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican,  in  religion  a  Universalist.  Two 
of  his  four  children  are  living.  They  are: 
Henry  W.  McQuesten,  living  in  Merrimac; 
and  William  McQuesten,  the  subject  of  this 
biography. 

William  McQuesten,  the  elder  of  the  two 
brothers,  is  a  worthy  representative  of  the 
family.  His  life  has  been  varied  with  inci- 
dent and  travel,  and  he  has  acquired  a  large 
store  of  general  information.  His  early  edu- 
cation was  received  in  the  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  started  in 
business,  learning  at  first  to  be  a  brickmaker, 
and  later  becoming  a  boatman  on  the  Merri- 
mac River.  In  1850,  when  nineteen  years 
of  age,  with  the  hopefulness  of  youth,  he  went 
to  California  in  search  of  gold.  In  the  next 
fifteen  years  he  visited  various  parts  of  that 
State  and  British  Columbia,  mining  with  con- 
siderable success.  He  returned  for  a  short 
time  to  his  native  town  in  1866.  Some  time 
after  he  opened  a  general  merchandise  store  in 


I 


DANIEL    W.    TENNEY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


2S 


Cleveland,  Ohio,  which  he  conducted  until 
1869.  Then  he  disposed  of  the  business,  and 
came  back  to  make  his  home  permanently 
where  he  now  resides.  He  has  a  fine,  hand- 
some and  home-like  residence,  and  owns 
about  eighty  acres  of  land. 

On  November  5,  186S,  Mr.  McOuesten  mar- 
ried Lydia  J.  Reid,  a  native  of  Litchfield  and 
a  daughter  of  William  Reid.  Subsequently 
he  wedded  Caroline  Busswell,  of  Lebanon, 
N.H.,  and  later  Miss  Elizabeth  K.  Harriman, 
of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  who  is  his  present  wife. 
He  has  two  sons:  Carroll  L.,  a  farmer  of 
Merrimac;  and  Frank,  who  is  now  preparing 
to  enter  the  legal  profession.  Always  inter- 
ested in  public  im]3rovement,  Mr.  McQuesten 
has  been  prominent  in  town  affairs,  and  has 
served  as  Selectman  and  in  other  offices.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  A  religious  man, 
he  is  a  member  and  the  clerk  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  In  1891  Mr.  McQuesten  made 
a  tour  in  Europe  with  his  wife,  visiting  the 
principal  cities,  and  observing  the  manners 
and  customs  of  foreign  people. 


"irXANIEL     W. 
I       I     business   man 
^J^J      ex-member   o 


TENNEY,     a    retired 
an    of    Marlboro  and    an 


:f  the  legislature,  was 
born  in  this  town,  September  12, 
1834,  son  of  Calvin  and  Tabitha  (Baker)  Ten- 
ney.  The  first  of  the  family  to  settle  in 
Marlboro  was  William  Tenney  (first),  who 
came  from  Littleton,  Mass.,  and  was  accom- 
panied by  his  son,  William  Tenney  (second). 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah  Proc- 
tor, and  the  family  became  permanently  lo- 
cated here  about  the  year  1775.  William 
Tenney  (second),  Daniel  W.  Tenney's  grand- 
father, after  buying  lot  No.  6  in  the  second 
range,  for  which  he  paid  thirty  pounds,  con- 
verted it  into  a  good  farm.  He  died  Septem- 
ber 14,  1823,  and  his  farm  is  now  owned  by 
Amos  A.  Mason. 

Calvin  Tenney,  the  father  of  Daniel  W. , 
was  born  in  Marlboro,  and  becanie  one  of  the 
stirring  farmers  of  his  day.  In  the  days  of 
stage-coaches,  he  kept  a  hotel  for  twenty-seven 
years,  and  then  moved  to  the  village,  where  he 
spent    his    last    years    in    retirement.      In   his 


younger  days  he  took  an  active  part  in  political 
affairs,  and  held  various  town  offices.  His 
wife,  Tabitha,  belonged  to  a  prominent  family, 
whose  ancestors  were  early  settlers  of  New 
Hampshire.  She      reared      five      children ; 

namely,  Cosbie,  Goodhue,  George  W. ,  Henry 
C,  and  Daniel  W.  Goodhue  and  Henry  C. 
are  no  longer  living.  Cosbie  married  Barton 
Blodgett,  of  Marlboro,  and  has  three  children. 
George  W.  is  married,  and  resides  in  West- 
moreland, N.  H. 

Daniel  W.  Tenney's  education,  begun  in 
the  district  schools,  was  completed  in  an  acad- 
emy. After  entering  business  as  a  clerk,  he 
was  later  associated  with  a  partner  in  the  dry- 
goods  trade  for  about  two  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  went  to  Greenfield,  and  was 
there  employed  by  Potter  &  Richardson  for  a 
year.  For  the  succeeding  two  years  he  was 
engaged  in  peddling  fancy  goods  upon  the  road. 
Then,  selling  his  outfit,  he  started  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  woodenware  in  Marlboro,  a  busi- 
ness which  he  followed  for  several  years.  He 
ne.xt  formed  a  stock  company,  which  manufact- 
ured blankets  and  other  woollen  goods  for  a 
number  of  years.  After  this  he  was  associ- 
ated with  Clinton  Collins  for  two  years,  and 
with  Fred  Adams  for  a  considerable  length  of 
time.  P'inally  he  sold  out  his  interest  to 
Mr.  Adams,  and  retired  from  active  business 
pursuits.  Mr.  Tenney  cast  his  first  Presiden- 
tial vote  for  John  C.  Fremont  in  1856,  and 
has  since  been  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  As  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Selectmen  he  ably  assisted  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  town's  business  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  during  his  two  years  as  a  member 
of  the  New  Hampshire  House  of  Representa- 
tives he  carefully  guarded  the  interests  of  this 
locality. 

Mr.  Tenney  married  Jane  A.  Tenney.  His 
children  were:  Willie  W. ,  born  January  18, 
1864,  who  is  married  and  resides  in  California; 
Jennie  May,  born  May  8,  1865;  and  Daniel 
H.,  born  November  15,  1868,  who  died  March 
14,  1888.  He  is  a  member  of  Hugh  de 
Payens  Masonic  Commandery,  Knights  Tem- 
plar, of  Keene;  and  he  is  connected  with  the 
Improved  Order  of  Red  Men.  Besides  attend- 
ing the   Universalist  church,  he  serves  it  as  a 


26 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


member  of  the  Governing  Committee.  Mr. 
Tenney  has  long  occupied  a  prominent  place 
among  the  representative  men  of  Marlboro, 
and  has  always  been  ready  with  his  aid  and  in- 
fluence to  forward  measures  calculated  to  be  of 
benefit  to  the  community.  The  family  live 
in  a  handsome  residence,  which  was  erected  by 
Mr.  Tenney  in  1894. 


RANK  J.  ROBBINS,  a  thriving  gen- 
eral merchant  and  Postmaster  of  West 
Peterboro,  Hillsboro  County,  was  born 
in  South  Antrim,  N.H.,  February  16,  185 1, 
son  of  Collins  C.  and  Susan  (Hews)  Robbins. 
His  grandfather,  Josiah  Robbins,  was  a  pros- 
perous tiller  of  the  soil  in  South  Antrim;  and 
he  died  at  an  advanced  age.  He,  Josiah,  mar- 
ried Polly  White;  and  two  of  their  children, 
George  and  Alfred,  are  now  living. 

Collins  C.  Robbins  was  born  in  March, 
1834.  When  old  enough  he  obtained  employ- 
ment in  the  factory  at  West  Peterboro,  and 
subsequently  became  overseer,  a  position 
which  he  held  for  several  years.  Later  he  es- 
tablished a  general  store,  which  he  conducted 
until  his  death,  the  latter  event  occurring  De- 
cember 5,  1S95.  LTpright  in  character  and 
possessing  many  sterling  qualities,  he  was 
well  worthy  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held  by  those  who  knew  him.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Republican.  He  was  three  times  mar- 
ried. His  first  wife,  Susan  Hews,  who  was  a 
native  of  Littleton,  N.  H.,  died  in  1857,  leav- 
ing one  son,  Frank  J.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  For  his  second  wife  he  married 
Lotta  Hutchinson,  by~whom  he  had  two  chil- 
dren:  Fred  C,  who  is  married,  and  the 
father  of  two  children  —  Guy  and  Harry;  and 
Dora  J.  His  third  wife  was  Lizzie  R. 
Gowing,  who  now  resides  in  West  Peter- 
boro, N.  H.,  and  by  whom  he  had  one  child, 
that  died   in   infancy. 

Frank  J.  Robbins  was  educated  in  Peter- 
boro, and  after  leaving  school  he  secured  em- 
ployment in  the  cotton-mills.  He  was  over- 
seer of  the  dressing-room  for  a  number  of 
years,  but  subsequently  resigned  his  posi- 
tion to  enter  his  father's  store.  After  the 
death   of  the  elder  Robbins  he  succeeded  to 


the   business.      He  was   appointed   Postmaster 
in  1890,  and  still  retains  the  office. 

On  April  10,  1870,  Mr.  Robbins  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Stanley,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  Stanley,  of  this  town.  Mrs. 
Robbins  is  the  mother  of  one  daughter,  Susie 
G.,  born  August  15,  1873.  Politically,  Mr. 
Robbins  acts  with  the  Republican  party.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
stands  high  as  an  able  business  man  and  a 
useful  citizen.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
Unitarians. 


BEN  WILSON  JONES,  a  well-known 
resident  of  Peterboro,  was  born  in 
Gilsum,  this  State,  July  21,  1854, 
son  of  Ebenezer  and  Rhoda  E.  (Wilson) 
Jones.  His  grandfather,  Amos  Jones,  who 
was  born  in  Royalston,  Mass.,  moved  to 
Putney,  Vt.,  where  he  resided  until  his  death 
in  1859.  Amos  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Orthodo.x  church,  and  for  many  years  one 
of  its  deacons.  He  married  a  Miss  Ester- 
brook,  and  had  ten  children,  of  whom  Eben- 
ezer was  the  second. 

Ebenezer  Jones,  also  a  native  of  Royalston, 
born  February  18,  1803,  learned  the  clothier's 
trade  in  Winchendon,  Mass.  Besides  working 
at  this  calling  for  many  years,  he  also  ran  an 
old-fashioned  saw-mill  and  carding-mill,  liv- 
ing in  Wilton,  Antrim,  Acworth,  Gilsum,  and 
other  places.  In  Gilsum  he  remained  about 
fifteen  years,  and  had  a  general  merchandise 
store,  carried  on  under  the  name  of  Jones  & 
Webster.  He  ne.xt  kept  a  general  merchan- 
dise store  in  Harrisville.  In  i860  he  came  to 
Peterboro,  and  there  opened  a  clothing  store, 
which  he  conducted  up  to  within  a  few  years 
of  his  death.  Mr.  Jones  was  four  times  mar- 
ried. Mary  Ann  Prouty  became  his  first 
wife  and  had  four  children,  one  of  whorri, 
William  H.,  is  living.  The  second  marriage 
was  contracted  with  Mary  Ann  Rice  Hart- 
well;  the  third  with  Rhoda  E.  Wilson,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six;  and  the  fourth 
with  Betsey  Robbins  Brooks.  Mr.  Ebenezer 
Jones  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church 
of  Gilsum,  and  was  active  in  all  the  church 
affairs.      In  politics  he  was  a  Republican,  and 


i;iOGR.\rillCAL    KK\1E\V 


27 


while  ill  Gilsiim  was  scut  as  RcprcsL'iitatix'c 
to  the  legislature  in  the  year  1X54.  He  was 
esteemed  for  his  many  fine  qualities  of  mintl 
and  heart.      His  death   occurreil    February  14, 

Eben  Wilson  Jones  attendetl  school  in 
Peterboro.  He  began  his  business  career  in 
an  insurance  ofilice  in  I'eterboro,  where  he  re- 
mained for  twelve  years.  Afterward  he 
learned  the  business  of  land  surveyor,  which 
has  been  his  regular  occupation  since.  In 
the  spring  of  1897  he  and  Frank  G.  Clarke 
entered  into  partnership  in  a  general  insur- 
ance, under  the  firm  name  of  Frank  G.  Clarke 
&  Co.  Under  President  Harrison's  adminis- 
tration he  held  the  ofifice  of  Postmaster,  and 
won  many  friends  by  his  genial  good  nature 
and  the  efficient  manner  in  which  he  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  the  position.  Mr. 
Jones  cultivates  a  small  farm,  and  owns  be- 
sides a  large  tract  of  land.  In  the  spring  of 
i8g6  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Water 
Commission,  which  office  he  still  holds.  He 
was  Town  Treasurer  for  a  number  of  years 
and  Selectman  for  a  term.  Also  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Library  Committee  and  of  the  Cem- 
etery Committee,  and  a  trustee  of  Peterboro 
Savings  Bank.  In  the  Unitarian  church  he 
is  an  active  worker.  With  his  large  circle  of 
personal  friends  he  is  a  favorite  t)n  account 
of  his  genial  and  kindly  temper  and  an  ever- 
ready  willingness  to  oblige. 


HOMAS  DINSMORE,  a  leading  farmer 
of  A 1  stead  and  a  native  of  this  town, 
was  born  March  4,  1S21,  son  of  Calvin 
and  Lucy  (Walker)  Uinsmore.  His  grand- 
father, Thomas  Dinsmore,  born  in  Ireland,  of 
Scotch-Irish  lineage,  was  the  first  of  the  name 
to  come  to  this  county,  making  his  way  hither 
by  a  trail.  Thomas  was  prominent  in  the 
community,  and  lived  to  be  about  eighty  years 
old. 

Calvin  Dinsmore,  a  native  of  Alstead,  after 
leaving  school  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade. 
He  carried  on  farming  and  sjjent  his  life  in 
Alstead,  where  he  was  familiarly  known  as 
Uncle  Calvin.  He  was  active  in  town  affairs 
and  in  all  the  benevolent   and    reliLrious   move- 


ments in  the  iilace.  A  member  of  the  Univer- 
sal ist  church,  he  was  one  of  its  leaders  and  a 
liberal  supporter.  He  was  about  seventy  five 
years  old  when  he  died.  His  wife,  Lucy, 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  'I'heir  chil- 
dren were:  Mary  A.,  Caroline,  John,  'I'homas, 
-Sumner,  Willis,  Jane,  Pollen,  lidnumd,  and 
I'^lmira.  Mary  Anne,  now  deceased,  married 
Willard  .SLoville,  a  farmer  of  Walpule,  this 
-State.  Caroline,  who  was  killed  in  youth  by 
a  runaway  horse,  had  been  a  teacher  and  a 
leader  in  the  social  and  religious  circles  of  the 
town.  John,  who  lived  in  Alstead,  married 
Lizzie  Spencer,  a  sister  of  I\]r.  -Spencer,  the 
wealthy  bank  president  of  Boston,  and  had  one 
son.  Sumner  died  in  infancy.  Willis  who 
lived  in  Alstead  and  took  care  of  his  parents, 
married  P'.lmira  I^dgerton.  Jane  married  Ad- 
dison Pro(jks,  a  well-known  machinist.  Ellen 
married  James  King,  of  Acworth,  a  lumber- 
man, and  has  one  child.  lidmund,  who  also 
lives  at  Alstead,  married  Orrilla  Barrett,  and 
is  the  father  of  two  children  —  George  and 
Elmira.  Elmira,  the  youngest  daughter  of 
Calvin  Uinsmore,  is  now  Mrs.  Ilenr)'  Kent,  of 
Alstead. 

Mr.  Thomas  Uinsmore  was  educated  in  .Al- 
stead and  at  Marlow  Academy.  Suhsecpiently 
he  taught  school  for  si.\  years.  Then  he  went 
to  Boston,  where  in  1848  he  obtained  em- 
ployment in  a  provision  store.  In  185  i  he  en- 
gaged in  business  in  Ouincy  Market,  where  he 
remained  until  1885,  when  he  returned  to  Al- 
stead, which  has  since  been  his  residence.  His 
farm  is  one  of  the  finest  in  this  jiart  of  the 
county.  While  in  Boston,  Mr.  IJinsmore  took 
an  active  part  in  city  affairs,  and  held  various 
offices.  He  was  on  the  Democratic  Ward 
Committee  for  eight  years,  and  was  in  the 
Common  Council  for  two  years  from  Ward  Si.x. 
Since  coming  to  Alstead,  he  has  been  influ- 
ential in  bringing  about  many  improvements 
in  the  place.  In  1S83  he  was  elected  State 
-Senator.  In  politics  Mr.  Dinsmore  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  he  has  the  distinction  of  winning 
the  first  Democratic  victory  gained  in  tliis 
town  in  fifteen  years. 

Mr.  Dinsmore's  wife  was  before  her  mar- 
riage Mary  E.  Graham,  of  Boston,  born  in 
November,    1835.      Their   two   children   are  — 


28 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Arthur  T.  and  Mary  A.  Arthur  Dinsmore, 
born  in  Boston  in  1855,  was  educated  in  the 
grade  schools  and  high  school  of  that  city. 
After  graduating  from  the  latter  institution, 
he  went  into  business  with  his  father;  and 
he  also  ran  a  hotel  at  Alstead  for  some  time. 
He  is  married,  and  has  one  daughter  — 
Agnes,  who  was  born  in  1S82.  Mary  A. 
Dinsmore  married  Charles  Maynard,  a  hotel 
man,  and  lives  at  VValpole,  N.  H.  She  has 
two  children  ^  Maud  and  Alice. 


OHN  HENRY  STEELE,  Town  Clerk 
of  Peterboro  for  over  twenty- five  years, 
was  born  in  this  town,  July  24,  1845, 
son  of  Edwin  and  Abigail  M.  (Warren) 
Steele.  His  great-grandfather,  who  was  a 
native  of  the  north  of  Ireland,  emigrated  to 
America  when  young,  and  settled  in  Salis- 
bury, N.C.,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of  a 
brick  mason. 

John  Hardy  Steele,  the  grandfather  of  John 
■  Henry,  was  born  in  Salisbury,  January  4, 
1789.  As  he  was  left  an  orphan  without  re- 
sources at  an  early  age,  his  educational  oppor- 
tunities were  necessarily  limited.  He  be- 
came a  mechanic,  and  in  May,  181 1,  he  settled 
in  Peterboro,  N.H.  He  worked  for  Captain 
Morrison  at  the  carriage-maker's  trade  for  a 
time,  and  later  was  employed  as  a  machinist 
at  thirteen  dollars  per  month.  After  a  time 
he  engaged  in  manufacturing  upon  his  own  ac- 
count. In  1817  he  put  in  operation  the  first 
power  loom  in  New  Hampshire.  In  1824  he 
began  the  erection  of  a  cotton-mill  in  this 
town,  and  after  its  completion  he  operated  it 
until  1845.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics; 
and  his  political  career,  which  was  in  many 
respects  a  notable  one,  was  begun  in  some  of 
the  minor  town  offices.  He  acted  as  Modera- 
tor at  town  meetings;  was  afterward  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Selectmen;  was  a  Repre- 
sentative in  the  legislature  in  1829:  was  a 
Councillor  from  the  Hillsboro  District  in 
1840  and  1 84 1  ;  and  was  elected  Governor  in 
1844,  and  re-elected  in  1845.  He  was  a  self- 
made  man,  and  possessed  to  a  high  degree  the 
sterling  qualities  which  invariably  character- 
ize men  of  that  kind.      In    religious   belief  he 


was  a  Unitarian.  A  well-known  Mason,  he 
was  the  first  High  Priest  of  the  chapter  in 
Peterboro.  Governor  Steele  died  July  3, 
1865.  He  was  twice  married.  By  his  first 
marriage,  which  united  him  with  Jane  Moore, 
there  were  five  children,  of  whom  the  sur- 
vivors are:  John,  born  December  26,  i8r9; 
and  George,  born  July  26,  1828.  Edwin  was 
the  eldest.  George  Steele  married  Charlotte 
Lowe,  and  has  two  sons  —  Chester  H. 
and  William  L.  The  second  marriage  was 
contracted  with  Nancy  Moore,  a  sister  of  the 
Governor's  first  wife.  Her  only  son,  Charles, 
who  was  born  January  2,  1834,  wedded  Mary 
J.  Swan,  and  reared  three  children.  These 
were:  Anna  F.,  born  November  21,  1855; 
Emma  E.,  born  February  28,  1S59;  and  I'reil 
A.,  born  April  22,   1873. 

Edwin  Steele,  John  Henry  Steele's  father, 
was  born  in  Peterboro,  November  12,  181 7. 
For  some  years  he  was  employed  as  an  over- 
seer in  his  father's  factory.  Afterward  he 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  November  10,  1862,  at 
the  age  of  forty-five  years.  A  worthy  and 
useful  citizen,  he  ably  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Selectmen,  and  he  had  the  sincere 
esteem  of  his  fellow-townsmen.  His  wife, 
Abigail,  who  was  a  native  of  Dublin,  N.H., 
became  the  mother  of  four  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  Jane  H.,  born  De- 
cember 2,  1839,  wdio  married  Samuel  N. 
Porter,  and  has  one  son  living,  Fred  Howard; 
and  John  Henry,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Mrs.  Edwin  Steele  lived  to  be  sixty-six  years 
old. 

John  Henry  Steele  attended  school  in  Peter- 
boro. While  still  a  young  man  he  was  ap- 
prenticed to  the  machinist's  trade.  After 
working  at  that  calling  for  some  years,  he 
purchased  in  1870  the  business  that  he  has 
since  carried  on  with  success.  He  deals  in 
books,  stationery,  and  kindred  articles,  and  as 
a  business  man  is  prominent  and  active.  Po- 
litically, he  is  a  Republican,  and  lie  has  held 
the  office  of  Town  Clerk  since  1871. 

On  November  6,  1867,  Mr.  Steele  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Anna  S.  Follansbee, 
daughter  of  George  I".  I-'ollansbee,  of  this 
town.      They  have  had  four  chiklren,  of  whom 


BIOGRAI'HICAL    RKVIKW 


29 


tlierc  are  living:  Marry  Leon,  born  August 
22,  1S72;  Kate,  born  December  28,  1874, 
now  tlie  wife  of  Arthur  M.  Enimes,  of  Gard- 
ner, Mass.:  and  John  i;)ana,  born  August  12, 
1880.  Mr.  Steele  is  a  past  master  of  Alter- 
mount  Lodge,  No.  26,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Past 
D.  D.  Grand  Master  of  New  Hampshire;  Past 
High  Priest  of  Peterboro  R.  A.  Chapter,  No. 
12;  and  the  Grand  High  Priest  of  tiie  Grand 
Chapter  of  New  Hampshire. 


ROFESSOR  WILLIAM  HUTSON 
CALDWELL,  the  well-known  agri- 
culturist, and  the  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  American  Guernsey  Cattle 
Club,  is  a  native  of  Peterboro,  where  he  now 
resides.  He  was  born  April  16,  1866,  son  of 
Samuel  H.  and  Eunice  (Buss)  Caldwell.  His 
grandfather,  Thomas  Caldwell,  who  came 
from  the  Hay  State,  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Peterboro,  where  he  reclaimed  a  farm. 
Thomas  married  Eliza  Cunningham,  of  whose 
children  by  him  two  are  living.  These  are: 
Eliza  C,  the  widow  of  Augustus  Fuller;  and 
Joseph,  who  resides  in  Republic,  la.  Samuel 
Hutson  Caldwell,  son  of  Thomas,  was  born 
January  15,  1822,  at  Peterboro.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  tinsmith,  and  was  in  active  busi- 
ness for  himself  for  twenty -five  years,  doing  a 
large  amount  of  work  and  being  very  success- 
ful. A  prominent  member  of  the  Unitarian 
church,  he  was  the  treasurer  of  the  society  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  at  one  time  he  was  Town 
Treasurer.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died  before 
their  son  William  was  nineteen  months  old. 

William  Hutson  Caldwell,  after  attending 
the  town  schools  for  a  time,  was  sent  to  the 
famous  Allen  Brothers'  School  at  West  New- 
ton, Mass.  From  there  he  entered  the  Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural  College  in  the  fall  of 
1883.  He  acquitted  himself  well  in  college, 
and,  when  graduating  with  the  class  of  1887, 
was  awarded  the  first  Grinnell  prize  for  ex- 
cellence in  agricultural  studies.  After  grad- 
uation he  was  at  once  appointed  assistant  at 
the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station.  A  year  later  he  was  appointed  in- 
structor   in    agriculture    in    the    Pennsylvania 


State  College,  and  in  1893  was  made  assistant 
professor  of  agriculture  in  that  institution. 
Having  acquired  sjiecial  knowledge  of  the 
Guernsey  breed  of  cattle,  in  which  he  had 
been  interested  from  an  early  date  in  his  pro- 
fessional career,  he  was  appointeil  superin- 
tendent of  the  Guernsey  herd  at  the  Chicago 
Ivxposition,  and  he  received  leave  of  absence 
from  his  college  that  he  might  attend  to  his 
duties  in  that  capacity.  The  Cattle  Club 
also  appointed  him  as  their  representative  on 
the  committee  in  charge  of  the  dairy  breed 
test.  This  committee  embraced  professors 
from  the  three  leading  agricultural  colleges 
in  the  country. 

In  1889  Professor  Cahlwell  [jurchascd 
Clover  Ridge  Farm  in  his  native  town,  and 
stocked  it  with  Guernsey  cattle  of  the  finest 
strains  to  be  found  in  the  country.  The  farm 
has  a  delightful  location,  and  commands  a 
magnificent  mountain  view.  Of  its  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  twenty  acres  are  timber 
land,  sixty  are  pasture  land  abundantly 
watered  with  running  l)rooks,  and  the  re- 
mainder is  tillage.  On  it  is  a  fine  orchard  of 
young  trees.  The  herd  consists  of  butter- 
bred  cows,  full-blood  and  grade  Guernseys. 
These  have  been  selected  for  their  large  pro- 
duction of  rich  milk.  livery  animal  in  the 
herd  whose  milk  is  sold  has  been  submitted 
to  the  tuberculin  test,  and  is  constantly  under 
veterinary  inspection.  Professor  Caldwell  has 
great  faith  in  this  breed;  and  the  results 
he  has  obtained,  as  shown  by  the  records  pf 
the  milk  and  butter  fat  tests,  have  justified  his 
expectations.  Some  cows  of  the  herd  have 
milked  from  eighteen  to  twenty-four  quarts  a 
day,  and  the  milk  of  one  cow  that  was  in  the 
World's  Fair  dairy  test  yielded  four  hundred 
pounds  of  butter  in  a  year.  The  morning's 
milk  is  sold  in  the  village,  and  the  evening's 
milk  is  deprived  of  its  cream  by  means  of 
the  De  Laval  separator.  The  calves  are 
raised  on  the  skim-milk.  Besides  the  Guern- 
seys there  are  choice  pens  of  white  and  barred 
Plymouth  Rock  fowl  of  the  best  stock  and 
from  noted  strains. 

When  Professor  Caldwell  was  elected  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  American  Guernsey 
Club    in     1894,    he    resigned    his    position    in 


3° 


BIOGRAI'JIICAL    REVIEW 


Pennsylvania,  and  has  since  made  his  home  at 
the  farm.  In  his  office,  which  has  been  fitted 
up  in  his  residence,  two  cleri<s  are  kept  con- 
stantly busy  assisting  him  in  the  work  of  the 
club.  Here  are  to  be  fountl  sketches  and  sta- 
tistics regarding  all  the  Guernseys  in  the 
country;  and  from  here  is  issued  the  //ivv/ 
Rigistcr  and  Breeders  Jonrnal,  published 
quarterly,  of  which  Professor  Caldwell  has 
editorial  charge.  Since  taking  up  his  perma- 
nent residence  in  Peterboro,  Mi-.  Caldwell  has 
been  brought  into  closer  relation  with  the 
agricultural  interests  of  this  section,  and  has 
made  his  extensive  knowledge  and  great  influ- 
ence felt  in  the  various  organizations.  Pie  is 
an  active  member  of  the  grange,  and  treasurer 
of  the  Peterboro  Creamery  Company,  and  is 
often  called  upon  to  deliver  addresses  or  to 
write  papers  upon  his  chosen  line  of  work. 

On  December  25,  1888,  Professor  Caldwell 
was  married  to  Miss  Jessie  A.  Rice,  of  North 
iladley,  Mass.  Mrs.  Caldwell  shares  her 
husband's  interest  in  his  calling  and  is  his 
efficient  colaborer  in  office  work.  Professor 
Caldwell  is  a  Mason  of  Peterboro  Lodge  and 
a  member  of  the  United  Order  of  the  Golden 
Cross.  He  is  connected  with  the  Unitarian 
Society,  and  is  at  present  clerk  of  the  corpo- 
ration. 


LIX'I'lk  KING  was  a  prominent  resi- 
dent of  Alstead  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  was  born  in  Langdon,  August  3, 
1807,  son  of  William  and  Betsey 
(Darby)  King.  William  was  the  first  of  the 
name  to  settle  in  this  section  of  the  county. 
He  was  a  successful  farmer,  and  he  was  gener- 
ally esteemed.  He  attended  the  Universalist 
church,  antl  was  always  ready  to  support  it, 
both  morally  and  financially.  His  ten  chil- 
dren were:  William,  Hezekiah,  Russel,  Oli- 
ver, Joel,  Harvey,  Hiram,  Samuel,  Betsey, 
and  George.  William,  the  first  child,  mar- 
ried, had  a  family  of  twelve  children,  and  car- 
ried on  a  farm  in  Alstead.  Hezekiah,  who 
was  also  a  farmer,  died  in  Newbury,  Vt. 
Russel,  likewise  a  farmer,  lived  in  Haverhill, 
N.  H.,  where  he  married,  and  reared  a  family. 
Joel    died   young.      Harvey   lived    in    Detroit, 


Mich.,  where  he  was  proprietor  of  the  ISiigh- 
ton  Plouse,  a  well-known  hotel.  He  was  four 
times  married.  Hiram  was  a  farmer  of  Ac- 
worth,  this  State,  and  had  two  children. 
Samuel,  a  carpenter,  resided  in  Langdon,  and 
was  the  father  of  four  children.  Betsey  mar- 
ried a  Mr.  Evans;  and  George  was  a  shoemaker 
of  Brookline,  Mass.,  and  the  father  of  two 
children. 

Oliver  King  received  the  fundamentals  of  a 
practical  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
town.  After  leaving  school,  he  went  to  J-ios- 
ton,  where  he  undertook  contracts  for  driving 
wells.  He  then  returned  to  New  Hampshire, 
built  a  block,  and  then  ran  a  general  store  at 
Charlestown  for  over  twenty-five  years.  In 
company  with  Mr.  P'rank  Hadley,  he  con- 
ducted a  store  in  Bellows  Falls,  Vt. ,  for  eight 
years.  In  1867  he  came  to  Alstead  and  built 
a  handsome  house,  and  there  resided  until  his 
death  in  1874.  He  was  active  as  a  citizen,  al- 
ways ready  to  help  along  in  any  good  cause, 
and  ever  mindful  of  the  comfort  and  conven- 
ience of  others.  While  at  Charlestown  he 
was  the  Postmaster,  in  which  capacity,  by  his 
kindly  and  obliging  manners,  he  won  many 
friends.  In  Alstead  he  served  as  Town  Treas- 
urer for  a  number  of  years.  He  attended  the 
Universalist  church,  and  was  a  liberal  contrib- 
utor to  its  many  charities. 

Mr.  King  married  Sophia  Evans,  a  daughter 
of  Eli  and  Sarah  (Edson)  Evans,  of  Rocking- 
ham, Vt.  Her  mother  was  born  in  Spring- 
field, Vt.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  had  two  chil- 
dren—  Ellen  S.  and  James  F.  James,  born 
August  25,  1 838,  died  September  21,  1849. 
Ellen  S. ,  born  August  17,  1834,  at  South 
Charlestown,  married  James  Milliken,  Jr.,  of 
Charlestown,  a  farmer  on  an  extensive  scale 
and  a  prominent  man  in  the  town.  Their 
three  children  are:  Mary  M.,  born  May  11, 
1855;  George  K.,  born  September  4,  1857, 
who  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  society;  and 
James  F. ,  born  November  13,  i860,  who  was 
also  a  Mason  as  well  as  a  Knight  of  Pythias. 
James  Y.  Milliken  was  employed  in  a  store  in 
Colorado,  where  he  died  of  consumption  in 
February,  1897.  He  was  buried  under  Ma- 
sonic auspices.  Mary  M.,  only  daughter  of 
James  Milliken,  Jr.,  married  James  Hooper,  of 


JiKXIRAl'IHCAL    RFA'IEW 


Cliarlestown,  N.  H.,  now  a  grain  merchant  in 
Ciiicago,  doing  a  prosperous  and  extensive 
business.  They  have  three  children,  namely: 
Rena  A.,  born  September  i6,  18S2;  James 
M.,  born  April  16,  1S84;  and  Frances,  born 
September  18,  1S91.  George  K.  Milliken  is 
superintendent  of  telephones  in  Chicago.  He 
married  Lucy  Wilson,  of  Charlestovvn,  Mass., 
who  was  born  August  10,  1S59.  fler  pater- 
nal grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution. 


ILLIAM  A.  KNIGHT,  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  among  the 
younger  generation  of  farmers  in 
Petcrboro,  was  born  in  Hancock,  N.H.,  Sep- 
tember 10,  1862,  son  of  Deacon  Henry  and 
Kllen  B.  (Warren)  Knight.  The  first  of  the 
family  of  whom  there  is  any  authentic  knowl- 
edge was  Benjamin  Knight,  a  resident  of 
Salem,  Mass.,  who  was  the  father  of  three 
sons.  Enos  Knight,  sen  of  Benjamin,  born 
in  Salem  in  1730,  who  settled  in  Topsfield, 
Mass.,  was  three  times  married.  His  first 
wife,  Lois  Hawkes  Knight,  was  the  mother 
of  ten  children.  His  second  marriage  was 
contracted  with  Mrs.  Mary  Estabrook.  His 
son,  Enos  (second),  the  great-grandfather  of 
William  A.,  was  born  in  Topsfield.  September 
30,  1752.  This  Enos  was  a  blacksmith,  and 
in  1782  he  settled  in  Hancock,  N.H.,  where 
he  followed  his  trade  in  connection  with  farm- 
ing until  his  death,  which  occurred  June  24, 
1824.  By  his  first  union,  contracted  with 
Dorcas  Noonan,  there  were  five  children.  On 
the  second  occasion  Mrs.  Betsey  Winslow 
Holt,  of  Deering,  N.H.,  became  his  wife. 

Deacon  Aaron  Knight,  the  second  child  of 
the  second  Knos  by  his  wife,  Dorcas,  was 
born  in  New  Ipswich,  N.H.,  in  1781.  In  his 
day  he  was  one  of  the  stirring  farmers  of  Han- 
cock, where  he  resided  for  the  greater  part  of 
his  life.  He  married  Rebecca  Adams,  who 
was  born  November  15,  1782.  Of  her  eleven 
children  by  him,  Henry,  the  youngest,  is  the 
only  one  living.  Deacon  Knight  died  Sep- 
tember 29,  1S67,  and  his  wife  on  February  3, 
1854.  They  were  prominent  members  of  the 
Congregational  church. 

Deacon    Henrv    Knight    was    bf)rn    in    Han- 


cock, January  11,  1826.  He  acquired  his 
education  in  a  common  school  ami  at  an  acad- 
emy. He  had  perfected  his  plans  for  the 
study  of  medicine,  but  was  obliged  to  aban- 
don them  in  order  to  care  for  his  aged  parents. 
F'or  some  years  he  taught  school  when  not 
busy  with  his  farm  duties,  and  he  resided  in 
Hancock  until  after  his  father's  death.  In 
1868  he  moved  to  Weathersfield,  Vt.,  where 
he  remained  a  year.  Then  he  spent  eigiit 
years  in  F'ranconia,  N.H.,  where  he  had 
charge  of  the  fruit  and  vegetable  farm  con- 
nected with  the  Profile  House.  From  Fran- 
conia  he  came  to  Peterboro.  Here,  in  com- 
pany with  his  son,  he  is  now  carrying  on  one 
of  the  most  productive  farms  in  the  town. 
He  has  been  a  prominent  figure  in  public 
affairs,  having  served  as  Selectman,  Moder- 
ator, and  Overseer  of  the  Poor,  and  as  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  in  Hancock.  He 
was  on  the  School  Committee  for  some  years, 
and  served  in  the  capacity  of  Representative 
to  the  legislature  from  Peterboro.  He  is  a 
Deacon  of  the  Congregational  church  and  one 
of  the  most  active  church  workers  in  this  lo- 
cality. His  wife,  Ellen,  a  native  of  Weathers- 
field,  Vt.,  whom  he  married  September  27, 
1853,  became  the  mother  of  seven  children. 
These  were:  Charles  H.,  born  July  10,  1854, 
who  wedded  Mattie  Titus,  of  Haverhill,  N.H., 
and  has  three  children  —  Kathleen  C,  Lucile 
A.,  and  Christel  W. ;  Fldmund  W. ,  born 
March  12,  1858;  Fred  A.,  born  July  16, 
1S60,  who  died  April  11,  1880;  William  A., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mary  E.,  born  July 
12,  1865;  Ella  K.,  born  November  18,  1S67, 
who  is  now  the  wife  of  Richard  I.  Hallett,  of 
Reading,  Mass.,  and  has  one  son,  Howell  K. ; 
and  Anna  M.,  born  April  20,  1872,  who  died 
May  4,  1883.  The  mother  died  January  20, 
1879. 

William  A.  Knight  was  educated  in  Peter- 
boro. Since  leaving  school  he  has  devoted 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
company  with  his  father  he  carries  on  general 
farming  and  dairying,  and  has  a  paying  milk 
route  in  this  town.  He  displays  the  energy 
and  progressive  tendencies  of  a  young  man, 
which,  aided  by  his  father's  long  experience, 
insure    the    best    of     management;    and    their 


32 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


combined   efforts   are   attended   with   excellent 
results. 

On  November  9,  1S.S7,  I\Ir.  Knight  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Minnie  M.  Hmery, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Clara  A.  (Wilkins) 
Emery,  of  Peterboro.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Knight  is  a  Republican.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  belong  to  the  local  grange,  of  which  he 
is  a  Past  Master.  Mrs.  Knight  is  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  church. 


lOHKRT  LAWRENCE  SHIRLEY,  an 
enterprising  young  farmer  of  Goffs- 
\[s\  town,  was  born  on  Shirley  Hill, 
May  12,  1868,  son  of  Colonel  Ed- 
ward Carlton  and  Amanda  M.  (Baldwin)  Shir- 
ley. James  Shirley,  from  whom  the  New 
Hampshire  Shirleys  are  descended,  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  born  in  the  Province  of 
Ulster,  Ireland,  in  1649.  It  is  also  thought 
that  James  may  have  been  born  in  Scotland, 
and  that,  with  his  parents,  he  may  have  been 
among  those  exiled  from  Scotland  in  1660. 
He  came  to  America,  arriving  in  Chester, 
Rockingham  County,  N.H.,  in  1730.  Then 
eighty-one  years  of  age,  he  brought  with  him 
a  full-grown  family,  including  three  sons  — 
John,  James,  and  Thomas  —  and  was  afterward 
engaged  in  farming,  and  is  said  to  have  lived 
to  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  five  years.  His 
son  Thomas,  who  was  known  as  Deacon 
Thomas  .Shirley,  born  in  Ireland  in  1728, 
died  in  Goffstown  in  1808.  Thomas  was 
prominent  in  church  affairs,  and,  as  already 
intimated,  held  the  office  of  Deacon.  James, 
a  son  of  Thomas,  was  born  in  Chester,  N.  H., 
in  1759,  and  died  in  Goffstown,  March  31, 
1855.  He  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Shirley  Hill,  coming  here  in  181 1.  The 
first  of  his  two  marriages  was  made  with  Mary 
Moore,  daughter  of  Colonel  Daniel  Moore, 
who  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Mrs.  Abigail  McCutchins  became  his  second 
wife. 

Robert  M.  Shirley,  the  seventh  son  of 
James  and  the  grandfather  of  Robert  L.  Shir- 
ley, born  in  Chester,  June  5,  1808,  came  to 
Goffstown  when  three  years  old.  In  addition 
to    being    a    prominent    farmer    and    business 


man,  he  won  quite  a  reputation  for  his  skill 
in  curing  the  disease  then  called  king's  evil. 
Eor  his  first  wife  he  married  Sophia  McCutch- 
ins, who  was  born  April  15,  1805,  and  died 
December  6,  1870.  His  second  wife  was 
Lucretia  Houston,  whose  birth  occurred  July 
20,  1820.  There  were  four  chiklren  by  his 
first  marriage,  Edward  Carlton  being  the 
third.  Edward  was  born  December  5,  1834, 
in  the  liouse  which  is  now  his  home.  During 
his  active  period  he  was  extensively  engaged 
in  lumbering,  and  he  has  still  an  interest  in 
a  large  amount  of  land.  When  P.  C.  Cheney 
was  Governor  of  New  Hampshire,  he  served 
as  Aide-de-camp  with  the  rank  of  Colonel,  by 
which  title  he  has  since  been  known.  On 
New  Hampshire  Day  at  the  Centennial  held 
in  Philadelphia  he  was  officer  of  the  day. 
He  was  also  Assistant  Quartermaster  on  the 
staff  of  Brigadier-general  Clough,  of  the  New 
Hampshire  National  Guards.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  Hampshire  Agricultural  So- 
ciety and  of  Piscataquis  Valley  Agricultural 
Association.  Colonel  Shirley's  marriage  to 
Miss  Amanda  M.  Baldwin  took  place  April 
24,  1862.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Deacon 
Nahum  Baldwin,  of  Manchester,  N.H.  The 
three  children  of  the  union  are:  Mary  V., 
born  in  1863,  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  A.  G. 
Griffin,  of  Maiden,  Mass. ;  Robert  Lawrence, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  P'lorence  S. 
Shirley,  born  February  22,   1871. 

Robert  Lawrence  Shirley  spent  his  early 
years  here  in  Goffstown.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  Goffstown  and  in 
Manchester  and  at  Colby  Academy,  New 
London.  Soon  after  leaving  the  academy,  he 
went  West,  and  for  two  years  was  engaged  in 
farming  in  Union  County,  Oregon.  Then 
after  visiting  the  different  States  along  the 
western  coast  he  returned  in  iSgi  to  Goffs- 
town. Since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in 
lumbering  and  general  farming,  and  now  has 
the  supervision  of  some  six  hundred  acres  of 
land  owned  by  himself  and  his  father.  On 
February  i,  1892,  Mr.  Shirley  married  Miss 
Bertha  M.  Shields.  .She  was  born  in  Everett, 
Mass.,  February  22,  1S74,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Clara  E.  (Wellington)  Shields.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Shirley  have  one   son,  Thomas   E. ,  born 


BIOGRAl'HICAL    REVIEW 


33 


Kcbniary  lo,  1896.  Mr.  Shirley  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  relations.  For  the  past 
three  years  lie  has  served  on  tiie  Hoard  of 
Selectmen.  He  belongs  to  Webster  Lodge, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  GotTstovvn.  Both  he  and  Mrs. 
Shirley  are  liberals  in  religion. 


MOM  AS  HAYS,  a  well-known  resident 
of  Greenville,  was  born  in  New  Ipswich, 
N.H.,  February  5,  1820,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Abigail  (Wilkins)  Hays.  He  is 
the  fifth  bearer  of  the  name  Thomas  and  a 
direct  descendant  of  the  first  Thomas,  who 
was  of  Scotch  descent.  The  latter  was  quite 
an  extensive  land-owner  in  Reading,  Mass., 
and  one  of  the  largest  farmers  of  that  town. 
Thomas  Hays  (second),  greatgrandfather  of 
the  present  Thomas,  born  February  14,  1724, 
was  a  prosjierous  farmer  in  Merrimac,  N.  H. 
He  wedded  Mary  Gale,  and  had  a  family  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  Thomas  (third),  the 
grandfather,  was  the  eldest  son.  'The  grand- 
father, who  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  tilled  the 
soil  of  a  good  farm  in  Dublin,  N.  H.  The 
greater  part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  that 
town.  At  his  death  he  was  seventy-nine 
years  old.  He  married  Rebecca  Pool,  a  na- 
tive of  Hollis,  N.H.,  and  one  of  eleven  sis- 
ters, all  of  whom  attained  maturity  and  had 
families.  She  became  the  mother  of  five 
children,  none  of  whom  are  living,  and  at- 
tained the  age  of  eighty-eight  years.  Thomas 
Hays  (fourth),  was  born  in  Dublin,  N.H. 
When  a  young  man  he  became  a  clothier.  He 
finally  settled  in  Maine,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  business  for  many  years.  His  last 
days  were  passed  in  Wilton,  Me.  He  was  a 
man  of  considerable"  prominence  in  public 
affairs,  serving  as  Moderator  at  town  meetings 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  he  acted  as  a  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican. He  lived  to  be  eighty-two  years 
old.  His  wife,  Abigail,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  David  Wilkins,  of  New  Ipswich,  N.H., 
became  the  mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
Thomas,  Mary,  Silas,  and  Caroline  A.  are 
living.  Mary  wedded  for  her  first  husband 
Andrew  Pray,  and  by  that  union  has  one  son, 
George  H.      She    is   now   the    wife  of   Warner 


Russell,  of  Mason,  N.H.  Caroline  A.  is 
the  wife  of  Harris  H.  Shumway,  of  Massa- 
chusetts. The  mother  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church. 

After  obtaining  his  elementary  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Maine,  the  present 
Thomas  Hays  completed  his  studies  at  the 
academy  in  Pittsfield,  N.H.  Having  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  in  Dublin,  he  took  up 
his  residence  in  Mason  in  1843,  '^'^'l  there 
steadily  worked  at  his  calling  for  many  years. 
In  1870  he  erected  the  house  he  now  occupies 
in  Greenville.  He  still  continues  to  follow 
his  trade  at  intervals.  Mr.  Hays  contracted 
the  first  of  two  marriages  on  April  7,  1840, 
with  Lucy  N.  Robbins.  Of  her  four  children 
three  are  living,  namely:  Lucy  Jane,  Lafayette 
A.,  and  George  A.  Lucy  Jane  married  for  her 
first  husband  Charles  W.  Russell,  and  by  that 
union  has  two  daughters  —  Nettie  M.  and 
Clara.  For  her  second  husband  she  married 
James  Wooley,  of  Greenville.  Lafayette  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Ellen  Finn,  of  Manchester,  N.H. 
George  A.  married  Miss  Mary  Welch,  of 
Providence,  R.I. ,  and  has  one  son,  John  H. 
The  mother  died  at  the  age  of  si.\ty  years. 
On  October  16,  1870,  Mr.  Hays  entered  his 
second  marriage  with  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Savv- 
telle  Shattuck.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Kings- 
ley  and  Thankful  Sawtelle,  of  this  State,  and 
by  her  first  husband,  Ami  Shattuck,  of  Mast-n, 
she  has  one  son,  George  Edwin  Shattuck. 
George  E.  Shattuck  married  Caroline  M. 
Locke,  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  has  one  son, 
Henry  P.  In  politics  Mr.  Hays  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  has  served  as  a  Selectman  for  a 
number  of  years,  was  formerly  a  member  of 
the  School  Committee,  and  has  long  been  rec- 
ognized as  a  leading  spirit  in  local  public 
affairs.  He  is  a  Congregationalist  in  his  re- 
ligious belief,  and  Mrs.  Hays  is  a  Baptist. 


ZRA  M.  SMITH,  a  retired  lawyer  of 
Peterboro  and  an  e.\-member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  legislature,  was 
born  in  Langdon,  N.H.,  January  25,  1838, 
son  of  Orrin  and  Marinda  (Patridge)  Smith. 
His   grandfather,    Ezra   Smith,  who   was    born 


34 


BIOGRAPH IC AL    R  FA'  1  K.W 


ill  Winchendon,  Mass.,  September  13,  1778, 
settled  in  Langdon,  N.H.,  and  cleared  a  farm, 
which  he  occupied  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Ezra  possessed  much  muscular  bodily  strength 
and  a  vigorous  constitution,  and  was  capable 
of  considerable  physical  endurance.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Whig  and  in  his  religinus 
views  a  Congregationalist.  His  death  oc- 
curred July  14,  1864.  He  married  Hannah 
Henry,  who,  born  in  Vermont,  August  10, 
1779,  died  June  25,  1850.  She  was  the 
mother  of  five  children,  none  of  whom  arc 
living, 

Orrin  Smith,  father  of  Ezra  M.,  was  born 
one  of  twins  in  Langdon,  November  11,  1807. 
He  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  re- 
sided at  the  homestead  for  some  years  after 
attaining  his  majority.  In  1S62  he  came  to 
Peterboro,  and  purchased  a  farm,  which  he 
cultivated  with  energy  during  the  rest  of  his 
active  period.  He  died  August  6,  1S83. 
Originally  a  Whig  in  politics,  he  later  be- 
came a  Repuijlican.  His  wife,  Marinda, 
whom  he  married  June  9,  1836,  was  also  one 
of  twins.  Her  father  was  Sylvester  Patridge, 
of  Alstead,  N.H.  She  became  the  mother  of 
seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  living, 
namely:  Ezra  M.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Irving  H.,  born  February  3,  1840;  Albert 
O.,  born  May  i,  1S45;  Silas  M.,  born  Febru- 
ary 21,  1847;  Emma  R.,  born  December  5, 
1850;  and  Alden  E.,  born  April  25,  1853. 
Irving  H.  married  Clara  L.  Grey,  of  Peter- 
boro, and  has  one  daughter,  Clara  M.  ;  Albert 
O.  married  Josie  R.  Hovey,  of  this  town,  and 
has  one  daughter,  Lenora;  Silas  M.  wedded 
Marinda  K.  Parker,  of  Peterboro;  Alden  ¥.. 
married  Aldana  C.  Andrews,  of  Westboro, 
Mass.,  and  has  one  daughter,  Morgie  A.  The 
mother  died  December  19,  1886.  Both  par- 
ents attended  tlie  Congregational  church,  of 
which  the  mother  was  a  member. 

Ezra  M.  Smith  acquired  his  early  education 
in  Langdon,  and  was  fitted  for  college  at  the 
Cold  River  Union  Academy  in  Alstead.  He 
subsequently  attended  the  law  department  of 
the  University  of  Albany,  New  York,  and  was 
graduated  February  22,  1861.  Settling  in 
Peterboro  soon  after,  he  began  the  practice  of 
his    profession,    and   rapitlly  acquired   a   large 


general  law  business.  After  following  his 
profession  for  over  thirty  years,  he  retired  in 
1896.  He  is  now  passing  his  time  in  super- 
intending ills  farm,  which  contains  one  hun- 
dred acres.  He  also  owns  another  tract  of 
two  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  In  politics  he 
supports  the  Republican  party,  and  he  was 
prominent  in  jiublic  affairs  for  many  years. 
He  served  upon  the  School  Committee  for  five 
years,  was  Town  Treasurer  for  one  term,  and 
has  been  Moderator  at  town  meetings  for  a 
number  of  years.  P'or  the  past  four  years  he 
has  served  as  Selectman,  having  been  previ- 
ously a  member  of  that  body  for  nine  years  in 
succession,  during  which  he  was  chairman  for 
a  time.  He  was  elected  to  the  legislature  in 
1 87 1  and  1872,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  in  1876. 

On  October  4,  1866,  Mr.  Smith  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  S.  Fairbanks.  She 
was  born  in  Dublin,  N.H.,  February  13, 
1S45,  daughter  of  Moses  A.  Fairbanks.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Smith  have  had  three  children,  as 
follows:  Etta  M.,  born  December  2,  1870; 
Harlan  P.,  born  March  9,  1874,  wiio  died 
November  21,  1892;  and  Orrin  F.,  born  June 
28,  1 886.  Mr.  Smith  has  occupied  the  prin- 
cipal chairs  in  Peterboro  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Kniglits  of  Honor, 
the  Sons  of  Temperance,  and  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry.  In  the  local  grange  he  has  been 
Master.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  of  which  he  was  formerly  clerk. 
Mrs.  .Smith  is  a  meml^er  of  the  Baptist 
church. 


LBERT  M.  HOWARD,  formerly  a 
prosperous  bo.\  manufacturer  of  \Vi_n- 
chester,  Cheshire  County,  and  a 
member  oT  FITe  New  Hampshire 
legislature,  was  born  in  Royalston,  Mass., 
May  3,  1836,  and  died  April  i,  1892.  He 
was  a  son  of  Ansel  and  Esther  Howard.  His 
father,  who  settled  in  Royalston  when  a 
young  man,  after  residing  there  for  many 
years  moved  to  Hinsdale,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business  until  his  death. 
Ansel    Howard    became    the  father    of    eleven 


1!I()(;RA1'111CAI,    rf.vikw 


35 


chiklrcii,  (if  whom  Albert  I\I.,  the  siiljject 
of  this  sketch,  was  the  tenth-born. 

Albert  M.  Howard  was  echicatetl  in  Royals- 
ton,  and  when  a  young  man  assisted  his  father 
in  business.  He  later  entered  the  emjiloy 
of  his  brother,  who  was  carrying  on  a  bobijin 
manufactory  in  Hinsdale.  About  itSjo  he 
purchased  the  box  factory  in  Winchester  then 
conducted  by  Charles  W.  Scott.  He  was  at 
first  associated  with  a  partner,  the  firm  being 
known  as  Howard  &  Chandler;  but  in  1.S73 
Mr.  Howard  secured  the  entire  control  of  the 
business  by  purchasing  his  partner's  interest, 
and  subsequently  continued  it  alone.  He 
manufactured  all  kinds  of  wooden  boxes,  in- 
cluding the  lock  corner  box,  much  used  for 
[lacking  confectionery  and  fancy  goods;  and 
he  also  had  facilities  for  lettering  his  goods. 
He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Winchester  Savings 
i5ank,  and  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the 
I'^lectric  Light  Heat  and  Power  Company. 
He  was  prominent  in  business  circles,  and 
was  instrumental  in  causing  the  tannery  to  be 
located  in  Winchester.  Politically,  he  acted 
with  the  Republican  party,  but  the  only 
public  ofifice  he  was  ever  induced  to  accept 
was  that  of  Representative  to  the  legislature, 
to  which  he  was  elected,  and  the  duties  of 
which  he  capably  performed  for  one  term. 
He  was  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal   church. 

Mr.  Howard  married  Louise  M.  Turner,  of 
Orford,  N.H.,  who  survived  her  husband  but 
a  short  time,  dying  September  12,  1892. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard  were  the  parents  of 
one  daughter,  Minnie  Lillian,  who  married 
Alexander  Pierce,  son  of  Dr.  G.  W.  Pierce, 
of  this  town.  Her  husband  now  conducts 
the  business  so  long  controlled  by  the  late 
Mr.  Howard,  under  the  name  of  the  A.  M. 
Howard  Estate. 


LMON  TWITCHELL,  a  general  farmer 
of  Riciimond,  Cheshire  County,  and 
an  ex-member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature,  was  born  in  this  town, 
November  2,  1844,  son  of  Abner  and  Adeline 
(Aldrich)  Twitchell.  His  great-grandfather, 
Abner  Twitchell,  who  was  born  in  Walpole  in 


December,  1753,  moved  from  that  town  to 
Richmond,  where  he  marrietl  his  first  wife, 
Sarah  Cass.  She  died  leaving  one  son, 
Daniel,  and  by  his  second  union  there  were 
two  children  —  Lucy  and  Sarah. 

Daniel  Twitchell,  Almon  Twitchell's 
grandfather,  was  born  in  Richmond,  Novem- 
ber 26,  1779.  He  was  brought  up  to  till  the 
soil,  and  carried  on  general  farming  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  life.  His  wife,  whose 
name  in  maidenhood  was  Rhoda  Kelton,  was 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  Kelton,  of  Warwick, 
Mass.  She  became  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Jonas,  who  was  born  August  8, 
1802;  Abner;  Dulcena,  who  was  born  No- 
vember 24,  1S17,  and  married  Henry  H. 
Swan;  Rhoda,  who  was  born  in  August,  1820, 
and  became  the  wife  of  David  Martin;  and 
Daniel,  who  was  horn  May  28,   1823. 

Abner  Twitchell,  father  of  Almon,  was  born 
in  Richmond,  May  4,  1S13.  He  lived  with 
his  parents  until  his  marriage,  when  he  bought 
the  Captain  Crooker  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  and  resided  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  February  9,  1869.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Democrat,  and  he  represented 
his  district  in  the  legislature  during  two 
terms.  In  his  religious  opinions  he  was  a 
Universalist.  He  married  Adeline  Aldrich, 
daughter  of  Levin  Aldrich,  and  by  her  had 
two  children,  namely:  Adalette  V  ,  who  mar- 
ried L.  W.  Wright,  and  resides  in  Win- 
chester, N.H.;  and  Almon,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Mrs.  Abner  Twitchell  is  still  living 
and  resides  with  her  son. 

Almon  Twitchell,  who  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  town,  after  finishing  his 
studies  served  an  aiiiirenticeship  at  the  stone- 
cutter's trade  in  Worcester,  Mass.  Three 
years  later  he  returned  to  Richmond  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  charge  of  the  home  farm, 
and  since  the  death  of  his  father  he  has  fol- 
lowed general  farming  in  connection  with  his 
trade.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and,  al- 
though his  party  is  in  the  minority,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  from  1879 
to  1893  with  the  exception  of  one  year,  was 
chairman  of  that  body  ten  years,  served  as 
Road  Commissioner  three  years,  was  elected 
Town   Clerk    in    1886  and   again    in    1897,  has 


36 


JUOGRAI'HICAL    REVIEW 


served  on  the  Democratic  Town  Committee  in 
different  cajiacities,  and  represented  his  dis- 
trict in  the  legislature  in  1874.  He  has  acted 
as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  attended  to  the 
settlement  of  estates.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
local  grange,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers and  first  Master,  and  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross. 

Mr.  Twitchell  married  November  28,  1871, 
Sarah  H.  Starivcy,  daughter  of  Edison  Starkey, 
of  Richmond.  Mrs.  Twitchell's  father  was 
prominent  in  public  affairs,  serving  as  Select- 
man a  number  of  years,  as  Tax  Collector,  and 
as  a  member  of  the  legislature. 


NOCH  C.  PAIGE,  an  enterprising  man- 
ufacturer of  Antrim,  and  a  Civil  War 
veteran,  was  born  in  this  town,  Oc- 
tober 20,  1839,  son  of  Tristram  B.  and 
Sophronia  (Duncan)  Paige.  His  grandfather, 
Jonatlian  Paige,  who  was  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
resided  in  Deering,  N.H.,  for  many  years, 
and  passed  his  last  days  in  Antrim. 

Tristram  B.  Paige,  wlio  was  a  native  of 
Deering,  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  with 
his  father.  He  settled  in  Antrim,  where  he 
followed  tliat  calling  until  his  death,  which 
occurreti  when  he  was  fifty-one  years  old. 
His  wife,  Sophronia,  was  a  daughter  of  Dea- 
con Josiah  Duncan,  of  Antrim.  She  became 
the  mother  of  five  children,  two  of  whom  are 
living,  namely:  Tristram  M.,  who  married 
Lizzie  Whittemore,  of  Salisbury,  N.fl.  ;  ami 
Enoch  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs. 
Tristram  15.  Paige  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six 
years. 

Enoch  C.  Paige  attended  school  in  his  na- 
tive town.  Left  an  orphan  when  he  was  nine 
years  old,  he  was  obliged  to  earn  liis  living  at 
an  early  age.  At  first  he  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  for  some  time.  Later  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  cribs  and  cradles.  When 
eighteen  years  old  he  had  already  begun  to 
ship  his  goods  to  Boston.  He  continued  in 
the  business  until  August  13,  1862,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Company  G,  Ninth  Regiment, 
New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  ser- 
vice in  the  Civil  War.  At  a  later  date  he 
was  detached  and  appointed  to  a  position  upon 


the  staff  of  General  Griffin.  He  was  present 
at  several  battles,  and  his  last  active  duty  was 
performed  at  Jackson,  Miss.  He  was  dis- 
charged December  18,  1863,  on  account  of  ill 
health.  After  recovering  his  strength  he  re- 
sumed his  former  occupation,  and  has  since 
become  well  known  to  the  trade  as  a  manu- 
facturer of  cribs  and  cradles  of  a  durable  as 
well  as  of  a  superior  quality.  Politically,  he 
is  a  Republican.  He  scrverl  with  ability  as  a 
Selectman  for  four  years,  and  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  Hampshire  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives during  the  years  1882  and  18S3. 

Mr.  Paige  has  been  twice  married.  On 
February  21,  1861,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Hattie  E.  Parmenter,  daughter  of  George 
F.  Parmenter,  of  Antrim.  She  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-seven  years,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Clara  E.,  born  July  30, 
1862;  Bert,  born  March  3,  1865;  and  Mor- 
ton, born  July  15,  1867.  Clara  E.  is  the  wife 
of  Charles  P.  Bryant,  of  P'rancestown,  N.H., 
and  has  four  children  —  Pearl,  Bessie,  Annie, 
and  Robert.  Bert  married  Grace  E.  Wilson, 
of  Bennington,  N.H.,  and  had  four  chil- 
dren, of  whom  an  infant  survives.  Morton 
wedded  Emma  F.  Twitchell,  of  Bennington, 
and  has  two  children  —  Ruth  M.  and  Howard 
E.  Mr.  Paige's  present  wife,  whom  he 
wedded  February  12,  1880,  was  before  mar- 
riage Celia  PZlizabeth  P'lemming,  of  Benning- 
ton. By  this  union  there  is  one  son,  Paul  P\, 
born  April  13,   i8go. 

Mr.  Paige  is  connected  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  has  held  the  principal  offices 
of  P:phraim  Weston  Post,  No.  87,  G.  A.  R. 
He  is  a  self-made  man,  and  the  energy  and 
perseverance  he  has  displayed  in  working  his 
way  forward  to  prominence  in  the  business 
circles  of  this  locality  are  deserving  of  much 
credit.  He  has  been  an  lilcler  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  for  the  past  twenty  years,  and 
Mrs.  Paige  is  a  member. 


fAMES    U.    PRINCE,    of    Amherst,  one 
of     the    best    known    agriculturists    of 
Hillshoro  County,  was   born   here,  Au- 
gust 30,    1S28,  son  of  James  and    Mary 
(Upham)   Prince.      Lieutenant  Joseph   Prince, 


JAMES    U.    PRINCE. 


1 


BIOGRAl'lIICAL    REVIEW 


39 


his  grtat-granclfather,  who  was  of  English 
birth,  aiui  hcltl  his  commission  as  Lieuten- 
ant under  King  George,  having  received  from 
tiic  king  the  grant  of  a  large  tract  of  land  ex- 
tending through  Amherst,  Mont  Vernon,  and 
Bedford,  came  to  this  country,  and  settletl 
on  the  portion  of  his  grant  lying  in  Amherst. 
He  was  a  man  of  influence,  and  took  a  leading- 
part  in  the  affairs  of  the  town.  During  the 
Indian  hostilities  he  assisted  in  building  tem- 
porary block-houses.  His  son,  Abel  Prince, 
who  was  born  in  Amherst,  fought  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary  WarT  James,  who  was  a  son  oF 
Abel,  spent  his  entire  life  here.  He  died  in 
the  fifty -ninth  year  of  his  age.  From  both 
father  and  grandfather  he  inherited  a  military 
spirit,  and  was  for  a  time  an  officer  in  a  com- 
pany cf  militia.  His  marriage  with  Mary 
Upham  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  James  U.  and  Luis  are  living. 
Lois  is  the  wife  of  S.  T.  Jones,  of  Kasson, 
Minn.  The  mother  died  April  4,  1S37,  aged 
thirty-eight. 

James  U.  Prince  attended  the  district  school 
and  a  private  school  for  a  short  time.  He 
lived  on  the  homestead  until  middle  life. 
As  his  father  was  for  a  number  of  years  an 
invalid,  much  responsibility  devolved  upon 
him.  In  Amherst  village,  when  about  forty 
years  old,  he  went  into  the  stove  and  tinware 
business,  and  carried  it  on  for  a  short  time. 
It  was  shortly  after  that  he  went  to  California 
on  a  business  trip,  going  and  returning  via 
the  Isthmus  route.  Subsequently  in  Man- 
chester, N.H.,  he  was  the  general  agent  of  a 
New  York  nursery  company  for  three  years. 
He  then  returned  to  his  farm  here  in  Am- 
herst. This  place,  containing  about  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  and  which  is  a  part  of  the 
royal  grant  to  Lieutenant  Joseph  Prince,  has 
never  been  out  of  the  possession  of  the  Prince 
family. 

On  October  24,  1850,  Mr.  Prince  married 
Miss  Louisa  J.  Osgood.  They  are  the  parents 
of  five  children,  of  whom  Wilder  J.  and  Lilla 
M.  are  living.  Lilla  is  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
Edwin  Ellis,  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
who  is  now  State  superintendent  of  Sabbath- 
schools  in  Montana,  with  headquarters  at 
Helena.      Mr.    Prince    served    for    four    years 


very  acceptably  as  Selectman.  He  has  a 
wide  influence  in  the  grange  societies  of  this 
section.  A  charter  member  of  Souhcgan 
Grange,  he  was  its  first  Master.  He  was  also 
the  first  Master  of  Pomona  Grange,  Hillsboro 
Ccunty,  No.  i,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers.  When  the  State  grange  was  or- 
ganized, he  was  elected  an  officer  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Executive  Committee.  In  the  days 
of  the  old  Hillsboro  County  Agricultural  So- 
ciety he  was  at  one  time  its  president.  He 
is  a  director  of  the  Grange  State  Lair  jield  at 
Tilton,  N.IL,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  State  Horticultural  Society. 
When  the  town  of  Amherst  held  its  centennial 
celebration,  at  which  Horace  Greeley  delivered 
the  oration,  Mr.  Prince  served  as  marshal.  At 
the  old  Hillsboro  County  agricultural  fairs, 
held  at  Milford,  he  served  as  marshal  and  as- 
sistant marshal,  and  was  chief  marshal  when 
the  Amherst  soldiers'  monument  was  dedi- 
cated. He  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Con- 
"■regational  church,  of  which  Mrs.  Prince  is  a 
member. 


3JDWARD  A.  TURNER,  formerly  a 
well-known  and  highly  respected  resi- 
dent of  Alstead,  was  born  here, 
March  6,  1846,  son  of  John  G.  and  Maria 
(Cobb)  Turner.  The  Turners  originated  with 
three  brothers,  who  came  from  Englaml.  The 
grandfather  of  Edward  A.  Turner  was  John, 
bnrn  in  Mansfield,  Mass.  He  spent  the  most 
of  his  life  in  Walpole,  N.H.,  and  died  in  Al- 
stead in  1S60,  being  the  first  of  the  line  to 
come  to  this  town.  His  wife,  Sibyl  Gordon 
Turner,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  bore  him 
six  children. 

John  Turner,  son  of  the  preceding  John 
and  the  father  of  Edward  A.,  born  in  Wal- 
pole in  August,  1 8 10,  came  to  Alstead  in 
1844.  He  was  a  stage  driver  for  years, 
in  which  occupation  he  gained  an  extensive 
acquaintance,  and  made  many  friends.  In  the 
later  part  of  his  life  he  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  successively  married  Maria  Cobb 
and  Ruth  Messer.  By  the  first  marriage  there 
were  three  children — -William,  Edward  A., 
and    Edwin    O. ,    the    last    two    being     twins. 


40 


lUOGRArillCAL    REVIEW 


VVilliani  tlied  at  the  age  of  five  and  Edwin  at 
the  age  of  four  years. 

Edward  A.  Turner  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  iiis  native  town. 
After  leaving  school  he  obtained  employment 
in  a  store  as  clerk,  first  in  Alstead  and  later  in 
Bellows  Falls,  Vt.  He  afterward  owned  and 
conducted  a  grocery  store  in  Bellows  Falls  for 
many  years,  after  which  failing  health  obliged 
him  to  give  it  up.  lie  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Selectmen  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  was  many  times  the  chairman  of  that 
body.  He  was  also  Town  Treasurer  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  fulfilled  the  duties  of  that  re- 
sponsible position  with  rare  fidelity  and  effi- 
ciency. Under  President  Cleveland's  admin- 
istration he  was  Postmaster  for  four  years,  and 
in  1S82-83  he  was  a  member  of  the  State 
legislature,  where  he  served  on  the  Commit- 
tee on  Agriculture.  In  politics  Mr.  Turner 
was  a  Democrat.  He  died  June  22,  1891,  of 
heart  disease,  while  working  on  the  books  in 
the  Selectmen's  office,  and  was  buried  with 
Masonic  rites.  In  religious  belief  Mr. 
Turner  was  a  Universalist. 

Mrs.  Olive  A.  Turner  was  born  in  Chester- 
field, January  15,  1844,  daughter  of  Alfred 
and  ICmily  (Farr)  Chamberlain,  of  Chester- 
field. Her  father,  a  farmer,  who  was  born 
October  14,  i8o6,  died  in  November,  1880. 
Her  mother,  born  April  25,  1815,  is  now  liv- 
ing with  Mrs.  Turner.  The  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Turner  are:  Mabel,  Edwin  O.,  and 
Lucia  E.  F.  Mabel,  born  November  i,  1870, 
is  the  wife  of  Charles  E.  Murdough,  a  clerk 
in  a  store  of  Alstead;  Lucia  E.  F.,  born  De- 
cember 18,  1878,  is  attending  school  in 
Springfield,  Mass.  ;  Edwin  O.  is  a  clerk  in  a 
store  of  Holyoke,  Mass. 


NSON  SWETT,  the  efficient  Post- 
master of  Antrim,  Hillsboro  County, 
was  born  in  Windsor,  N.  H.,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1845,  son  of  Daniel  and 
Ro.xy  (Boutelle)  Swett.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  Samuel  Swett,  a  native  of  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.  He,  Samuel,  was  a  pioneer 
settler  in  Windsor,  where  he  cleared  a  good 
farm.        He     followed     agricultural      pursuits 


during  his  active  period,  attaining  a  fair 
measure  of  success;  and  he  lived  to  be  eighty- 
two  years  old.  In  politics  he  was  originally 
a  Whig  and  in  later  years  a  Democrat.  He 
married  Mary  Dresser,  and  she  reared  four 
children,  of  whom  Daniel  was  the  second- 
born,  but  of  whom  none  are  now  living. 

Daniel  Swett,  father  of  Anson,  was  a  native 
of  Windsor.  In  1857  he  settled  upon  a  farm 
in  Antrim,  where  he  resided  for  the  rest  of 
his  life,  and  where  he  was  known  as  an  in- 
dustrious and  successful  general  farmer.  He 
died  in  1895.  His  wife,  Ro.vy  Boutelle 
Swett,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Chandler  B. 
Boutelle,  of  Antrim,  became  the  mother  of 
four  children,  of  whom  three  are  living, 
namely:  Martha;  Anson,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Martin.  Martha  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  D.  Sawyer,  of  Antrim,  N.  H.  Martin 
wedded  Emma  Hammell,  of  Peterboro,  N.H., 
and  has  one  son,  Frank.  Mrs.  Daniel  Sweft 
died  in  1S76.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian   church. 

Ansun  Swett  began  his  education  in  Wind- 
sor, and,  accompanying  his  parents  to  Antrim 
when  he  was  twelve  years  old,  completed  his 
studies  in  the  schools  of  this  town.  When  a 
young  man,  he  entered  the  employ  of  Charles 
Holman,  of  Nashua,  for  whom  he  worked  as 
travelling  salesman  for  twelve  years,  subse- 
quently returning  to  Antrim,  where  he  has 
since  remained.  Politically,  he  supports  the 
Democratic  party,  and  he  has  held  the  ofifice 
of  Postmaster  since  1894.  He  has  taken  a 
prominent  part  in  local  public  affairs,  having 
served  upon  the  School  Committee  seven 
years,  as  Tax  Collector  three  years,  and 
having  been  elected  to  the  Board  of  Select- 
men for  four  terms.  His  services  have  proved 
beneficial  to  the  town,  and  the  capable  manner 
in  which  he  has  discharged  his  official  duties 
has  gained  for  him  a  high  place  in  the  estima- 
tion of  his  fellow-townsmen. 

On  March  15,  1877,  Mr.  Swett  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice  C.  Wilkins,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  H.  Wilkins,  of  New  Boston. 
Mrs.  Swett  is  the  mother  of  three  children: 
Susie  G.,  born  March  8,  1882;  Archie  M., 
horn  May  30,  1886;  and  Mary  G.,  born  April 
10,    1888.      Mr.    Swett    is  connected   with   the 


1!K)(;RA1'111(AL    RE\1K\\' 


Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  He  and  Mrs.  Swett  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


OHN  11.  COGGIN,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  dairyman  of  Amherst,  who  has 
been  identified  with  the  agricidtLual 
interests  of  Hillsboro  County  for  more 
than  twoscore  years,  was  born  March  lo, 
1838,  in  New  J5oston,  N.  11.,  son  of  Luther 
and  Mary  (Harwood)  Coggin.  The  Coggin 
family  was  first  represented  in  this  section  of 
New  Hampshire  by  Joseph  Coggin,  Sr. ,  the 
great-grandfather  of  John  H.  Joseph  located 
in  Mont  Vernon  at  a  very  early  period  in  its 
settlement.  His  son,  also  named  Joseph,  w^as 
the  grandfather  of  John  H. 

Luther  Coggin,  who  was  born  in  Mont 
Vernon,  lived  in  the  place  of  his  birth  until 
after  his  marriage.  Removing  then  to  New 
Boston,  he  was  there  engaged  in  farming  for 
twenty  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he 
came  to  Amherst  and  bought  the  property  now 
owned  by  his  son,  John  H.  Here  he  was 
afterward  busily  employed  in  mi.xed  husbandry 
until  his  death  on  January  18,  1877.  hi 
politics  he  was  a  Whig  in  his  earlier  years, 
and  after  the  formation  of  the  Republican 
party  he  was  one  of  its  most  loyal  adherents. 
John  H.  Coggin  is  the  only  surviving  mem- 
ber of  his  parents'  family.  He  received  his 
early  education  in  the  common  schools  of  New 
Boston  and  Amherst,  and  on  his  father's  farm 
acquired  a  practical  knowledge  of  agriculture. 
In  August,  1S62,  he  enlisted  for  the  Civil 
War  in  Company  A,  Fourteenth  New  Hamp- 
shire Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  first  as- 
signed to  garrison  duty  in  Washington,  D.C. 
Ten  months  later,  with  his  regiment,  he  took 
part  in  the  Red  River  expedition,  commanded 
by  General  N.  P.  Banks,  and  was  afterward 
with  General  Butler  in  the  James  River  cam- 
paign. Subsequently  he  served  under  Sheridan 
in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  and  actively  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Winchester,  Fisher's 
Hill,  and  Cedar  Creek.  After  receiving  his 
honorable  discharge  from  the  service  in 
August,  1865,  he  returned  to  Amherst,  where 
he  has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in  till- 


ing the  soil.  His  farm  contains  one  hundred 
acres.  In  addition  to  carrying  on  general  farm- 
ing he  makes  a  specialty  of  producing  "Ynilk, 
having  a  valuable  and  profitable  dairy.  He  is 
well  known  and  esteemed  througliDut  the  dis- 
trict for  his  strict  integrity  anil  honorable  deal- 
ing. During  one  term  Mr.  Coggin  repre- 
sented Amherst  in  the  State  legislature,  and 
for  four  years  he  was  -Selectman  of  the  town, 
serving  for  a  part  of  the  time  as  the  chairman 
of  the  Board.  Politically,  he  is  a  strong  Re- 
publican. At  present  he  is  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  the  State  of  New  Hampshire.  A 
comrade  of  C.  H.  Phelps  Post,  No  43, 
G.  A.   R.,  he  has  been  Vice-Commander. 

Mr.  Coggin  was  first  married  Ajiril  9,  1866, 
to  Miss  Hariiet  N.  Secomb,  a  daughter  of 
Uaniel  Secomb,  of  Amherst.  She  died  Jan- 
uary 8,  1882,  leaving  two  children — P'rederick 
L.  and  George  W.  Mr.  Coggin  subsequently 
married  Mrs.  Dell  Seavey,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Wade,  a  native  of  Plattsburg,  N.Y.,  and  the 
widow  of  the  late  Benjamin  F.  Seavey,  of 
Moore's,  N.Y.  Mr.  Seavey  was  a  soldier  in 
the  late  war,  and  died  after  a  month's  service. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coggin  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational church. 


(Buss)  Morrison.  His  grandfather,  Samuel 
Morrison,  born  in  Hancock,  N.  IL,  came  when 
a  young  man  to  Alstead,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  making  the  woodwork  of  ploughs. 
Samuel  was  an  active  and  enterprising  man 
and  a  leader  in  local  affairs.  He  had  a 
family  of  si.\  children;  namely,  Betsey,  Sam- 
uel, Benjamin  F.,  De.xter,  Sally,  and  Andrew. 
Samuel  Morrison  (second),  the  father  of 
Andrew  Morrison,  was  born  in  Alstead,  Au- 
gust 24,  1807,  and  died  November  26,  1S86. 
Of  a  mechanical  turn,  he  learned  a  number  of 
trades.  He  was  a  carpenter,  a  maker  of 
pumps  and  of  yokes  for  oxen,  also  a  mover  of 
buildings,  an  excellent  layer  of  stone  walls, 
and  a  farmer.  He  took  an  active  part  in  local 
politics,    and    servetl    in    the     legislatures    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


1852,  1853,  and  1854.  Me  attended  the 
Methodist  church.  Warm-hearted  and  gener- 
ous, he  was  always  ready  to  do  a  good  turn 
for  any  man.  Mis  wife,  I'21iza,  who  was  born 
in  July,  iSio,  daughter  of  David  antl  Annie 
(Jones)  l^uss,  of  Marlow,  died  November  24, 
1886.  Slie  was  the  mother  of  three  boys  — 
Andrew,  George  D.,  and  Milan  D.,  all  na- 
tives of  Alstead.  George  D.,  born  September 
23,  1838,  lives  in  Marlow,  is  a  farmer,  and 
also  works  at  the  different  tratles  in  which  his 
father  was  so  skilful.  He  married  Annie 
Knights,  but  has  no  children.  Milan  D., 
born  October  28,  1843,  lives  in  Carthage, 
Me.,  and  has  six  children. 

Andrew  Morrison  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town.  Then  he 
went  to  work  with  his  father,  learning  most 
of  his  trades,  and  becoming  a  skilled  work- 
man. When  about  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
he  bought  the  farm  whicli  is  now  his  home. 
Since  then  he  has  bought  a  number  of  farms, 
which  he  has  traded.  He  is  also  a  broker 
and  money-lender.  Keen  in  business  trans- 
actions, he  has  been  quite  successful,  and  has 
acquired  a  handsome  fortune.  He  has  been 
Selectman  a  number  of  times.  He  was  also 
Road  Agent,  and  at  other  times  he  held  most 
of  the  minor  ofifices  of  the  town. 

Mr.  Morrison  married  Julia  V.,  who  was 
born  August  4,  1837,  daughter  of  Nelson 
Kidder.  '  One  daughter,  ■  Jennie  K. ,  born 
March  24,  1S62,  died  June  15,  1S77.  Nettie 
S.,  born  January  18,  1865,  is  now  Mrs.  Clin- 
ton Gates,  of  Alstead. 


/  ^Teorge  harlon   page  ware 

\  '3  I  has  been  for  forty  years  the  black- 
smith of  Alstead.  Born  November 
28,  1836,  in  the  town  of  Acworth,  he  is  a  son 
of  Josejjh  and  Susan  (Nichols)  Ware.  His 
grandfather,  Joseph  Ware,  Sr. ,  who  lived  at 
Winchester,  N.H.,  of  which  place  he  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers,  had,  so  far  as  is  known, 
but  one  child,  the  father  of  George  H.  P. 
Ware. 

Joseph  Ware,  who  was  born  in  Winchester 
in  1784,  went  to  Acworth,  lived  there  for  the 
greater  part   of   his    life,    and    died    in    184S. 


Besides  working  at  his  trade  of  blacksmith, 
he  carried  on  farming  to  some  extent.  He 
was  a  devoutly  religious  man  and  a  Deacon  of 
the  Orthodo.x  church.  His  wife,  Susan,  who 
was  a  native  of  Hillerica,  Mass.,  bore  him 
eight  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. Susan,  Joseph,  Pamelia,  Hannah,  antl 
George  H.  P.  attained  maturity.  Susan  mar- 
ried Isaac  Kent,  who  was  for  many  years  a 
Well-known  hotel  man  of  Alstead,  and  had 
four  children  —  Elisha,  May,  Ellen,  and  Sam- 
uel ;  Joseph  Ware,  a  farmer  of  Acworth,  mar- 
ried and  had  one  daughter,  Abbie;  Pamelia 
married  Anthony  Walker,  of  Nashua,  N.H., 
and  had  a  family  of  fcur  chikhen;  Hannah 
became  Mrs.  Henry  King,  of  Boston,  and  had 
two  sons. 

George  H.  P.  Ware  received  his  early  eilu- 
cation  in  the  public  schools  of  Acworth. 
After  leaving  school  he  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade  with  his  wife's  father  in  Al- 
stead. Since  then  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
Alstead.  By  his  genial  manners  and  his 
willingness  to  oblige  he  has  made  many 
friends  in  this  section.  He  takes  an  inter- 
est in  public  affairs  aiul  is  often  heard 
from  at  town  meetings.  He  has  never,  how- 
ever, aspired  to  hold  office.  He  attends  the 
Congregational  church.  Mr.  Ware  married 
Susan  Adelaide  Spencer,  who  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1844,  the  daughter  of  James  and 
Susan  (McCrae)  Spencer.  Mr.  Spencer,  who 
was  born  May  21,  18 19,  died  February  i8, 
1883.  Mrs.  Ware  died  on  September  19, 
1887,  having  been  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren—  Frances  A.,  James  Walton,  and  Bertha 
Eleanor.  Frances  A.,  born  in  Keenc,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1870,  married  Charles  F.  Pierce,  of 
Alstead.  Jaines  W. ,  born  August  24,  1873, 
is  the  clerk  at  the  Commercial  House  in  Bel- 
lows P'alls,  Vt.  Bertha  P^leanor,  born  Sep- 
tember 12,  1877,  is  at  home  with  her  father 
and  grandmother. 

Mr.  Ware  is  something  of  an  antiquary  and 
collector.  He  has  a  fine  collection  of  rare 
old  coins,  besides  a  cabinet  of  stuffed  birds, 
mounted  by  himself.  Much  originality  is 
shown  in  the  many  odd  and  beautiful  picture 
frames  he  has  manufactured  from  glass,  broken 
china,    crockery,    shells,    buttons,  and   various 


lilOGKAI'HICAL    REVIKW 


43 


other  materials,  which  it  would  seem  to  be 
impossible  to  work  witli.  His  lawns  are 
perhaps  the  most  original  and  artistic  of  any 
in  the  State,  considering  their  size.  They 
are  arranged  with  various  kinds  of  orna- 
mental work,  and  show  great  taste  ami 
skill. 


/^TlToRGK  ALFRED  COCHRAN,  a 
y  '•)  I  highly  esteemed  resident  of  Antrim 
and  an  ex-member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  legislature,  was  born  in  this  town, 
December  8,  1835,  son  of  Ira  and  Clarissa 
(Taylor)  Cochran.  His  great-grandfather, 
Isaac  Cochran,  was  a  native  of  that  part  of 
Londonderry  which  is  now  the  town  of  Wind- 
ham. When  fifteen  years  old,  Isaac  joined 
the  Continental  army  as  a  drummer  boy,  and 
was  afterward  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Lieu- 
tenant. In  17S4  he  settled  in  Antrim,  and 
acquired  possession  of  the  farm  upon  which 
his  great-grandson  now  resides.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  erected  the  first  two-story 
house  in  Antrim,  which  served  as  a  dwelling 
until  1864,  when  it  was  replaced  by  the  pres- 
ent residence.  The  old  elm-trees  now  stand- 
ing upon  the  lawn  were  also  set  out  by  him. 
He  built  a  grist-mill  in  1786,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  conducting  it  and  in  farming  for  the 
rest  of  his  life.  When  he  was  eighteen  years 
old  he  was  elected  Constable,  and  he  served 
as  a  Selectman  and  as  Moderator  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  was  an  unusually  large  man, 
weighing  over  three  hundred  pounds.  Besides 
his  many  commendable  qualities  as  a  citizen, 
he  acquired  considerable  local  reputation  as 
a  poet.  His  religious  belief  was  the  Presby- 
terian, and  he  acted  as  Deacon  of  that  church 
for  many  years.  He  married  Ruth  Hopkins, 
and  reared  three  children.  The  youngest  of 
these,  James  Cochran,  the  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Windham, 
N.  H.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to  An- 
trim when  a  boy.  Reared  as  a  farmer,  he 
afterward  cultivated  the  homestead  land  dur- 
ing the  active  period  of  his  life.  He  also 
operated  a  saw  and  grist  mill.  His  wife, 
Joanna  Cressey  Cochran,  had  six  children, 
of  whom  the  only  survivt>r  is   Eliza,  the  widow 


of  Dr.  Jacob  P.  Whittemore,  late  of  Antrim. 
She  is  residing  in  Concord,  N.H.,  and  has 
one  daughter,  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  E.  C. 
P^astman,  of  Concord,  N.  H.  James  Cochran 
was  a  Whig  in  politics.  He  lived  to  be 
seventy-nine  years  old,  and  his  wife  died  at 
fifty-four.  They  were  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  Ira  Cochran,  son  of  James, 
was  born  at  the  homestead  in  Antrim,  and 
reared  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  early  man- 
hood he  spent  five  years  in  lioston,  employed 
as  a  lawyer's  clerk.  The  rest  of  his  life  was 
passed  in  tilling  the  soil  of  the  home  farm. 
He  served  as  a  Selectman  for  two  years,  and 
was  Lieutenant  of  a  cavalry  company  in  the 
State  militia.  In  his  later  years  he  supported 
the  Republican  party.  At  his  death  his  age 
was  eighty-eight  years  and  six  months.  His 
wife,  Clarissa,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Taylor,  of  Hillsboro,  N.  H.,  became  the 
mother  of  six  children.  Of  these  five  are 
living;  namely,  Mary,  George  A.,  Clara  R., 
Caroline  C. ,  and  Ann  M.  Clara  R.  is  the 
widow  of  John  A.  Whitman,  late  of  Benning- 
ton, N.H.  Caroline  C.  married  Benjamin  P. 
Baldwin,  of  Clinton,  la.,  and  her  children 
are  Minnie  A.  and  Eva  A.  Ann  M.  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  E.  I{aton,  of  Bennington. 
The  mother  died  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
George  Alfred  Cochran  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  New  London  and  Mont 
Vernon,  N.H.  After  completing  his  studies 
he  gave  his  attention  to  general  farming.  He 
succeeded  to  the  homestead,  on  which  he  has 
continued  to  reside  up  to  the  present  time. 
A  man  of  well-known  integrity  and  possess- 
ing much  ability,  he  has  been  elected  to  vari- 
ous ofifices  of  responsibility  and  trust.  For 
thirteen  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Selectmen,  serving  as  its  chairman  for  nine 
years.  He  was  Tax  Collector  and  Town 
Auditor  for  a  number  of  terms,  antl  he  was 
Moderator  at  town  meetings  for  fourteen 
years.  In  1870  and  1S71  he  reinesented  the 
district  in  the  legislature,  he  was  County 
Commissioner  from  1SS3  to  1889,  and  he  was 
a  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  at 
Concord  in  i88g.  For  the  past  thirty  years 
he    has    acted    as  a   Justice  of  the    Peace,    and 


44 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


is  at   the  present  time  a  member  of  tiie  Board 
of  Trustees  of  tiie  Antrim  Public  Library. 

On  November  26,  1872,  Mr.  Cochran  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Etta  A.  Chapman. 
She  was  horn  in  Windsor,  N.  H.,  daughter  of 
Cajitain  Silas  Chapman.  Her  father,  who  is 
a  native  of  Windsor,  after  working  at  his 
trade  of  mason  in  Boston  for  some  years,  re- 
turned to  the  family  homestead  in  Windsor, 
where  he  is  now  living  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
one  years.  He  was  formerly  a  Captain  in  the 
State  militia,  and  was  also  prominent  in 
political  affairs,  having  served  as  a  Selectman, 
Tax  Collector,  and  a  member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  House  of  Representatives.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  His  wife  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  Of  his  si.x 
children  two  others  are  living — Helen  M. 
and  Joseph  C.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cochran  have 
no     children.      Mr.     Cochran     has    been     con- 


nected with  the  Masonic  fraternity  since  1863, 
and  has  occupied  nearly  all  the  important  chairs 
in  Harmony  Lodge,  No.  38,  of  Hillsboro 
Bridge.  Mrs.  Cochran  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 


(sTX'^NER  B.  CROMBIE,  proprietor  of 
the  Windsor  Mountain  House  at 
North  Branch,  in  the  town  of  An- 
trim, Hillsboro  County,  was  born 
in  New  Boston,  N.H.,  February  28,  1840,  son 
of  Peter  and  Hannah  (Bennett)  Crombie. 

Robert  Crombie,  his  paternal  grandfather, 
was  a  prosperous  farmer  in  New  Boston  dur- 
ing the  active  years  of  his  life,  and  he  died 
there  at  a  good  old  age.  He  was  a  Deacon 
of  the  Congregational  church.  He  married 
Lydia  Patterson,  who  lived  to  be  ninety  years 
old.  She  was  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
of  whom  Peter  was  the  third  son. 

Peter  Crombie  was  a  native  of  New  Boston. 
He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  later 
became  a  prominent  contractor  and  builder  in 
Nashua,  where  he  was  known  as  a  reliable 
business  man  and  a  good  citizen.  He  carried 
on  a  thriving  business  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1852.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.      His  wife,  Hannah  Bennett  Crombie, 


was  a  daughter  of  Steven  Bennett,  of  New 
Boston.  She  became  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  only  one  now  living  is 
Abner  B.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Abner  B.  Crombie  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  New  Boston  and  Nashua  and  at 
the  acailemy  in  Francestown.  He  began  life 
as  a  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store  in  Manchester, 
where  he  remained  two  years,  and  in  185S  he 
came  to  Antrim.  In  i860  he  opened  a  gen- 
eral store  at  North  Branch,  and  continued  in 
business  for  two  years.  He  then  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  Company  C,  Eleventh  Regiment, 
New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was 
later  made  a  Corporal,  and  served  three  years 
in  the  Civil  War.  After  his  discharge  he 
went  to  Rockford,  111.,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits  for  two  years,  and  for 
the  next  three  years  he  resided  in  Chicago. 
Returning  to  Antrim  in  1870,  he  opened  the 
Windsor  Mountain  House,  which  he  carried 
on  as  a  summer  boarding  establishment  for 
twenty-five  years,  and  he  is  still  the  owner  of 
the  property.  He  is  now  engaged  in  general 
farming,  and  cultivates  a  large  tract  of  land. 
Politically,  he  acts  with  the  Republican  party. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  School  Board 
for  the  past  five  years,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  has  served,  and  is  now  serving,  as  Mod- 
erator at  town  meetings. 

On  November  29,  i860,  Mr.  Crombie  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Louise  H.  Mc- 
Ilvaine,  daughter  of  Moody  B.  Mcllvaine,  of 
Antrim.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crombie  have  no 
children.  Mr.  Crombie  is  a  member  of  Star 
in  the  liast  Lodge,  No.  166,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Rockford,  III.  He  is  a  comrade  and  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  Ephraim  Weston  Post,  No. 
87,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Antrim,  and  has  been  its 
Senior  Vice-Commander. 


ILLIAM  P.  COLBURN,  of  Mil- 
ford,  a  [practical  and  [jrogressive 
agriculturist  of  Hillsboro  County, 
was  born  April  18,  1827,  on  the  farm  he  now 
owns  and  occupies.  On  the  father's  side  he 
is  of  English  descent.  His  grandfather.  Job 
Colburn,  was  born  in  Dracut,  Mass.  His 
father,  Joseph  Colburn,  who  was  also  a  native 


BIOGRAPH  I CA  I,    R  KV I  VAX 


45 


of  Dracut,  lived  in  that  place  until  he  was 
seventeen  years  old.  Then  Joseph  came  with 
Captain  Moses  Nowell,  one  of  the  heroes  of 
Hunker  Hill  to  Milford,  arrivins^  here  early 
in  the  spring  of  1800.  Occupied  in  farming 
and  becoming  one  of  Rlilford's  most  valued 
citizens,  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  here,  and 
died  in  1861.  In  politics  he  was  a  decided 
Whig.  He  married  Miss  Hannah  Spalding, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Tewksbury,  Mass. 
Of  their  children  two  are  now  living,  namely: 
William  P.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Mrs.  Julia  A.  Wiggin,  a  widow,  residing  in 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 

William  P.  Colburn  acquired  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  ilistrict  schools  of  Milford. 
From  his  earliest  years  he  has  made  a  study 
of  agriculture.  Since  succeeding  to  the 
paternal  acres,  he  has  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing after  the  most  ap[iroved  manner.  He  is 
a  strong  Republican  in  politics.  During  the 
years  of  1859  and  i860  he  served  as  Select- 
man of  the  town,  and  he  has  also  been  High- 
way Surveyor.  For  the  past  five  years  he 
has  been  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  At  present 
he  is  actively  engaged  in  the  genealogical 
work  of  the  town  history,  now  in  preparation 
for  the  press. 

On  March  26,  1850,  Mr.  Colburn  married 
Elizabeth  M.  Clark,  who  was  born  in  Mil- 
ford, October  23,  1826,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Maria  B.  (Knowlton)  Clark,  both  life- 
long residents  of  this  town.  Her  grandfather, 
Richard  Clark,  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  Mil- 
ford, coming  here  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last 
century,  from  Tewksbury,  Mass.  Mrs.  Col- 
burn's  father,  who  was  born  in  iSoo,  died  in 
1886.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
a  worthy  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Of 
the  large  family  of  children  born  to  him  and 
his  wife,  the  following  attained  maturity: 
Elizabeth  M.,  now  Mrs.  Colburn;  Daniel  and 
Charles  A.,  both  residents  of  Boston,  Mass.; 
Frederick  W.,  of  South  Weymouth,  Mass. ; 
Mrs.  Harriet  Swain,  a  widow,  living  in  Wil- 
mington, Mass.;  Alma  J.,  the  wife  of  Or- 
lando Lawrence,  of  Fawrence,  Mass.  ;  Ben- 
jamin F.,  who  died  while  serving  in  the  late 
Civil  War;  John  H.,  of  Boston,  Mass.;  Mary 
S.,   the   wife   of    Horace   Dean,    of    Lawrence, 


Mass.  ;  Abbie  F. ,  the  wife  of  George  Kane, 
also  of  Lawrence,  IVLass  ;  and  lulward  H., 
who  resides  in  Milford.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Col- 
burn have  hail  si.x  children,  three  of  whom 
have  passetl  to  the  higher  life.  The  living 
children  are:  Anna  L. ,  George  W.,  and 
Percy  IL  Both  parents  are  active  Christians 
and  members  of  the  l?aptist  church,  in  which 
the  father  has  been  a  Deacon  for  twenty  in- 
more  years. 


RANK  A.  HOLBROOK,  an  extensive 
farmer  and  dairyman  of  the  town  of 
Amherst,  who  owns  and  manages  a 
good  farm  oT  one  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
was  born  June  30,  1853,  in  Manchester,  N.H., 
son  of  P'rancis  W.  Holbrook.  He  comes  of 
noted  Revolutionary  stock,  his  great-grand- 
father, Elijah  Holbrook,  having  been  a 
C>uartermaster  in  the  Revolutionary  army. 
His  father,  who  was  born,  bred,  and  eilucated 
in  Alstcad,  Cheshire  County,  subsequently 
lived  for  a  time  in  the  city  of  Manchester. 
P'rom  Manchester,  in  1854,  P'rancis  W.  Hol- 
brook removed  to  Amherst,  giving  up  his  po- 
sition in  that  place  as  stationary  engineer  and 
night  watchman  to  become  a  farmer.  On 
coming  to  this  town,  he  bought  land  for  agri- 
cultural purposes,  and  from  that  time  until 
his  death  was  closely  associated  with  the  farm- 
ing interests  of  this  community.  An  exten- 
sive reader,  he  was  well  jjosted  on  all  topics 
connected  with  his  calling,  and  for  many 
years  was  a  well-known  writer  for  agricultural 
papers.  Active  in  religious  work,  he  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.  In  politics  he  supported  the  Repub- 
lican party,  both  by  voice  and  vote.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  the  Souhegan  Grange, 
P.  of  H.  At  his  death,  which  occurred  De- 
cember 14,  1886,  Amherst  lost  a  true  and 
faithful  citizen.  He  married  Olivia  How- 
land.  Of  their  children  five  are  living, 
namely:  Charles  R.,  of  Manchester,  N.H.; 
Mary  O.,  the  wife  of  George  A.  Buzzell,  of 
Bradford,  Mass. ;  Frank  A.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  George  E.,  of  Amherst,  N.  H.  ; 
and  Jennie,  the  wife  of  Ola  Anderson,  of 
Concord,  N.H. 


46 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


A  very  little  lad  when  brought  to  Amherst 
by  his  parents,  Frank  A.  Holbrook  was  reared 
and  educated  in  this  town.  From  his  earliest 
youth  he  has  been  identified  with  the  agricult- 
ural progress  of  the  town  and  county  in  which 
he  resides.  On  his  farm  he  carries  on  general 
agriculture  and  dairying.  His  dairy  yields 
him  large  quantities  of  milk,  which  he  ships 
to  Boston.  He  occupies  a  foremost  position 
among  the  best  known  and  most  highly  es- 
teemed people  of  Amherst,  being  public-spir- 
ited and  enterprising.  For  three  years  he 
served  as  Selectman  of  the  town,  having  been 
chairman  of  the  Board  for  one  year  of  that 
period.  In  politics  he  is  an  unswerving  Re- 
publican, loyal  to  the  best  interests  of  his 
party. 

On  October  5,  1S76,  Mr.  Holbrook  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Marcia  E. 
Davis,  who  was  born  in  Greenville,  N. H., 
daughter  of  the  late  Oliver  O.  and  Elmina 
Davis.  Her  father,  who  enlisted  as  a  soldier 
in  the  late  Civil  War,  lost  his  life  while  in 
service,  dying  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years 
from  the  effects  of  a  wound  received  in  battle. 
Three  of  his  wife's  brothers,  uncles  of  Mrs. 
Holbrook,  were  also  killed  in  the  war.  Mrs. 
Davis,  who  is  an  active  woman,  though 
seventy  years  of  age,  makes  her  home  with 
Mrs.  Holbrook.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holbrook 
have  two  children  —  Nellie  B.  and  Walter  D. 
Both  parents  are  members  of  the  Souhegan 
Grange,  P.  of  H.;  and  of  the  Order  of  the 
Golden  Cross  of  Amherst.  They  are  commu- 
nicants of  the  Congregational  church. 


LIVER  C.  WHITCOMB,  senior 
member  of  the  firm  O.  C.  Whitcomb 
&  Co.,  the  well-known  box  manufact- 
urers of  Harrisville,  was  born  at 
Greenbush,  N.Y.,  February  23,  1844,  son  of 
George  and  Aurelia  (Goddard)  Whitcomb. 
His  grandfather,  Ephraim  Whitcomb,  lived 
at  Swanzey,  N.  H.,  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  life,  and  was  jirobably  born  there. 
Ephraim  by  occupation  was  a  saddler  and 
farmer.  His  children  were:  George, 
Ephraim,  Jr.,  Dorothy,  Demerias,  and 
Esther. 


George  Whitcomb  was  born  at  Swanzey  in 
1S12,  and  died  in  1890.  His  first  employ- 
ment for  wages  was  in  a  hotel  in  Massachu- 
setts. From  there  he  went  to  New  York,  and 
was  engaged  in  railroading,  being  conductor  of 
a  train.  A  number  of  years  later  he  went 
to  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  subsequently  to 
Keene,  N.H.,  in  each  of  which  places  he  was 
employed  as  a  conductor  on  trains  running  out 
from  there.  After  the  death  of  his  father  he 
returned  to  Swanzey,  and  bought  the  old  farm, 
where  he  resided  for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
For  twelve  years  or  longer  he  was  se-xton  at 
Swanzey.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 
His  religious  belief  was  Lhiiversalism.  His 
wife,  Aurelia,  was  a  daughter  of  Captain  Ed- 
ward Goddard,  of  Swanzey.  She  was  the 
mother  of  two  children  —  Oliver  C.  and  Jane 
A.     Jane  died  at  the  age  of  six  years. 

Oliver  C.  Whitcomb  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Swanzey  and  subsequently  Mount 
Caesar  Academy  in  that  town.  After  leaving 
school  he  worked  for  a  time  at  clothes-pin 
making,  and  subsequently  manufactured  fancy 
boxes  and  toys.  After  working  alone  for  a  few 
years,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  E. 
Munsell,  of  Keene,  a  partnership  that  lasted 
three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  the 
business  was  moved  to  Swanzey,  and  the  firm 
name  became  Sprague  &  Whitcomb.  When 
the  factory  was  burned  in  1882,  the  firm, 
dissolved.  Mr.  Whitcomb  subsequently  car- 
ried on  the  same  business  at  Troy,  N.  H.,  for 
a  number  of  years.  In  1892  he  removed  to 
Harrisville,  the  firm  being  then  composed  of 
himself  and  Mr.  Frank  S-  Harris,  and  known 
as  O.  C.  Whitcomb  &  Co.  The  principal 
articles  manufactured  by  this  firm  are  wooden 
packing  boxes  with  locked  corners,  fancy 
boxes,  children's  tool  chests,  and  a  large 
variety  of  toys  and  novelties.  Their  goods 
are  sold  all  over  the  United  States,  and  some 
are  sent  abroad,  where  they  compete  success- 
fully with  foreign  goods. 

Mr.  Whitcomb  married  Ella  M.  Whitcomb, 
who  was  born  in  1846,  daughter  of  Sylvander 
L.  Whitcomb,  of  Swanzey.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Whitcomb  attend  the  Unitarian  church,  and 
contribute  liberally  toward  its  support.  Mr. 
Whitcomb  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


47 


ir~NANlKL     r.     KICNUAI.L,    who    was 

I 1      born    in    Mont    Vernon,   January   3, 

^|v97  1823,  came  of  jiioneer  ancestry. 
'  His  paternal  grantifather  settled   in 

this  section  of  New  Hampshire  in  the  later 
years  of  the  eighteenth  century.  His  father, 
Daniel  Kendall,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of 
Mont  Vernon,  where  he  contributed  his  full 
share  toward  clearing  the  forest-covered  land. 
Daniel  married  Miss  Deborah  Battles,  who 
was  born  in  the  historic  town  ot  Plymouth, 
Mass. 


Daniel  P.  Kendall,  like  most  farmers'  sons, 
was  brought  up  to  agriculture,  receiving  such 
educational  advantages  as  were  afforded  by 
the  district  schools.  To  the  substantial  foun- 
dation thus  laid,  he  continually  added 
throughout  his  entire  life,  having  been  a  most 
intelligent  reader  and  a  keen  observer.  His 
large  and  well-cultivated  farm  yielded  good 
harvests,  and  his  extensive  tracts  of  woodland 
furnished  ample  material  for  lumbering  pur- 
poses. He  was  known  in  Mont  Vernon  and 
surrounding  towns  as  a  good  business  man, 
whose  judgment  in  every -day  matters  was 
rarely  at  fault.  In  the  seventies  he  repre- 
sented his  native  town  in  the  State  legis- 
lature for  two  terms.  In  politics  he  was  an 
adherent  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  First  Congregational  Church 
of  this  town  and  a  liberal  contributor  toward 
its  support.  Actively  interested  in  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  he  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Prospect  Grange,  No.  22,  which  he 
served  for  a  time  as  Chaplain.  His  long  and 
busy  life,  which  was  passed  in  Mont  Vernon, 
terminated  there,  August  26,   1891. 

In  May,  1S51,  Mr.  Kendall  married  Miss 
Susan  Cloutman,  daughter  of  Thomas  Clout- 
man,  of  Mont  Vernon.  She  died  January  8, 
1897.  They  had  seven  children,  of  whom 
Esther  C,  William  H.,  and  Susie  M.  are 
living.  Esther  C.  is  the  wife  of  Alonzo 
Carlton,  a  Deputy  Sheriff  residing  in  Goffs- 
town,  N.H.  Susie  M.  resides  on  the  old 
homestead.  William  H.  Kendall  is  engaged 
in  general  farming,  operates  a  saw-mill,  and 
conducts  an  extensive  business  as  a  lumber 
manufacturer  and  dealer.  He  owns  three 
hundred  and   fifty  acres   of   lanil,  formerly  in- 


cluded in  the  home  farm.  11  is  rei)nlaliim  is 
that  of  a  thorough-going  and  progressive 
farmer.  A  strong  Republican  in  ])olitics,  he 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  Idcal  affairs.  At 
one  time  he  was  Road  Commissioner.  I''or 
six  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  School 
Board,  serving  as  ch.iirman  of  the  Hoard  one- 
third  of  that  time.  In  1897  he  was  elected 
Selectman  of  the  town.  He  is  a  valued  mem- 
ber of  Prospect  Grange,  No.  22,  of  Mont 
Vernon,  in  which  he  has  been  Master  and 
Chaplain.  In  the  h'irst  Congregational 
Church  he  is  now  a  Deacon,  and  for  several 
years  has  been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school  connected  therewith.  He  was  an  ac- 
tive member  of  the  Building  Committee  of 
five  under  whose  direction  the  fine  and  sub- 
stantial house  of  worship  of  the  society  was 
recently  erected. 


SALTMARSH,  an  industri- 
ous farmer  and  respected  resident  of 
Antrim,  Hillsboro  County,  was 
born  in  this  town,  December  4, 
1820,  son  of  Isaac  and  Plxebe  (Stratton)  Salt- 
marsh.  His  grandfather,  Thomas  Saltmarsh, 
who  was  a  native  of  Watertown,  Mass.,  set- 
tled in  Goffstown,  where  he  tilled  the  soil 
during  his  active  years.  He,  Thomas,  mar- 
ried Betsey  Abbott,  daughter  of  Edward  Ab- 
bott, of  Concord,  N.H. 

Isaac  Saltmarsh  was  born  in  Goffstown  in 
1779.  He  settled  in  Antrim  when  a  young 
man,  and  cleared  a  farm,  which  he  carried  on 
for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  sturdy 
pioneer,  who  braved  the  dangers  and  endured 
the  hardships  of  settling  in  the  wilderness, 
and  by  perseverance  and  hard  work  produced 
bountiful  crops  upon  land  which  he  had  re- 
claimed by  hard  and  unremitting  toil.  He 
constantly  sought  to  improve  the  fertility  of 
his  farm,  and  succeeded  in  bringing  it  to  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  In  1820  he  erected 
the  present  residence.  He  died  in  1823, 
aged  forty-four  years.  His  wife,  Phoibe 
Stratton  Saltmarsh,  was  a  daughter  of  Jona- 
than Stratton,  of  Marlboro,  Mass.  She  be- 
came the  mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
Reed   P.,  the  youngest,  is  the  only  one  now 


48 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


living.  Mrs.  Isaac  Saltmarsh  died  September 
r3,  1872,  aged  eighty-two  years.  Both  par- 
ents were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
Reed  P.  Saltmarsh  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  and  since  completing  his 
studies  has  given  his  attention  to  general 
tarming.  He  has  always  resided  in  the  house 
where  he  was  born,  and,  having  succeeded  to 
the  possession  of  the  homestead,  consisting  of 
thirty-five  acres,  is  still  actively  engaged  in 
tilling  the  soil.  Politically,  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  his  views  upon  the  subject  of  religion 
are  liberal.  He  is  well  informed  upon  all 
current  topics,  and  possesses  much  valuable 
information  concerning  the  history  of  Antrim 
and  its  early  residents.  Mr.  Saltmarsh  is  un- 
married. 


§AMES  A.  BROWN,  a  prominent  and 
respected  resident  of  East  A 1  stead,  was 
born  in  this  town,  June  8,  1822,  son 
of  Abijah  and  Sarah  (Shepard)  Brown. 
H  is  grandfather,  Abraham  Brown,  who  was  a 
native  of  Grafton,  Mass.,  lived  in  Alstead,  and 
there  carried  on  farming.  Abraham  married 
Lucy  Golden,  also  a  native  of  Grafton,  whose 
children  by  him  were:  Sarah,  Polly,  Abijah, 
Abraham,  John,  Betsey,  Israel,  David,  Jona- 
than, Lucy,  and  Relief.  David  and  Jonathan 
were  twins. 

Abijah  Brown,  born  in  Alstead,  May  i, 
1782,  died  May  21,  1848.  After  his  school 
days  ended,  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  seven 
years,  and  then  bought  a  farm  in  Alstead. 
Later  he  bought  the  old  homestead,  where  he 
died.  He  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  and  ever  ready  to  work  for 
its  interests.  His  wife,  Sarah,  was  born  in 
1782,  daughter  of  Simeon  Shepard,  of  this 
town,  and  died  in  i86g.  Of  their  seven  chil- 
dren two  died  in  infancy.  The  others  were: 
Gardiner  S. ,  Lucy  B. ,  Nancy  G.,  James  A., 
and  P]mily.  Gardiner  S. ,  who,  born  Septem- 
ber 10,  1 8 10,  died  December  29,  1876,  gradu- 
ated from  Dartmouth  College,  taught  school 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  afterward  became 
a  minister.  Eventually  he  studied  medicine, 
and  subsequently  practised  it  in  Hartford, 
Conn.,   for    twenty-five    years.      He    was    suc- 


cessively married  to  Mary  Scranton  and  Ade- 
line Merrill,  each  of  whom  bore  him  one  child. 
These  were:  Lucy  B.,  who  married  N.  Hay- 
ward,  a  farmer  of  Acworth,  and  had  a  large 
family  of  children;  and  Nancy  G.,  who  mar- 
ried a  Mr.  Bates,  of  Swanzey,  N.H.,  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  cotton-mill,  and  had  one  child, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  four  months. 

James  A.  Brown  was  sent  to  the  common 
schools  of  the  town.  Thereafter  he  worked 
on  his  father's  farm  until  some  six  years  ago. 
He  has  been  actively  interested  in  local 
affairs,  and,  besides  serving  in  the  minor  town 
offices,  he  was  Selectman  for  several  years. 
A  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  a  good  many  years, 
he  has  settled  a  number  of  estates.  He  is  an 
attendant  of  the  Congregational  church  and 
a  liberal  giver  toward  its  benevolent  enter- 
prises. Mr.  Brown  married  Martha  A.  Ram- 
sey, a  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy  Ramsey, 
of  Alstead.  Mrs.  Brown  was  born  in  Marlow 
on  April  29,   1S23. 


(^AMES  W.  MORSE,  the  popular  mer- 
chant of  South  Merrimac,  born  in 
Townsend,  this  State,  October  6,  i860, 
is  a  son  of  William  C.  and  Hannah  H. 
Morse.  The  father,  a  watchmaker  and  jew- 
eller, was  in  business  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  A  native  of  Dedham, 
Mass.,  he  was  a  man  of  cheerful  disposition 
and  pleasing  address,  and  had  a  large  circle  of 
friends  and  acquaintances.  He  was  skilful  at 
his  trade,  and  did  a  large  amount  of  work  on 
expensive  jewelry.  His  wife,  who  survives 
him,  now  resides  in  Lowell.  Five  of  her  six 
children  are  living;  namely,  Carrie  E.  Weth- 
erbee,  Clarence  D.  Morse,  James  W. ,  Edward 
A.  L. ,  and  Joshua  H.  The  father  held  lib- 
eral views  regarding  religion.  He  was  not  a 
member  of  any  church  organization,  but  he 
believed  in  the  beneficent  work  of  the  churches 
and  in  a  broad  and  charitable  Christianity  that 
expressed  itself  in  daily  service  to  fellow-men. 
The  profession  of  a  creed  he  held  to  be  the 
smallest  part  of  men's  duty,  since  creed  ex- 
presses itself  in  action  far  more  than  in  formu- 
lated speech. 

James   W.    Morse   spent    his  youth   in    Han- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


49 


over,  N.H.,  and  was  sent  to  the  public  school 
ill  that  town  and  later  to  a  school  in  Troy, 
N.ll.  He  started  in  business  for  himself  in 
life  b)'  taking  up  government  land  in  Dakota, 
where  he  remained  for  four  years,  engaged  in 
general  farming.  Desirous  of  coming  East  to 
settle,  he  finally  disposed  of  his  Dakota  prop- 
erty and  came  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  where  he  se- 
cured employment  with  Lamson  &  Co.  as  a 
machinist.  Mechanical  occupations,  however, 
being  less  in  accordance  with  his  tastes  than 
mercantile  pursuits,  he  removed  in  1887  to 
South  Merrimac,  where  he  soon  started  in  a 
small  way  the  store  of  which  he  is  at  the  pres- 
ent time  proprietor.  Since  then  Mr.  Morse 
has  been  highly  successful.  The  increased 
volume  of  his  business  after  a  time  has  com- 
pelled him  to  make  additions  to  the  original 
building.  Giving  earnest  and  constant  atten- 
tion to  his  store  and  never  afraid  of  hard 
work,  he  has  certainly  earned  all  the  success 
he  has  obtained.  His  stock  is  always  in  prime 
condition,  and  he  aims  to  sell  at  fair  prices,  so 
that  all  his  customers  may  be  satisfied.  Of 
affable  manners  and  always  ready  to  do  a 
kindly  turn,  he  has  a  host  of  friends,  and  has 
won  for  himself  an  enviable  place  in  social  and 
fraternal  circles  in  South  Merrimac. 

Mrs.  Morse  has  been  her  husband's  constant 
hel]ier,  and  his  success  is  largely  credited  by 
him  to  her  foresight  and  practical  suggestions. 
Their  children  are :  Ernest  P.,  born  in  1S84; 
and  Florence  E. ,  born  in  1886.  Mr.  Morse  is 
a  member  of  Granite  Lodge,  No.  i,  of  Nashua, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows;  also  of 
the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Rebecca.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  and  attendants  of 
the  Congregational  church.  He  serves  the 
town  as  Postmaster,  in  which  capacity  he  has 
won  much  praise  for  efficiency.  In  politics 
he   is   an    Independent. 


LIVER  H.  FOSTER,  senior  member 
of  the  firm  Foster  Brothers,  of  Mil- 
ford,  wholesale  and  retail  dealers  in 
meat  and  provisions,  was  born  Janu- 
ary 16,  1842,  in  Temple,  N.  H.^  son  of  Joshua 
and  Mary  (Heakl)  L^oster,  who  were  also 
natives  of  Temple.      On    the  father's   side   he 


is  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction.  In  this  country 
the  Fosters  are  traced  back  to  Massachusetts, 
where  they  first  settled.  Members  of  the  fam- 
ily were  afterward  early  settlers  of  Temple. 
Mr.  Foster's  great-grandfather,  Joshua  I-'ostcr. 
was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  as  was  also  his 
grandfather,  Joshua.  I'he  lather  was  a  lifc- 
long  resident  of  Temple,  and  for  several  years 
served  as  Selectman.  In  1857  he  was  one  of 
the  committee  that  had  charge  of  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of 
Temple.  He  had  a  local  reputation  as  a  vo- 
calist, and  took  an  active  interest  in  social 
matters.  His  living  children  are:  Oliver  H., 
Emily  J.,  and  Hannah  A. 

Oliver  H.  Foster  spent  his  boyhood  in  his 
native  town,  receiving  an  English  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  Appleton's  Acad- 
emy at  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.  He  graduated 
from  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Commercial  Col- 
lege at  Manchester,  N.H.,  in  April,  1S66. 
Subsequently  for  a  short  time  he  was  en- 
gaged in  teaching  and  then  in  carpentering. 
In  1867  he  and  his  brother,  Edward  E. ,  estab- 
lished themselves  in  the  meat  and  provision 
business  under  the  firm  name  of  Foster 
Brothers.  The  brother  died  May  24,  1897, 
since  which,  having  bought  the  interest  of  the 
heirs  in  the  store,  he  has  conducted  it  alone, 
retaining  the  firm  name.  Toward  the  close  of 
the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  for  three  months  in 
the  Lafayette  Artillery  of  Lyndeboro,  N.H., 
and  was  assigned  as  a  private  to  garrison  duty 
at  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 

Mr.  Foster  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  He  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics. In  1892  he  was  elected  Representative 
to  the  State  legislature,  and  served  one  term. 
He  is  a  member  and  past  commander  of  Oliver 
W.  Lull  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  his  town.  In  the 
O.  U.  A.  M.  he  is  Past  Counsellor,  and  Past 
Sachem  in  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men. 
He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Milford  Savings  Bank. 
Fond  of  music,  he  takes  much  interest  in  mu- 
sical matters,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Mil- 
ford  Band.  He  married  Hannah  E. ,  daughter 
of  Charles  Wallace,  late  of  Milford.  They 
have  four  children:  Oliver  W.,  attending 
Dartmouth  College  at  Hanover;  Arthur  J.; 
Elmer  J.  ;   and   George   R.      He    is    a    public- 


BIOGRATHICAL    RKVIEW 


siiiritcd  and   enterprising   man.      liulh   he   and 
his  wife  niDve  in  the  best  society  of  the  town. 


■r^UTllI':R    HEMENWAY,  a  retired  man- 
Ijl       iifacturer     of     Marlboro    and     an     e,\- 
JLJf      ^  member    of     the     New     Hampshire 
legislature,    was   born    in   this  town, 
January    15,    1827,   son   of   Euther  and   ]5etsey 
(Cumniings)     Hemenway.      His    grandparents, 
Ebenezer  and   Ruth   (Gates)  Hemenway,  came 
here  through  the  wilderness  from  Eramingham, 
Mass.,    and   settled   upon   a  tract  of    land   bor- 
dering upon   the  town    of    Dublin.      Ebenezer 
eventually  replaced  his  log  cabin  with  a  frame 
house,  which  is  still    standing,  and  at  the  time 
of   his  death  was  the  owner  of   a   good    farm. 
He  reared  a  large  family. 

Euther  Hemenway,  who  was  born  in  Era- 
mingham, grew  to  manhood  at  the  homestead. 
He  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  which,  be- 
sides farming,  he  followed  in  the  village  of 
Marlboro  for  some  years.  His  last  days  were 
passed  in  Jaffrey,  and  he  lived  to  be  eighty- 
five  years  old.  He  was  interested  in  military 
affairs,  and  was  familiarly  known  as  Captain 
Hemenway.  In  his  religious  belief  he  was  a 
Unitarian.  His  wife,  lietsey,  was  a  daughter 
of  Amos  Cummings.  Her  family  were  origi- 
nally from  Seabrook,  N.  ff.  She  became  the 
mother  of  four  children,  namely:  Charles  C, 
who  is  no  longer  living;  Sarah;  Eliza  C.  ;  and 
Euther.  Sarah  is  the  widow  of  Warren  C. 
Town,  late  of  Keene,  N.  H.  ;  and  Eliza  C. 
is  the  widow  of  Oliver  Jewett,  late  of  Marl- 
boro. 

Luther  Hemenway  attended  the  schools  of 
Marlboro  and  Dublin,  and  completed  his  stud- 
ies at  the  Melville  Academy,  Jaffrey,  N.  H. 
He  subsequently  worked  with  his  father  at  the 
blacksmith's  trade  until  reaching  his  majority. 
Then  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wooden- 
ware  at  Marlboro,  where  he  conducted  a  thriv- 
ing business  for  upward  of  forty  years.  He 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  bo.x  manufacturers  in 
this  locality,  and  is  the  owner  of  a  mill  situ- 
ated on  Minnewaw  Creek.  His  business  en- 
terprises were  productive  of  good  financial 
results,  and  he  is  now  living  in  retirement. 
In  politics    Mr.    Hemenway  was  originally  a 


Democrat,  and  he  cast  his  first  l^residential 
vote  for  Franklin  Pierce  in  1852.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion  he  joined  the 
Republican  party,  which  he  has  since  sup- 
ported with  vigor.  At  one  time  he  was  the 
president  of  the  Republican  Club,  and  he  is 
now  the  secretary.  He  has  rendered  valuable 
service  to  the  community  in  public  capacities. 
He  was  Constable  and  Eire  Warden  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  has  served  for  several  terms  as 
a  Selectman,  and  was  a  Representative  to 
the  legislature  in  1895.  He  is  connected  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  has  attended  the 
Universal ist  church  for  the  past  fifty  years. 

On  December  7,  1853,  Mr.  Hemenway  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mary  C.  Davis, 
daughter  of  Joshua  Davis.  He  has  one  son  — 
Frederick  D.,  who  married  Bertha  I.  Smith, 
and  has  one  daughter  —  Ruth  E.  Mrs.  Hem- 
enway is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 


HAREES    E.    MARSH,    Postmaster  of 
Greenville,  an  ex -member  of  the  New 


Hampshire  legislature,  and  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  War,  was  born  in  Gil- 
manton,  N.H.,  April  4,  1836,  son  of  Amos 
and  Susan  (Gilnian)  Marsh.  His  grand- 
father, Joseph  Marsh,  who  was  born  in  E.\e- 
ter,  N.H.,  December  20,  1754,  followed  the 
trade  of  blacksmith.  Josejjh  participated  in 
t^ie    battles   of    Lexington,    Bunker   Hill,    and 


other  memorable  fights  of  the  Revolutionary 
AVar.  About  the  year  1788  he  settled  in  Gil- 
manton,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  the 
rest  of  his  life.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
developing  the  town,  and  lived  to  see  it  be- 
come a  populous  and  flourishing  community. 
Distinguished  for  his  kind  and  genial  disposi- 
tion, he  was  well  liked  and  respected  by  his 
neighbors.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational church.  His  death  occurred  March 
'7.  '839.  i"  his  eighty-fifth  year.  On  Sep- 
tember 9,  1780,  he  married  Olive  Arbuncle, 
who  was  born  March  10,  1758.  She  bore  him 
eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 
The  mother  was  about  sixty-eight  years  old 
when  she  died. 


^^1 


LUTHER     HEMENWAY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIKW 


S3 


Amos  Marsh  was  born  in  Gilinanton,  N.H., 
July  24,  1799.  He  learned  the  blacksmith's 
trade  with  his  father,  and  followed  it  through 
the  active  period  of  his  life  with  a  diligence 
and  industry  which  enabled  him  to  provide  his 
faniil}'  with  a  comfortable  home  and  a  good 
practical  education.  He  was  an  earnest  sup- 
porter of  the  abolition  movement.  In  1854 
and  the  following  year  so  popular  was  he 
that,  although  Gilmanton  contained  a  Demo- 
cratic majority,  he  was  elected  to  the  legislat- 
ure. He  was  a  man  of  few  words,  and  he 
weighed  them  well  before  giving  them  utter- 
ance. In  1838  he  united  with  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  He  died  in  Gilmanton  Iron 
Works,  October  21,  1877.  At  his  death  he 
was  the  oUlest  native  resident  of  the  village. 
His  wife,  Susan,  was  a  native  of  Gilmanton, 
and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Gilman.  Two  of 
their  children,  Joseph  Warren  and  Charles  E., 
reached  maturity. 

Charles  E.  Marsh  acquired  his  education  at 
the  academies  in  Pittsfield  and  Gilford.  For 
some  years  after  leaving  school  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  clerk  in  Gilmanton,  Laconia,  and 
Farmington,  N.H.,  and  in  Lawrence,  Mass. 
Subsequently  for  two  years  he  was  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  ploughs  in  Gilmanton.  In 
1862  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  War 
as  a  private  in  Company  B,  Twelfth  Regi- 
ment, New  Hampshire  Volunteers.  In  the 
service,  by  promotion  he  attained  the  rank  of 
Lieutenant.  He  was  present  at  the  battles 
of  Fredericksburg  and  Gettysburg,  in  both  of 
which  he  was  wounded.  In  consequence  of 
his  wounds  he  was  confined  for  a  time  in  the 
Armory  Square  Hospital  at  Washington. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Dockman  &  Marsh,  and  for 
three  years  was  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Gilmanton.  Upon  his  retirement 
from  that  concern  he  went  to  Lowell,  Mass., 
where  he  clerked  in  a  dj-y-goods  store  for  two 
years.  He  returned  to  Gilmanton  again,  and 
was  Town  Clerk  for  several  years.  In  1878 
he  engaged  in  the  printing  and  stationery 
business  in  Greenville,  N.  H.  Eight  years 
after  he  was  chosen  treasurer  of  the  Mason 
Village  Savings  Bank,  and  in  1889  he  was  ap- 
pointed    Postmaster    at    Greenville,     both    of 


which  positions  he  still  occupies.  He  acts 
with  the  Republican  party  in  politics.  lie 
was  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  House 
of  Representatives  in  1881.  He  has  also 
been  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  and  he 
has  served  as  Town  Clerk  since  1888. 

On  June  16,  1864,  Mr.  Marsh  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Laura  A.  Griffin,  daughter 
of  Joseph  Griffin,  of  Lowell,  Mass.  His 
three  children  are:  Myrtle  M.,  L.  Maude,  and 
Frederick  C.  He  is  a  member  of  Fraternity 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Farmington,  N.  H.  ; 
and  at  the  present  time  is  Quartermaster  of 
Herman  Shedd  Post,  No.  27,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Greenville.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Marsh  are 
Universalists  in  belief.  They  attend  the 
Congregational  church,  as  there  is  no  Univer- 
sal ist  church  in  town. 


ILLIAM  M.  PATTEN,  a  resident 
of  Bedford  and  an  ex-member  of 
the  New  Hampshire  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, was  born  in  this  town,  October 
22,  1840,  son  of  Adam  N.  and  Clarissa 
(Hodgman)  Patten.  The  first  ancestor  of  the 
family  in  America  was  John  Patten,  a  native 
of  Ireland,  who  emigrated  to  Massachusetts  in 
1728.  Ten  years  later  John  settled  upon  a 
tract  of  wild  land  situated  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  township  of  Bedford,  where  he  was  the 
second  white  settler.  Having  cleared  a  good 
farm  from  the  wilderness,  he  resided  thereon 
for  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  died  in  1746. 
His  son,  Samuel  Patten,  great-grandfather  of 
William  M.,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  171 3. 
Samuel  came  to  this  country  with  his  father, 
assisted  in  the  pioneer  work,  and  was  there- 
after engaged  in  farming  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  his  active  period.  Joseph  Patten, 
the  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Bedford.  He 
was  born  in  1758,  was  an  energetic  farmer, 
and  a  prominent  public  official  of  his  day,  and 
died  in  1839.  It  is  stated  that  seven  mem- 
bers of  the  family  fought  for  American  inde- 
pendence in  the  Continental  army. 

Adam  N.  Patten  was  born  in  liedfortl,  June 
19,  1805.  In  his  earlier  years  he  was  engaged 
in  lumbering.  Afterward  he  gave  his  whole 
attention    to    agriculture,    which    he    prosper- 


54 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ously  followed  during  the  rest  of  his  active 
years.  He  was  influential  in  public  affairs, 
and  he  represented  the  district  in  the  legislat- 
ure of  1849.  In  his  religious  belief  he  was  a 
Presbyterian.  He  died  April  15,  1887.  His 
wife,  Clarissa,  who  was  a  native  of  Bedford, 
had  four  children,  of  whom  William  M.  anil 
Abigail  are  living.  Abigail,  born  November 
23,  1846,  married  James  K.  Gault,  of  this 
town,  and  has  had  three  children.  The 
latter  were:  Clara  M.,  born  in  April,  1873, 
who  died  January  2,  1888;  Lewis,  born  Janu- 
ary 19,  1876;  and  Abbie,  born  November  20, 
1878.  The  other  children  of  Adam  N.  Patten 
and  his  wife  were:  Joseph,  who  died  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1834;  and  Samuel  J.,  born  in  1836, 
who  died  June  30,  1858.  The  wife  died  Jan- 
uary 28,  1 866. 

William  M.  Patten  was  reared  a  farmer, 
receiving  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Bed- 
ford. He  succeeded  to  the  ownership  of  the 
homestead  property,  and  for  several  years  has 
conducted  a  flourishing  milk  business.  He 
is  an  earnest  supporter  of  the  Republican 
party,  has  ably  filled  some  of  the  important 
town  offices,  was  Representative  to  the  legis- 
lature in  1887,  and  is  at  the  present  time 
serving  as  Moderator  at  town  meetings. 

On  November  26,  1863,  Mr.  Patten  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Ellen  Whitford. 
She  was  born  in  Nashua,  N.H.,  April  7, 
1842,  daughter  of  George  and  Sylvia  (S.tearns) 
Whitford,  both  now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Patten  have  had  four  children,  as  follows: 
George  W. ,  born  March  5,  1865,  who  died 
May  30,  1887;  Carrie  E.,  born  September 
13,  1868,  who  died  July  23,  1883;  Annie  M., 
born  August  18,  1872,  who  died  June  28, 
1890;  and  Emma  L. ,  born  March  29,  1882, 
who  died  January  28,  1889.  Both  parents 
attend    the    Presbyterian   church. 


T0TERBERT    J.    TAFT,  one  of  the  most 

l-^-l       active    business    men    of    Greenville 

Ijs  I         and    an    e.x-member    of     the    New 

Hampshire  legislature,  was  born   in 

this  town,    September   i,    i860,    son   of  James 

and  Mary  (King)  Taft.      His  grandfather,  also 

named  James,  who  was  a  native  of   Uxbridge, 


Mass.,  followed  the  trade  of  a  tanner  in  his 
younger  days.  Subsequently  for  several  years 
the  grandfather  manufactured  cotton  goods  in 
New  Ipswich,  N.  H.  P^rom  New  Ipswich  he 
moved  to  Mason  Village,  now  Greenville, 
where  durin"g  the  last  fifteen  years  of  his  lite 
he  was  engaged  in  the  provision  and  grocery 
business.      He  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 

James  Taft,  the  father  of  Herbert  J.,  was 
born  and  reared  in  Greenville.  When  a  young 
man  he  became  associated  with  his  father  in 
business.  Capable  and  far-sighted,  he  was 
prominent  in  public  affairs,  serving  as  a  Se- 
lectman, Tax  Collector,  Town  Clerk,  and 
Deputy  Sheriff,  and  he  was  Postmaster  during 
the  first  administration  of  President  Cleveland. 
In  politics  he  supported  the  Democratic  party. 
He  was  highly  esteemed  as  a  citizen  of  more 
than  ordinary  worth  and  an  upright,  conscien- 
tious business  man  ;  and  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years,  was  the 
cause  of  general  regret.  His  wife,  Mary,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Samuel  King,  of 
Wilton,  N.H.,  became  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren; namely,  Herbert  J.,  Josephine  M., 
Florence  E.,  Winnifred  L. ,  and  Beatrice  K. 
The  last  two  were  twins.  F'lorence  E.  is 
deceased.  Mrs.  James  Taft,  who  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Unitarian  church,  resides  at  the 
homestead. 

Herbert  J.  Taft  completed  his  education  at 
the  New  Ipswich  Academy,  and  then  studied 
law  with  Wadleigh  &  Wallace,  of  Milford, 
N.H.  He  was  duly  admitted  to  the  bar,  and 
two  years  later  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Greenville.  In  addition  to  his  gen- 
eral law  business,  he  is  interested  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  furniture,  lumbering,  banking, 
insurance,  the  coal  and  wood  business,  and 
farming.  He  is  vice-president  and  a  trustee 
of  the  Greenville  Savings  Bank,  a  member  of 
insurance  companies,  including  that  of  the 
Granite  State,  and  owns  a  large  farm  contain- 
ing between  four  hundred  and  five  hundred 
acres,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of  agri- 
cultural property  in  this  locality.  Politically, 
he  occupies  a  prominent  position  in  this  town. 
He  was  for  seven  years  a  member  of  the  School 
Board,  and  he  represented  this  district  in  the 
legislature  in   1890  and    1891.      He  is  a  trus- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


SS 


tee  of  the  Chamberlain  I'ublic  Librai)'.  No 
one  is  more  ready  with  his  aid  and  influence  to 
forward  and  assist  the  general  improvement  of 
the  town. 

On  October  21,  1885,  Mr.  Taft  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Ida  F.  Chamberlain,  daugh- 
ter of  James  L.  Chamberlain,  of  Greenville. 
Mis  only  child,  James  Chamberlain  Taft,  was 
horn  I^'ebruary  16,  1S91.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  Blue  Lodge,  and  of  the  St. 
George  Commandery  of  Knights  Templar  in 
Nashua.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has  occu- 
pied the  important  chairs  of  the  lodge  in 
(ireenville.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Taft  attend 
the  Congregational  church.  His  business  en- 
terprise has  been  very  beneficial  to  the  com- 
munity. 


ILLIAM  F.  SYMONDS,  an  ex- 
member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature  and  one  of  the  most 
prominent  residents  of  Hancock,  was  born  in 
this  town,  April  23,  1835,  son  of  Lewis  and 
Persis  (Robinson)  Symonds.  Joseph  Sy- 
monds,  grandfather  of  William  F.,  and  a  na- 
tive of  Shirley,  Mass.,  came  to  Hancock  when 
he  was  eight  years  old.  In  his  earlier  years 
he  worked  at  the  trades  of  carpenter  and 
blacksmith.  He  was  also  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  A  leading  spirit  in  the 
local  affairs,  he  served  on  the  Board  of  Select- 
men, and  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  for 
five  terms.  Noted  for  his  honesty,  he  was 
sincerely  respected.  At  his  death  he  was 
eighty-three  years  old.  He  contracted  mar- 
riage three  times  successively  with  Hannah 
Dodge,  FZsther  Baldwin,  and  Susan  Wright. 
Of  his  eight  children,  all  born  of  his  first 
wife,  none  are  now  living. 

Lewis  Symonds,  who  was  a  lifelong  resi- 
dent of  Hancock,  spent  his  active  years  in 
tilling  the  soil.  As  a  general  farmer  he  was 
industrious  and  persevering,  and  his  bountiful 
harvests  provided  ample  means  for  the  support 
and  education  of  his  children.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Democrat,  and  he  represented  this  town 
in  the  legislature  for  two  terms.  He  attained 
the  age  of  eighty-eight  years.      His  wife,  Per- 


sis, became  the  mother  of  five  ciiililren,  of 
whom  William  I'".,  Joseph  E.,  Laura,  and 
Elizabeth  are  living.  Josc]jh  married  Sarah 
F.  A.  Little,  of  Enfield,  N.H.,  and  lias  three 
children  —  Charles  H.,  Mabel  L.,  and  Mary 
F.  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Owen  L.  Bou- 
telle.  Mrs.  Lewis  Symontis,  who  is  still  liv- 
ing, and  resides  in  Penacook,  is  now  eighty- 
eight  years  old.  She  is  a  member  of  tlie 
Congregational  church. 

William  F.  Symonds  was  educated  in  Han- 
cock. Since  leaving  school  he  has  devoted 
his  time  and  energies  to  agriculture.  His 
natural  ability  and  sound  judgment  have,  how- 
ever, called  him  from  the  field  to  various 
official  positions,  and  that  he  has  ably  and 
faithfully  served  his  fellow-townsmen  is  at- 
tested by  his  long  continuance  in  office.  For 
eight  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Selectmen.  He  was  elected  to  the  House  of 
Representatives  in  1885  and  1891.  He  is 
now  serving  his  twelfth  year  in  the  offices  of 
Town  Clerk  and  Treasurer.  F"or  a  long  time 
he  has  been  trustee  of  the  Hancock  Public 
Library.  He  is  also  treasurer  of  the  school 
district,  a  Notary  Public,  and  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace. 

On  January  21,  1869,  Mr.  Symonds  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Abbie  M.  Washburn, 
of  Hancock.  Mrs.  Symonds  has  had  four 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 
Henry  A.,  born  September  23,  1871,  who  is  a 
graduate  of  Dartmouth  College;  Annie  Lizzie, 
born  November  15,  1874,  who  graduated  at 
the  Milford  High  School,  and  is  now  a  music 
teacher;  and  Herbert  W.,  born  June  7,  1876, 
who  is  a  graduate  of  Tufts  College.  Mr.  Sy- 
monds takes  a  liberal  view  of  questions  re- 
lating to  religion.  In  politics  he  acts  with 
the  Republican  party. 


lAROLINE  LESLIE  FIELD,  an  es- 
teemed summer  resident  of  Alstead, 
and  daughter  of  Seth  D.  and  the 
noted  authoress,  Adeline  D.  T. 
Whitney,  was  born  in  Milton,  Mass.  At  one 
time  her  father  conducted  a  large  shoe  and 
leather  business  in  Fulton  Street,  Boston, 
but  retired  when  Mrs.   I'ield  was  quite  young. 


56 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Her  mother,  who  was  born  in  Boston,  Septem- 
ber 15,  1824,  was  educated  at  Mr.  George  B. 
Emerson's  private  school  in  that  city  and  at 
Miss  Dwight's  Boarding-school  at  Northamp- 
ton. She  neither  wrote  nor  published  before 
her  marriage.  Her  first  book  was  "Mother 
Goose  for  Grown  Folks."  This  was  followed 
by  "Boys  at  Chequasset,"  "Faith  Gartney's 
Girlhood,"  "Gayworthys,"  "Leslie  Gold- 
thwaite,"  "Hitherto,"  "Patience  Strong," 
"We  Girls,"  "Real  Folks,"  "Other  Girls," 
"Pansies,"  "Sights  and  Lisights,"  "Odd  or 
Even,"  "Cook  Book,"  "Bonnyborough," 
"Homespun  Yarns,"  "  Asciitney  Street," 
"Holy  Tides,"  "Golden  Gossip,"  "White 
Memories,"  "Friendly  Letters  to  Girls," 
"Open  Mystery,"  and  many  short  sketches 
and  articles.  Mrs.  Whitney  is  a  constant 
contributor  to  many  of  the  best  periodicals  of 
the  country.  Her  gifted  pen,  which  has  car- 
ried instruction  and  amusement  to  thousands 
of  readers,  has  made  her  name  a  household 
word. 

Mrs.  Field  inherits  much  of  her  mother's 
gift,  and  has  already  written  a  number  of 
books,  including  "High  Lights,"  "Poems," 
"Unseen  King,"  besides  many  short  stories 
and  poems.  Mrs.  Field  has  three  sons:  Will- 
iam L.  W.,  a  student  in  Harvard  University; 
James  Alfred,  at  Milton  Academy,  Milton, 
Mass.  ;  and  Douglas  Grahame,  who  is  also  a 
student  of  Milton  Academy.  Mrs.  Field  and 
her  mother  first  became  interested  in  Alstead 
in  1 87 1,  when  they  boarded  during  the  sum- 
mer with  Mrs.  Emily  Barnard  Gibson,  a  very 
energetic  woman,  who  sent  her  boys  to  col- 
lege, and  kept  them  there  by  her  own  efforts. 
Alstead  may  well  feel  gratified  at  having  so 
distinguished  a  resident.  Mrs.  Whitney 
was  so  attached  to  Hillsboro  that  she  desired 
a  summer  home  here,  and  the  family  now 
make  this  their  summer  residence. 


lELBERN  E.  KNIGHT,  of  the 
well-known  firm  Lewis  &  Knight, 
of  Alstead,  was  born  in  Marlow, 
this  State,  July  8,  1862,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Lucy  (Barney)  Knight.  His 
grandfather,     Ira    Knight,    who    was    born    in 


Hancock,  N.H.,  excepting  ten  years  spent  in 
Vermont,  lived  at  Marlow  throughout  his  life- 
time. Ira  was  an  industrious  farmer  and  a 
good  citizen.  His  wife,  who  was  a  Wash- 
burn,    bore     him     eight     children;      namely, 


Lewis,  Eben,  Ira,  Nathaniel,  Abigail,  Susan, 
Sarah,  and  Benjamin.  Lewis,  who  married, 
and  was  a  farmer  in  Marlow  for  some  years, 
and  served  his  townsmen  as  Selectman  and  as 
Representative  to  General  Court,  is  now  re- 
tired from  active  business.  Eben,  who  was  a 
successful  dealer  in  cattle  at  Marlow,  married, 
and  had  a  family.  Ira,  a  farmer  and  a  car- 
penter, married  and  resided  in  Marlow  and 
later  in  Keene.  Nathaniel,  also  a  farmer, 
married,  and  reared  a  family  of  children. 
Abigail  married  Joseph  Clyde,  who  was  born 
in  Marlow,  and  now  lives  at  Keene.  Susan 
became  the  wife  of  Samuel  Bill,  a  lumber- 
man of  Keene,  and  has  a  number  of  children. 
Sarah  is  married  and  lives  in  Bennington, 
N.H. 

Benjamin  Knight  was  born  in  Marlow,  Jan- 
uary 12,  182S.  After  his  school  days  were 
over,  he  learned  the  tanner's  trade,  and  after- 
ward worked  at  it  for  thirty  years.  He  was 
then  employed  in  a  store  for  ten  years,  and 
later  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  attends  the 
Universalist  church,  and  carries  into  daily 
practice  the  teachings  of  that  denomination. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  is  active  in 
town  affairs,  and  has  held  the  office  of  Select- 
man. He  has  had  three  children  —  Emma. 
Edgar,  and  Mclbern  E.  The  first  two  died 
young. 

Melbern  E.  Knight  began  his  working  life 
as  a  teamster,  which  occupation  he  followed 
for  five  years.  He  came  to  Alstead  in  1886, 
and  worked  at  teaming  with  his  partner. 
Then  he  went  into  F.  J.  Mar\'in's  general 
store,  and  was  there  for  two  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  the  firm  of  Lewis  &  Knight, 
general  teamsters  and  jobbers  and  speculators 
in  lumber  lands,  was  formed.  They  also 
manage  the  express  business  of  the  town.  In 
these  various  lines  they  carry  on  a  large  and 
successful  business. 

On  October  3,  1886,  he  married  Etta 
Walker,  of  this  town.  Mrs.  Knight  was  born 
October   3,    1863,    daughter  of    Otis    Walker. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RIWIEVV 


57 


Mr.  Knight  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  He  is  a  liberal  giver  to  charitable 
objects. 


I^INNIE  E.  STACY,  of  Lyndebnro, 
a  representative  of  one  (jf  the  old- 
est families  in  Hillsboro  County, 
was  born  in  South  Lyndeboro, 
N.  II.,  October  12,  1S72,  daughter  of  Byron 
and  Sarah  Adeline  (Tarbell)  Stacy.  On  the 
mother's  side  Miss  .Stacy  is  a  descendant  in 
the  ninth  gcneratinn  of  the  first  Thomas  Tar- 
bell, who  was  a  native  of  Groton,  Mass.  His 
wife,     Hannah,    whom    he    married    June    30, 

1666,  had  four  children.  Thomas  Tarbell 
(second),    the    eldest    son,    was    born    July    6, 

1667,  and  died  January  24,  17 17.  On  De- 
cember I,  1 686,  he  married  Elizabeth  Blood, 
who  bore  him  ten  children.  Thomas  Tarbell 
(third),  oldest  son  of  Thomas  (second),  was 
born  September  15,  1687.  By  his  first  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Parker,  there 
were  four  children.  For  his  second  wife  he 
married  Abigail  Parker,  who  is  supposed  to 
have  been  a  sister  of  his  first  wife,  and  by  that 
marriage  he  became  the  father  of  eight  children. 
Thomas  Tarbell  (fourth),  or  Captain  Tarbell, 
the  ne.xt  in  line,  was  the  youngest  child  and 
only  son  of  Thomas  Tarbell  (third)  by  his  first 
union.  Born  February  2,  17 19,  he  resided  in 
Mason,  N.  H.,  was  identified  with  public 
affairs,  and  served  as  Town  Clerk  from  1762 
to  1773-  He  died  February  g,  1777.  On 
June  19,  1741,  he  married  Flsther  .Smith,  by 
whom  he  became  the  father  of  si.\  children. 
Thomas  Tarbell  (fifth),  the  fifth  child  of  Cap- 
tain Thomas,  was  born  in  Mason,  October  8, 
175 1.  On  July  8,  17S8,  in  Mason,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Sarah  Barrett  by  the 
Rev.  Jonathan  Searle.  He  served  in  the  war 
of  the  Revolution.  The  fifth  Thomas  Tarbell 
was  the  father  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Joel, 
Miss  Stacy's  great-grandfather,  was  the  eighth 
child.  Joel  Tarbell  was  born  in  Mason,  July 
9.  1793.  and  died  September  15,  185 1.  He 
married  Betsey  Shattuck,  of  Pepperell,  Mass., 
and  reared  three  children,  of  whom  Joel  H. 
was  the  eldest. 


Joel  II.  Tarbell,  Miss  Stacy's  grandfather, 
born  in  Mason,  I'ebruary  6,  1816,  died 
February  14,  1891,  at  South  Lyndeboro,  N.H. 
In  early  life  he  settled  in  Lyndeboro,  and  was 
engaged  in  agriculture.  He  later  became  a 
hotel-keeper,  in  which  he  continued  for  seven- 
teen years.  He  then  opened  a  general  store  in 
South  Lyndeboro,  where  he  continued  in  trade 
for  many  years.  He  held  the  appointment  of 
Postmaster  for  twenty  years,  was  a  Selectman 
several  terms,  served  as  Town  Clerk  from  1850 
to  1857,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  was  prominent  in 
military  affairs,  and  served  as  Captain  of  the 
Lafayette  Artillery  Company  for  fourteen 
years.  On  January  15,  1839,  Joel  H.  Tarbell 
married  Esther  Putnam,  who  became  the 
mother  of  three  children,  namely:  Sanford  P., 
born  July  5,  1839,  who  died  January  7,  1842; 
Charles  F.,  born  in  Lyndeboro,  November  ig, 
1843;  and  Sarah  Adeline.  Charles  F.  en- 
tered his  father's  store  at  an  early  age,  and 
continued  there  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
February  24,  1888.  He  was  an  able  and  suc- 
cessful business  man,  and  highly  esteemed  by 
his  fellow-townsmen.  He  served  witli  ability 
as  Town  Clerk  and  Ta.\  Collector,  and  was 
twice  a  candidate  for  the  legislature.  On  May 
18,  1865,  he  married  Emily  C.  Chamber] in, 
daughter  of  Rufus  Chamberlin,  of  this  town. 
His  children  are:  Walter  S.,  born  January  2, 
1867;  and  Charles  H.,  born  June  28,  1874. 
Walter  S.  was  married  October  30,  1890,  to 
Lizzie  G.  Curtis,  daughter  of  Isaiah  B.  Curtis, 
of  Lyndehoro.  Mrs.  Charles  F.  Tarbell  is 
still  residing  here. 

On  June  29,  1869,  Sarah  Adeline  Tarbell, 
daughter  of  Joel  H.,  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  Byron  Stacy.  He  died  June  3,  1S75,  and 
the  only  child  of  their  union  is  Minnie  E.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  Byron  Stacy  died 
September  1 1,   1882. 


LEXANDER  CALDWELL,  a  pai.er 
manufacturer  of  Bennington,  was  born 
in  Troy,  N.Y.,  November  i,  1853, 
son  of  David  and  Margaret  (An- 
drews) Caldwell.  His  grandfather,  Alexander 
Caldwell,  a   native  of   Scotland,    came  to  this 


S8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


country  and  settled  in  Tennessee.  Alexander 
was  a  paper-maker  by  trade.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Eraser,  and  had  ten  children,  one  of 
whom  is  now  living. 

David  Caldwell  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land, December  30,  1820.  He  learned  paper- 
making  there,  and  followed  that  trade  for  sev- 
eral years  before  coming  to  America.  In  1852 
he  crossed  the  ocean  and  settled  in  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  remaining  there  until  1862.  Then  he 
removed  to  Cohoes,  N.Y.,  continuing  to  work 
at  his  trade  in  that  place.  In  1872  he  went  to 
Unionville,  Conn.,  where  he  remained  for 
three  years.  Later  he  spent  some  time  in 
Holyoke,  Mass.  From  Holyoke  he  went  in 
1S85  to  Higley,  Fla. ,  where  he  purchased  an 
orange  grove,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
the  raising  of  oranges.  In  his  politics  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  married  Margaret  An- 
drews, and  became  the  father  of  eight  children. 
Of  these  Margaret,  Alexander,  and  David  J. 
are  living.  Margaret  is  the  wife  of  George 
Dunn,  of  Miamisburg,  Ohio,  and  has  three 
children  —  William,  David,  and  Alexander. 
David  J.  married  Mary  Corbin,  of  Higley, 
Fla.,  and  has  one  child,  Alexander.  David 
Caldwell  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  church. 

Alexander  Caldwell  received  his  education 
in  Troy  and  Cohoes,  N.Y.  After  leaving 
school,  being  then  eighteen  years  old,  he 
learned  the  trade  of  paper-maker  at  Cohoes. 
After  spending  a  year  there,  he  removed  to 
Unionville,  Conn.,  where  he  was  employed  in 
a  paper-mill  for  about  four  years.  He  then 
worked  in  the  Albion  and  Chemical  Paper 
Mills  in  Holyoke,  Mass.,  where  he  remained 
for  several  years.  In  1881  he  removed  to 
Bennington,  and  was  employed  by  W.  T.  Barker 
&  Co.  in  their  paper-mill.  He  was  serving 
in  this  employment  when  he  was  appointed 
superintendent,  the  position  he  holds  at  the 
present  time.  He  now  has  entire  charge  of 
these  mills,  having  under  his  care  about  forty- 
five  men.      In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

On  March  24,  1884,  he  married  Alma  B. 
Proctor,  daughter  of  Luke  Proctor,  of  Benning- 
ton. They  attend  the  Congregational  church. 
Mr.  Caldwell  is  highly  respected  in  Benning- 
ton.     He  is  a   thorough  paper-maker,  and   has 


attained   his   present   position   through    his    in- 
dustry and  integrity. 


FRY    FORSTER    HITCH,  a  prom- 
nent    summer    resident    of    Aistcnd, 


was  born  in  Fairhaven,  Mass.,  oppo- 
site New  Bedford,  and  educated  in 
Jamaica  Plain.  After  leaving  school,  he 
began  his  business  life  in  Boston,  and  later 
joined  the  mercantile  house  in  Brazil  of  which 
his  father  had  been  the  head.  Mr.  Hitch  has 
been  in  that  business  for  forty  years,  finally 
succeeding  his  father  as  the  head  of  the  con- 
cern, and  associating  with  himself  in  the  busi- 
ness two  of  his  sons — Allerton  Delano  and 
Joseph  C.  D.  Hitch.  Mr.  Hitch  has  three 
other  children.  His  home  is  in  New  Jersey, 
and  he  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  political 
affairs  of  that  State.  The  American  branch  of 
his  house  has  its  office  in  Front  Street,  New 
York  City.  The  summer  residence  of  Mr. 
Hitch  in  Alstead,  large  and  beautiful,  and 
situated  among  the  hills  of  New  Hampshire, 
is  surrounded  by  beautiful  scenery.  He  is 
very  much  attached  to  the  town  and  its  people. 


AMES  M.  BURNS,  an  esteemed  resi- 
dent of  Milford,  is  the  present  worthy 
representative  of  an  old  and  respected 
famil)'  of  Hillsboro  County.  Born  here 
December  11,  1819,  son  of  Captain  Daniel 
Burns,  he  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  John  Burns, 
who  emigrated  from  Scotland  to  America  in 
Colonial  times,  settling  with  his  family  in 
Milford,  on  a  homestead  which  has  since  been 
owned  and  occupied  by  a  Burns.  His  son, 
John  Burns  (second),  reared  a  large  family, 
among  whom  was  Daniel  Burns,  Sr. ,  the  [la- 
ternal  grandfather  of  James  M.  Daniel 
Burns,  Sr. ,  became  one  of  the  most  influential 
men  in  this  part  of  the  county,  where  he  spent 
his  life.  He  was  familiarly  known  as  Deacon 
Burns,  having  been  a  pillar  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  for  many  years. 

Captain  Daniel  Burns,  likewise  a  lifelong 
resident  of  this  town,  was  a  prosperous  farmer, 
and  for  a  long  time  the  Tax  Collector  of  Mil- 
ford.     He  was  Captain  of  an  artillery  company 


1 


J 


liKKlRArillCAL    KE\  IKW 


59 


ill  the  State  militia.  In  politics  he  was  very 
active.  He  was  a  strong  temperance  man,  and 
an  ardent  worker  in  the  anti-slavery  ranks.  A 
consistent  member  of  the  Congregational 
church,  he  was  for  many  years  the  superintend- 
ent of  its  Sunday-school.  His  death,  which 
occurred  in  1866,  was  a  loss  to  the  entire  com- 
munity. He  married  Lydia  Sawtelle,  who 
was  born  in  Rrookline,  N.  H.  Of  their  chil- 
dren three  are  now  living,  namely:  James  M., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Eli  S.,  a  resident 
of  Milford;  and  Josephine  M.,  the  wife  of 
William  L.  Taylor,  of  Bennington,  this 
county. 

James  M.  Burns  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  town.  In  the  earlier  years  of  his 
life  he  was  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
lumbering.  Beginning  in  1848,  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  carding  department  of  the  Sou- 
hegan  Cotton  Mill,  of  Milford,  for  ten  years, 
serving  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  in  the 
capacity  of  overseer.  In  1858  he  went  to 
Holyoke,  Mass.,  where  he  occupied  a  similar 
position  in  the  Hampden  Cotton  Mills  until 
November,  1S65.  He  then  returned  to  Mil- 
ford, which  has  since  been  his  home.  In  1871 
he  built  a  house  of  fifteen  rooms,  and,  after 
occu])ying  a  part  of  it  for  seventeen  years,  he 
sold  it  for  use  as  a  Congregational  parson- 
age. PI  is  present  residence  was  built  by  him 
in  iSgt.  On  both  occasions  he  was  his  own 
architect.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
for  one  year  he  served  his  fellow-townsmen  as 
Selectman. 

Mr.  Burns  was  united  in  marriage  Novem- 
ber 30,  1843,  with  Miss  Mary  A.  Burns, 
daughter  of  the  late  Captain  Peter  Burns,  and 
a  sister  of  Luther  M.  Burns.  They  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  on  November  30,  1893, 
when  a  houseful  of  relatives  and  friends  con- 
gratulated them  on  the  event.  Retaining  the 
faith  in  which  they  were  reared,  they  are 
attendants  of  the  Congregational  church. 


rm 


ILMAN    F.    FARLEY,   one  of  GofTs- 


\    •)  I       town's  most  respected  residents,  was 

born  June  30,   1830,  in  what   is  now 

Manchester,  N.  H.,  son  of  Caleb   F.  and    Sally 

(Hastings)    Farley.      His    grandfather,    Caleb 


Farley,  who  was  a  cooper  by  trade  and  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  Hollis,  N.II.,  married 
Hannah  Fletcher,  and  died  when  somewhat 
over  seventy-five  years  old,  in  \ew  Boston, 
N.H.  His  son,  Caleb  V.,  born  in  Hollis, 
February  15,  1 807,  was  also  a  cooper  in  his 
early  manhood.  Later  on  Caleb  became  a 
farmer,  lived  in  the  towns  of  Dunbarton  and 
New  Boston,  and  was  a  well-to-do  man.  I  lis 
wife,  Sally,  was  born  in  Hojikinton,  March 
10,  1 8 10.  Both  she  and  her  husband  lived  to 
be  seventy-si.v  years  of  age.  They  had  three 
children  —  Gilman  F'.,  Carrie,  and  Sarah  J. 
Carrie  became  the  wife  of  Deacon  Francis  O. 
Colby,  of  Goffstovvn ;  and  Sarah  married  Cyrus 
Goodwin,  of  New  Boston.  The  father  was 
liberal  in  religious  belief,  and  in  politics  he 
was  a  Republican. 

Gilman  F.  Farley  received  his  education  in 
a  common  and  private  school  of  Dunbarton, 
and  grew  to  manhood  there.  At  first  he  en- 
gaged in  general  farming,  and  followed  it  for 
some  years.  He  has  now  sold  the  most  of 
his  land,  without,  however,  wholly  giving  up 
his  farming  interests.  He  has  turned  his 
attention  to  teaching,  and  has  been  pursuing 
that  profession  for  a  number  of  terms.  For 
two  years  he  has  been  Selectman,  and  has  been 
on  the  School  Board  for  the  past  thirty  years. 
He  is  identified  with  several  fraternities, 
namely:  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Hookset,  the 
Sisters  of  Rebecca,  the  A.  O.  L^.  M.  at  Gras- 
mere,  the  Daughters  of  Liberty,  the  K.  of  P. 
at  Grasmere,  and  the  Junior  Grange,  No.  150, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry.  Liberal  in  religion, 
he  inclines  toward  the  L^nitarian  denomination. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Mr.  P"arley  was  married  April  10,  1851,  to 
Mary  Hardy,  who  was  born  October  18,  1824, 
on  the  farm  he  now  occupies.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Nathan  and  Mary  Hardy,  and  her 
father  was  among  the  prominent  men  of  his 
day  in  Goffstown.  Of  her  children  two  died 
in  infancy.  The  others  are:  Frank  E.,  the 
eldest,  born  February  25,  1852,  who  resides  in 
Goffstown;  Fred  S.,  born  July  28,  1853,  who 
is  settled  in  Tiffin,  Ohio;  and  Addie  F.,  born 
May  4,  1858,  who  became  the  wife  of  Andrew 
J.  Sargent,  of  Goffstown.  Mrs.  Farley  died 
February  5,  1888.      Mr.  Farley  was  again  mar- 


6o 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


I'ied  on  September  25,  1888,  to  Mrs.  Julia  M. 
McDiiffie,  a  widow  with  one  eliild,  named 
Gracic  M.    McDuffie. 


lliVVIS  R.  CASS,  one  oi  tiie  most  ex- 
tensive farmers  and  stocl<-raisers  in 
Richmond,  Cheshire  County,  was 
born  in  this  town,  January  13, 
1853,  son  of  Ahaz  and  Syrena  (Richardson) 
Cass.  Mis  grandfather,  Martin  Cass,  was  a 
grandson  of  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Rich- 
mond. Ahaz  Cass,  father  of  Lewi.s,  was  for 
some  years  associated  with  his  brother  Nahum 
in  teaming,  and  after  Nahum  moved  to 
another  part  of  the  town  he  continued  it  alone, 
also  following  general  farming.  He  resided 
on  what  is  known  as  the  Hendrick  Martin 
farm,  and  was  one  of  the  few  who  could  real- 
ize good  financial  returns  from  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  served  as  Selectman  for  a  number  of 
years,  but  preferred  to  devote  his  chief  atten- 
tion to  his  business  interests.  In  character 
hospitable,  charitable,  and  public-spirited,  he 
was  a  genial  host  at  his  own  fireside,  a  friend 
of  the  worthy  poor,  and  was  ever  ready  to 
promote  by  all  the  means  in  his  power  the 
welfare  of  the  general  community.  He  took 
a  deep  interest  in  educational  matters,  was 
well  informed  upon  current  topics,  and  was 
for  some  time  president  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  the  library.  He  was  at  one  time  di- 
rector of  the  Union  Store,  and  it  was  through 
his  foresight  that  the  enterprise  was  finally 
given  up.  His  wife,  Syrena  Richardson,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  John  Richardson,  became 
the  mother  of  one  son,  Lewis  R.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  She  was  one  of  fourteen  chil- 
dren, none  of  whom  are  living;  and  her  son 
Lewis  is  the  only  surviving  representative  of 
the  Richardson  family.  Ahaz  Cass  died  June 
9,   1880,  and  his  wife  died  October  9,   1889. 

Lewis  R.  Cass  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  town,  and  at  an  early  age  be- 
came a  valuable  assistant  to  his  father.  He 
has  resided  up  to  this  time  on  the  homestead, 
inheriting  the  estate  which  his  father  had  ac- 
cumulated. The  farm  is  in  good  condition, 
and     Mr.    Cass    occupies    a    leading    position 


among  the  ilairy  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of 
this  section.  In  politics  he  acts  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  been  Tax  Col- 
lector three  years,  and  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Hoard  of  Selectmen  in  1897.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  Richmond  Grange,  Patrons 
of  Husbandry,  and  of  the  local  commandery 
of  the  United  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross,  hav- 
ing been  officially  connected  with  each  since 
their  organization. 

Mr.  Cass  married  Annie  D.  Cook,  daughter 
of  Eben  Cook,  of  this  town,  and  has  one 
dautrhtcr,  Anna  L. 


son 


AMES  H.  BARTLETT,  the  genial 
proprietor  of  Pleasant  V^iew  Farm, 
Shirley  Hill,  Goffstown,  was  born  in 
Carroll,  Coos  County,  April  2,  1842, 
of  Frederick  A.  and  Clarissa  (Bacon) 
Bartlett.  Frederick  A.  Bartlett,  a  native  of 
Unity,  N.H.,  was  born  in  1809.  He  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Littleton,  and  his  life  was  de- 
voted chiefly  to  agriculture.  A  very  active 
worker  in  the  Baptist  church,  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  Building  Committee  under  whose 
direction  the  church  edifice  at  Littleton  was 
erected.  In  politics  he  was  a  Jeffersonian 
Democrat.  He  died  in  Littleton,  January 
23,  1871,  aged  sixty-one  years.  His  wife, 
who  was  born  in  Littleton,  January  29,  1813, 
died  March  10,  18S7,  aged  seventy-four  years. 
They  had  ten  children,  namely:  Warren  L. 
(deceased),  born  May  i,  1832;  Sarah  A., 
born  May  i,  1834;  George  G. ,  born  Septem- 
ber 6,  1836;  James  H.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Hosea  E.,  born  May  2,  1844;  Au- 
gustus N.  (deceased),  born  March  5,  1846; 
Henry  E.,  born  April  18,  1848;  and  three 
that  died  in  infancy. 

James  H.  Bartlett  grew  to  manhood  in 
Littleton,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
that  town.  When  a  boy  of  fourteen  he  began 
working  out,  and  gave  his  father  his  earnings 
until  he  reached  his  majority.  Then,  with 
one  dollar  in  money,  he  started  out  for  him- 
self. After  spending  about  ten  years  em- 
ployed in  the  Manchester  mills,  he  purchased 
his  first  land  in  Peterboro,  N.H.  Having 
lived  there  for  ten  years,    he   purchased    his 


BIOGRAl'HICAL    REVIEW 


6i 


present  place,  which  has  been  his  residence 
since  December,  18S5.  This  farm  contains 
about  two  hundred  acres.  A  large  part  of  it 
affords  good  pasturage,  making  it  well  adapted 
to  dairying,  to  which  he  has  given  especial 
attention.  A  few  years  ago  he  began  i<eeping 
summer  boarders,  and  his  success  in  this 
line  has  been  very  gratifying.  The  farm, 
beautifully  situated  on  Shirley  Hill  at  the 
foot  of  Uncanoonuc  Mountain,  but  five  and  a 
half  miles  from  Manchester,  and  two  miles 
from  Shirley  station,  is  now  a  favorite  resort 
for  many.  He  has  enlarged  his  house,  so  that 
it  will  now  accommodate  thirty-two  boarders, 
and  fitted  it  up  with  hot  and  cold  water,  and 
other  modern  conveniences.  The  scenery 
from  the  veranda  of  the  house  makes  the.  new- 
comer feel  that  Pleasant  View  Farm  has  been 
rightly  named.  Among  its  special  attractions 
are  the  beautiful  drives. 

On  July  6,  1864,  Mr.  Bartlett  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Sabrina  M.  Cannon,  who 
was  born  in  Lunenburg,  Vt.,  June  15,  1843, 
daughter  of  Lewiston  and  Mercy  VV.  (Palmer) 
Cannon.  Her  father  died  in  the  Mexican 
War.  Both  her  grandfathers  and  her  great- 
grandfather Cannon  were  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  a  brother  served  in  the  Civil  War. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bartlett  have  one  son  living, 
Walter  H.,  born  February  11,  1876,  residing 
at  home.  Their  daughter,  Kitty  May,  born 
January  26,  1S68,  died  October  27,  1870. 
In  political  affiliation  Mr.  Bartlett  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  he  served  as  Selectman  of  Goffs- 
town  for  one  term.  He  is  a  charter  member 
of  Granite  Lodge,  No.  3,  K.  of  P.,  of  Man- 
chester, and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  at  Goffstown.  In 
his  religious  views  Mr.  Bartlett  is  a  liberal, 
while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


ARREN  SNOW  BARROWS  was 
highly  esteemed  in  Hinsdale,  both 
as  a  citizen  and  a  faithful  public 
official.  Born  in  Westmoreland,  N.H.,  May 
9,  1824,  son  of  Warren  and  Phi  la  (Smith) 
Barrows,  he  was  a  descendant  in  the  seventh 
generation  of  John  Barrowe,  the  Pilgrim,  who 


emigrated  from  Yarmouth,  England,  in  1637, 
settled  in  Salem,  Mass.,  and  afterward  rcmoveii 
to  Plymouth,  Mass.  John's  son  Robert  re- 
mained in  Plymouth,  Ebenezer  settled  in 
Cumberland,  R.I.,  while  Joshua  and  Benajah 
located  in  Attleboro,  Mass.  Benajah  Bar- 
row, who  was  born  in  1683,  and  died  in  April, 
1754,  married  Lydia  Bucklin,  of  Attleboro. 
John  Barrow,  eldest  son  of  Benajah,  was  born 
in  1708.  His  son,  John  (second),  was  grad- 
uated from  Harvard  College,  and  for  fifty 
years  was  a  teacher  in  Dighton,  Mass.  Jo- 
seph Barrow,  another  son  of  Benajah,  was  born 
in  1713.  He  married  Bethsheba  Woodward. 
Joseph's  son,  Elijah  Barrows,  with  whom  the 
present  form  of  the  name  began,  was  born  in 
173S.  lilijah  married  Sarah  Brown;  and  his 
son,  Elijah  (second),  who  was  born  in  Attle- 
boro, September  23,  1766,  was  the  grand- 
father of  Warren  S.  Barrows.  Several  mem- 
bers of  the  family  became  distinguished  in 
professional  life,  among  them  being  the  Rev. 
E.  P.  Barrows,  a  noted  professor  at  Oberlin 
Seminary;  the  Rev.  John  O.  Barrows,  at  one 
time  a  missionary  in  Turkey;  the  late  Judge 
William  G.  Barrows,  Associate  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Judicial  Court  of  Maine;  and  the 
late  Hon.  George  B.  Barrows,  who  at  one 
time  was  the  president  of  the  Maine  Senate. 

Elijah  Barrows  (second)  settled  in  West- 
moreland, N.H.,  as  a  pioneer,  and  became  a 
prosperous  farmer.  His  death  occurred  Janu- 
ary 16,  1840.  He  married  Martha  Lucas, 
who,  born  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  October 
18,  1771,  died  January  4,  1852.  Of  their  six 
children  the  third,  Warren,  born  in  West- 
moreland, August  25,  1800,  was  an  industri- 
ous farmer  and  a  much  respected  citizen.  He 
died  July  13,  1868.  His  wife,  Phila,  became 
the  mother  of  six  children,  of  whom  Warren 
S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  second- 
born. 

Warren  S.  Barrows  acquired  such  education 
as  the  district-school  system  of  his  day 
afforded.  After  completing  his  studies  he 
assisted  for  a  time  in  carrying  on  the  home- 
stead farm.  When  he  was  nineteen  years  old 
his  father  gave  him  his  time,  and  also  offered 
him  a  sum  of  money,  with  which  to  make  a 
start  in  life.      Declining  the  proffered  assist- 


62 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ance,  he  came  to  Hinsdale,  and  obtained  em- 
ployment at  a  pail  manufactory,  carried  on  by 
the  late  Almon  Goodnow.  After  a  time  he 
became  an  expert  in  that  business,  and  made 
pails  that  won  a  premium  at  the  World's 
Fair  in  New  York  City.  Later  he  worked  in 
Northfield,  Winchester,  and  other  places. 
Then  he  returned  to  Hinsdale,  where  he 
finally  became  proprietor  of  the  Eagle  Iron 
Foundry.  In  a  few  years  the  condition  of  his 
health  forced  him  to  give  up  the  enterprise. 
Selling  out,  he  engaged  in  other  pursuits,  and 
gradually  acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  pro- 
bate court  afTairs  and  the  settlement  of  es- 
tates. Afterward,  taking  up  that  business  as 
his  regular  occupation,  he  followed  it  through- 
out the  rest  of  his  life.  In  that  period  he  ad- 
ju.sted  the  affairs  of  over  one  hundred  different 
estates,  and  upon  the  resignation  of  Judge 
Hardy  he  was  tendered  the  ofifice  of  Judge  of 
Probate,  but  declined.  In  July,  1862,  he 
was  appointed  the  agent  of  a  railroad  station, 
a  position  which  he  held  until  within  a  month 
previous  to  his  death.  F""or  many  years  he 
was  the  agent  for  the  Cheshire  County  Mutual 
Fire  Insurance  Company.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Democrat,  and  for  seventeen  years  he  ren- 
dered able  and  faithful  service  to  the  town  as 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen,  act- 
ing in  the  capacity  of  chairman  of  the  Board 
for  fifteen  years  of  that  time.  He  was  a  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  for  thirty  years,  and  he  was 
appointed  Postmaster  in  1885,  a  position  he 
held  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

In  1856  Mr.  Barrows  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Maria  L.  Walker.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Walker  "and  a  grand- 
daughter of  Cai^tain  James  Walker,  a  Revolu- 
,tionary  soldfen  Mrs.  Barrows  became  the 
Inother  of  two  daughters;  namely,  Adelia  M. 
and  L.  Phila.  Mr.  Barrows  died  at  his  home 
in  Hinsdale,  October  26,  1888.  His  daugh- 
ter Adelia,  who  was  his  assistant  in  the  post- 
office,  succeeded  him  there,  and  has  since  held 
the  position  by  successive  reappointments. 

The  late  Mr.  Barrows  was  one  of  the  rare 
examples  of  whole-souled,  public-spirited  men, 
in  whom  the  community  unhesitatingly  places 
its  trust.  During  the  exciting  times  of  the 
Civil    War    his    position    as   chairman   of  the 


Board  of  Selectmen  caused  him  to  be  sought 
in  an  official  capacity  by  volunteers  who  were 
anxious  to  enlist;  and  the  deep  interest  he 
manifested  in  their  welfare,  together  with  the 
many  acts  of  friendship  he  displayed  toward 
them,  will  be  long  remembered  by  the 
veterans.  His  acts  of  charity  were  numerous 
and  of  a  nature  agreeable  with  his  generous 
character.  His  loss  was  keenly  felt  by  the 
general  community,  who  as  a  unit  looked 
upon  him  as  a  sincere  friend  and  an  able  and 
willing:  counsellor. 


ILLIAM  MATTHIAS  KNOWL- 
TON,  of  Milford.  who  is  well 
known  throughout  this  section  of 
the  State  as  the  treasurer  of  the  Milford 
Savings  Bank,  was  born  June  4,  1832,  just 
over  the  line  in  Amherst,  which  is  now  Mil- 
ford. The  Knowlton  family  originated  in 
England,  whence  in  old  Colonial  times  the 
emigrant  ancestor  came  to  this  country,  locat- 
ing in  Ipswich,  Mass.  His  descendants  be- 
came scattered  throughout  New  England. 
One  of  them,  Colonel  Thomas  Knowlton,  to 
whose  memory  the  State  of  Connecticut  in 
1895  erected  a  statue  in  the  city  of  Hart- 
ford, was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  army, 
and  won  fame  and  honor  by  his  gallant  con- 
duct  on  the  field  of  battle.  Joseph  Knowlton, 
the  paternal  grandfather  of  William  M.,  re- 
moved from  Ipswich,  Mass.,  to  Amherst, 
N.H.,  where  he  reared  his  family  and  passed 
his  last  years. 

Samuel  D.  Knowlton,  son  of  Joseph  and  the 
father  of  William  M.,  was  a  leading  citizen  in 
his  time,  and  for  several  years  was  F"irst  Lieu- 
tenant of  a  company  of  light  infantry  at  Mil- 
ford. Identified  with  the  Whig  party  in  his 
earlier  years,  he  afterward  joined  the  l-'ree 
Soil  party.  A  strong  abolitionist  in  jjrin- 
ciples  and  practice,  his  home  was  one  of  the 
stations  of  the  "underground  railway"  by 
which  runaway  slaves  were  conveyed  to  free- 
dom. On  December  23,  1877,  this  good  man 
died,  leaving  an  honorable  record.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Nancy  Shattuck,  was 
born  in  Pepperell,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Amaziah 
Shattuck,  who  died  soon  after  making  his  resi- 


B^    FRANK    WHITING    and    son.    PAUL    N.    WHITING- 


UIOGRAPIIICAL    RKVIKW 


6S 


dence  in  Milford.  Of  his  children  the  sur- 
vivors are:  Mrs.  N.  Jane  Brewer,  of  Milford; 
William  M.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs. 
Harriet  A.  Fuller,  of  Milford;  Mark  U.,  of 
Rochester,  N.  Y.  ;  and  George  P.,  of  Cam- 
bridgeport,  Mass. 

William  M.  Knowlton  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Milford  until  about  si.xteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  spent  one  term  at  Appleton 
Academy  in  New  Ipswich,  N.II.  He  subse- 
quently worked  for  a  time  in  the  Souhegan 
Cotton  Mills  of  this  town,  going  from  here  to 
the  Dwight  Cotton  Mills  in  Chicopee,  Mass., 
where  he  was  employed  in  the  weaving-room 
for  six  years.  Throughout  the  following  three 
years  he  was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  and 
retail  wood  business  at  Worcester,  Mass.,  af- 
terward spending  three  years  in  Camden, 
N.  Y.,  as  a  farmer  and  lumber  dealer.  In  1864 
he  returned  to  Milford,  and  for  the  next  twenty 
years  was  general  superintendent  of  the  busi- 
ness of  Andrew  Fuller,  manufacturer  of  glass 
frames.  Resigning  his  position  in  1884,  he 
was  from  that  time  until  1891  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  insurance  and  brokerage  busi- 
ness. This  he  finally  abandoned  to  become 
the  treasurer  of  the  Milford  Savings  Bank, 
which  position  he  still  holds.  He  has  also 
been  a  trustee  for  nearly  twenty-five  years. 
Mr.  Knowlton  is  active  and  influential  in  local 
and  county  affairs.  Besides  serving  two  terms 
in  the  lower  house  of  the  State  legislature,  he 
has  for  a  number  of  years  been  the  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Health.  He  is 
one  of  the  trustees  of  cemeteries  for  the  town 
of  Milford.  Identified  with  the  Milford  Fire 
Department  for  many  years,  he  was  a  foreman 
of  it  for  a  large  part  of  the  time.  He  was  also 
a  member  of  the  committee  that  contracted  for 
putting  in  the  water-works  of  the  town  ;  was 
chairman  of  the  committee  for  purchasing  a 
lot  on  which  to  erect  the  present  high-school 
building;  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  or- 
ganizing the  Milford  Improvement  Society, 
which  he  served  as  president  for  the  first  three 
years  of  its  existence,  and  of  which  he  is  now 
a  director.  He  is  also  serving  in  the  capaci- 
ties of  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Notary  Public. 
Religiously,  he  attends  the  Congregational 
church. 


On  October  i,  1854,  Mr.  Knowlton  married 
Myra  J.  Brown,  daughter  of  Rufus  Brown,  of 
Lowell,  Vt.  Born  of  the  marriage  were  two 
children:  Hattie  1'-.,  who  dictl  in  1856;  and 
Belle  K.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  F^cd  H. 
Goss,  of  Melrose,  Mass.,  and  has  one  chiUl, 
Helen  K. 

Mr.  Knowlton  attends  the  Congregational 
church.  In  the  spring  of  1865  he  joined 
Custus  Morum  Lodge,  No.  42,  I.  O.  O.  F".  ,of 
Milford,  of  which,  having  passed  through  all 
the  chairs,  he  has  been  the  treasurer  for  twenty- 
si.x  years  and  the  chairman  of  the  trustees  of 
the  lodge  for  twenty-nine  years.  In  1866  he 
was  made  a  Mason  in  Benevolent  Lodge,  No. 
7,  and  has  since  passed  all  the  chairs,  and  has 
been  the  secretary  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  King  Solomon  Chapter, 
No.  17,  R.  A.  M.,  in  which  he  has  filled  all 
the  chairs;  of  the  .St.  George  Conimandery, 
No.  8,  of  Nashua,  N.H.  ;  and  of  the  Israel 
Hunt  Council,  of  the  same  city.  He  likewise 
belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Honor,  of  Milford, 
and  for  twenty-one  years  has  been  the  financial 
reporter  of  the  lodge.  In  each  and  every  office 
he  has  served  with  fidelity  and  ability,  doing 
much  to  promote  the  interests  of  each  organ- 
ization. 


FRANK  WHITING,  an  active 
agriculturist,  dairyman,  and  fruit- 
grower of  Amherst,  was  born  here, 
April  30,  1856,  son  of  Benjamin  B. 
and  Minday  S.  (Peaslee)  Whiting.  The 
founder  of  the  family  came  from  I^ngland  in 
the  seventeenth  century,  aiul,  settling  in  Ded- 
ham,  Mass.,  there  reared  a  family.  His  nu- 
merous descendants  are  now  scattered  through- 
out the  Union.  Nathaniel  Whiting,  the  pa- 
ternal grandfather  of  B.  h'rank,  was  born  and 
reared  in  Dedham,  Mass.  T'rom  Dedham, 
when  he  was  a  young  man,  he  removed  to 
Washington,  N.  H.,  and  at  a  later  period  set- 
tled in  the  town  of  Amherst,  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death  at  an  advanced  age. 

Benjamin  B.  Whiting,  son  of  Nathaniel, 
was  born  in  Washington,  this  State.  'V\'hen 
four  and  one-half  years  old  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  Amherst.      He  was  educated   in   the 


66 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


district  scliools  of  this  town,  and  on  the  pa- 
rental homestead  received  a  thorough  training 
in  agriculture.  Afterward  he  engaged  in 
farming,  owning  and  occupying  the  farm  now 
managed  by  his  son,  B.  Frank.  He,  was  in- 
dustrious and  enterprising,  and  was  much  re- 
spected. In  politics  he  was  a  Republican, 
and  he  served  acceptably  as  Selectman  of  Am- 
herst for  several  terms.  By  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  the  old  homestead,  November  28, 
1S85,  his  family  and  friends  lost  a  wise  coun- 
sellor, and  the  town  one  of  its  most  faithful 
and  valued  men.  One  of  his  two  marriages 
was  contracted  with  Minday  S.  Peaslee,  who 
became  the  mother  of  B.  Frank  Whiting.  He 
reared  nine  children,  of  whom  eight  are  living. 
These  are:  Mary  S.,  of  Waltham,  Mass.; 
B.  Frank,  the  subject  of  this  biography;  Mrs. 
H.  Jennie  Drucker;  Helen  P.,  the  wife  of 
Jesse  S.  Trow;. John;  Anna  C,  the  wife  of 
Harry  Boutelle ;  Harry;  and  Florence  B.  In 
his  earlier  years  the  father  was  for  some  time 
Captain  of  the  Lafayette  Rifles,  a  military 
company,  and  was  well  known  throughout  the 
county  as  Captain  Whiting.  He  was  a  char- 
ter member  of  Souhegan  Grange,  No.  10,  of 
Amherst,  and  for  several  years  served  as  its 
treasurer. 

B.  Frank  Whiting  has  spent  his  life  as  a 
resident  of  Amherst,  gleaning  his  education  in 
the  public  schools.  From  his  earliest  youth 
he  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
on  the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  occupies. 
He  is  a  keen,  far-sighted  business  man,  prac- 
tical and  progressive  in  his  views,  exercising 
good  judgment  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  daily 
labors,  and  in  the  management  of  his  three 
hundred  acres  of  land  has  met  with  a  success 
corresponding  to  his  e.xpended  energy.  In 
addition  to  raising  the  cereals  common  to  this 
part  of  New  England,  Mr.  Whiting  pays  a 
good  deal  of  attention  to  the  culture  of  small 
fruits,  and  from  his  large  dairy  receives  a 
handsome  annual  income.  He  is  a  pronounced 
Republican  in  politics,  and  during  1892  and 
1893  he  was  a  Selectman  of  Amherst.  In 
Souhegan  Grange,  No.  10,  P.  of  H.,  of  which 
he  is  a  member,  he  has  served  as  Standard 
Bearer. 

On    April    2,    1S81,    Mr.     Whiting    married 


Miss  Bessie  P.  l^iller,  who  was  born  in  Mer- 
rimac,  N.  H.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Abbie 
(Hastings)  Fuller.  Her  paternal  grandfather, 
Israel  P'uller,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Middleton,  Mass.,  in  young  manhood  removed 
from  there  to  Merrimac,  and  thence  to  Am- 
herst. The  rest  of  his  life  was  spent  in  Am- 
herst, of  which  he  was  Selectman  for  nineteen 
years.  Samuel  Fuller  resided  in  Merrimac, 
his  native  town,  for  many  years,  and  was  Town 
Treasurer  for  a  prolonged  period.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  W'hiting  are  the  parents  of  two  bright  and 
interesting  boys — Frank  J.  F.  and  Paul  N. 


OHN  B.  KNIGHT,  a  leading  farmer  in 
Westmoreland,  was  born  in  Putney, 
Vt.,  February  16,  1S17,  son  of  Arte- 
mus  and  Olive  (Bowen)  Knight.  Then 
grandfather,  Samuel  Knight,  a  farmer  of  Dum- 
merston,  Vt. ,  had  five  children  —  Artenuis, 
Samuel,  Tama,  Lucy,  and  Luke.  Artemus 
Knight  was  born  in  Dummerston,  but  after  his 
marriage  he  resided  in  Putney,  and  died  there 
at  the  venerable  age  of  Jiinety-two.  He  was  a 
farmer.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig,  and  he 
held  the  office  of  Selectman  in  the  town  for  a 
time.  His  wife,  Olive,  died  in  1825,  leaving 
four  children—  Susanna,  John  B. ,  Samuel, 
and  Lavinia.  Samuel  r.iarried  Lucy  Hunt- 
ington, and  died  in  Putney  in  i8i6.  La- 
vinia married  Paton  Chandler,  of  Saxton's 
River,    Vt. 

Until  twenty-five  years  of  age  John  B. 
Knight  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm.  Then 
he  obtained  a  position  on  the  Boston  & 
Worcester  Railroad,  necessitating  his  depart- 
ure from  home.  Afterward  he  spent  nine 
years  in  the  employ  of  this  road  and  in  that  of 
the  Old  Colony.  Upon  his  return  home  he 
took  up  a  farm  adjoining  his  early  home, 
and  cultivated  it  for  si.x  years.  Removing 
then  to  Westmoreland,  he  bought  the  farm 
which  he  now  occupies.  This  he  has  since 
enlarged,  so  that  he  now  owns  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres  of  well-cultivated  land.  For 
some  years  he  made  a  specialty  of  sheep-rais- 
ing, keeping  about  three  hundred  sheep.  More 
recently  he  has  devoted  himself  to  general 
farming   on   a   large   scale,    and    by  the   closest 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RE\IEW 


67 


application  to  his  chosen  vocation  has  become 
one  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  of  the 
county. 

Mr.  Knight  married  Minerva  I'"itz,  daughter 
of  Rufus  I-'itz.  His  children  were:  Ulivc, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years;  Mary,  who 
married  Miron  Ward;  and  Frank,  who  married 
Anna  Atherton,  of  Chesterfield,  a  daughter  of 
William  Atherton,  anil  has  five  children  — 
Grace,  Susie,  John,  William,  and  Robert. 
The  father  has  latterly  intrusted  much  of  the 
care  of  the  farm  to  his  only  son. 

Mr.  Knight  is  a  man  of  quiet,  unostenta- 
tious manners,  with  a  liking  for  hard  work. 
Giving  all  his  attention  and  time  to  his  farm, 
he  has  not  been   actively  interested  in  politics. 


()IIN  TRlvVITTwas  a  prominent  resi- 
dent and  native  of  Mont  Vernon. 
Born  October  9,  1821,  son  of  Captain 
James  T.  Trevitt,  he  came  of  a  family 
noted  for  its  patriotism.  His  great-grand- 
father, Richard  Trevitt,  an  Englishman  by 
birth,  emigrated  from  his  native  land  to  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  located  in  Marblehead.  Subse- 
quently, while  fighting  for  his  adopted  coun- 
try, he  was  killed  in  the  French  and  Indian 
War.  His  widow  with  her  family  afterward 
came  to  Mont  Vernon. 

Henry  Trevitt,  son  of  Richard  and  grand- 
father of  John,  was  ten  years  old  when  he 
arrived  in  this  town.  He  continued  his  resi- 
dence in  this  vicinity  until  his  demise,  becom- 
ing a  most  useful  and  valued  citizen,  and  was 
one  of  the  heroes  who  enlisted  from  this 
county  as  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  army. 
James  T.  Trevitt  likewise  spent  his  life  in 
Mont  Vernon.  Performing  his  duty  as  a  citi- 
zen in  times  of  strife  as  in  those  of  peace,  he 
was  Captain  of  a  company  of  soldiers  in  the 
War  of  1S12.  Captain  Trevitt  married  Miss 
Sallie  Gillis,  who  was  born  in  Greenfield,  this 
State.  They  became  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  died  in  infancy.  The 
others  are:  Sarah  Jane,  who  married  Dr.  Syl- 
vanns  Bunton,  and  resides  in  Mont  Vernon ; 
John,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ;  and  Henry, 
a  physician  in  Wilton,  N.H. 

John    Trevitt    remained    on    the   home   farm 


until  sixteen  years  of  age,  obtaining  his  ele- 
mentary education  in  Mont  Vernon.  Then 
he  went  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  studied 
medicine  for  three  years  wiih  his  uncle,  Will- 
iam Trevitt,  M.D.  He  was  subsequently 
appointctl  a  cadet  at  West  Point  Academy, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1844.  For 
twenty-one  years  thereafter  he  served  in  the 
regular  army  of  the  United  States,  receiving 
promotion  from  the  rank  of  Second  Lieutenant 
to  that  of  Captain.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at 
New  Orleans  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War, 
but  was  unconditionally  paroled.  Captain 
John  Trevitt  settled  in  his  native  town  after 
leaving  the  army,  and  from  that  time  until  his 
death,  nearly  thirty  years,  he  was  one  of  the 
leading  residents  of  Mont  Vernon.  In  that 
Ijeriod  he  represented  the  place  for  two  terms 
in  the  State  legislature,  and  he  was  for  seveial 
years  a  Selectman,  serving  as  chairman  of  the 
Board  for  a  portion  of  the  time.  A  man  of  up- 
right principles,  honest  and  honorable  in  all 
of  his  dealings,  he  commanded  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  neighbors;  and  his  death, 
March  12,  1892,  was  mourned  as  a  public  loss. 
On  February  22,  1862,  Captain  Trevitt  mar- 
ried Miss  I{llen  W.  Stayner,  who  was  born  in 
Lyndeboro,  N.H.,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Abi- 
gail (Raymond)  Stayner.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Trev- 
itt became  the  parents  of  two  children, 
namely:  Lucia  PI.,  now  the  wife  of  George  W. 
Auryansen,  of  Newtcnville,  Mass.  ;  and  Mary 
v.,  who  resides  with  her  widowed  mother  on 
the  old  homestead. 


-fp)TORACE  T.  HARVl'LL,  Select- 
l-^-j  man  of  Amherst  and  one  of  the  skil- 
J_U  I  ful  and   progressive  agriculturists  of 

'  Hillsboro  County,  li\'es  on  the 
homestead  where  his  birth  occurred  May  27, 
1845.  This  farm  was  originally  owned  by  his 
great-grandfather,  John  Harvell,  who  was  a 
pioneer  settler  of  Amherst.  John's  successor 
was  Joseph  Harvell,  the  grandfather  of  Horace 
T.  Jose])h's  wife  helped  to  organize  the  first 
church  of  the  Baptist  denomination  in 
Amherst. 

Captain   Thomas   M.    Plarvell,  the   father   of 
Horace  T.,  was  the  next  owner  of  the  home- 


68 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


stead,  whereon  he  spent  the  larger  part  of  his 
life.  He  did  a  large  business  in  lumbering; 
and,  until  the  mill  was  burned  down,  he  sawed 
laths,  table  legs,  shingles,  boards,  etc.  In 
his  younger  days  he  served  as  Captain  of  a 
company  in  the  State  militia.  He  was  very 
popular  with  all  classes,  and  an  active  politi- 
cian in  the  Democratic  ranks.  A  prominent 
Mason,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Milford  Mason 
Benevolent  I^odge  and  Bible  Lodge  of  Goffs- 
town ;  a  charter  member  of  the  Souhegan 
Grange,  of  Amherst,  in  which  he  had  served 
as  Master;  and  an  active  worker  in  the  Hills- 
boro  County  Pomona  Grange,  of  which  he  had 
been  treasurer.  He  did  much  good  for  the 
different  granges  of  New  Hampshire.  On  two 
occasions  he  was  elected  Selectman  of  Am- 
herst, and  once  he  was  chosen  to  fill  a  vacancy 
on  the  same  board.  He  was  still  a  Selectman 
when  he  died.  May  26,  1889.  The  event  was 
mourned  in  Amherst  as  the  loss  of  an  es- 
teemed and  valued  citizen.  Captain  Harvell 
married  Miss  Sarah  Manning,  who  survives 
him,  being  now  in  her  seventy-ninth  year. 
Her  father,  Joseph  Manning,  a  native  of 
Massachusetts,  served  in  the  War  of  1812.  In 
one  of  the  engagements  he  was  wounded  in  the 
shoulder,  in  consequence  of  which  he  there- 
after received  a  pension.  His  wife,  in  maid- 
enhood Nancy  Cavanaugh,  was  born  and  bred 
in  Bedford,  N.  H.  Five  children  were  born  to 
Captain  and  Mrs.  Harvell,  namely:  Horace 
T.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Joseph  M., 
who  married  Eliza  J.  Blood,  of  Mont  Vernon; 
Nancy  S.,  the  wife  of  James  Riley;  Mary  J., 
the  wife  of  Leslie  S.  Bidwell;  and  John  H., 
who  married  Jessie  Carson,  of  Mont  Vernon. 
Horace  T.  Harvell  grew  to  manhood  beneath 
the  parental  roof,  obtaining  a  good  education 
in  the  Amherst  schools.  Under  his  father's 
practical  instruction  he  became  familiar  with 
sawing  and  farming.  Although  he  was  said 
to  be  one  of  the  best  sawyers  in  the  vicinity, 
an  accident  disabled  him  from  continuing  in 
that  business,  and  he  thereafter  gave  his  ex- 
clusive attention  to  agriculture.  When 
twenty-four  years  old  he  left  home,  and  sub- 
sequently for  a  period  of  three  years  he  su- 
perintended the  Amher.st  town  farm.  After- 
ward for  five  years  he  had   the  entire  charge 


of  the  farm  of  General  George  Stark  in 
Nashua,  this  county.  Mr.  Harvell  now  owns 
the  farm  of  si.\ty-five  acres  on  which  he  was 
reared,  and  is  successfully  engaged  thereon  in 
general  farming.  A  man  of  good  judgment 
and  ability,  he  is  often  chosen  to  places  of 
trust  by  his  fellow-townsmen.  He  was  elected 
to  the  Amherst  Board  of  Selectmen  in  March, 
1894.  He  was  re-elected  in  1S96,  and  in 
1897  he  was  chosen  First  Selectman.  Watch- 
ful of  opportunities  to  promote  the  welfare  of 
his  native  town  and  county,  Mr.  Harvell  makes 
a  most  valued  town  official.  In  politics  he  is 
a  thorough  Democrat. 

On  April  28,  1870,  Mr.  Harvell  married 
Miss  Lucy  A.  Burns,  a  successful  school 
teacher,  who  was  born  in  Bedford,  N.  H.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Wiseman  and  Eliza  (Harris) 
Burns,  lifelong  residents  of  that  place.  The 
father  was  familiarly  known  as  Captain  Burns, 
which  rank  he  reached  in  the  State  militia, 
having  previously  been  Sergeant  and  Lieu- 
tenant. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burns  had  several  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  survive,  namely:  Abbie 
J.,  a  popular  nurse;  Thomas  S. ,  who  served 
all  through  the  last  war;  William  H.,  a 
farmer;  and  Lucy  A.,  now  Mrs.  Harvell. 
The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvell  was 
blessed  by  the  birth  of  three  children,  of  whom 
Luly  J.  died  in  infancy.  Frank  H.,  after 
years  of  suffering  with  double  curvature  of  the 
spine,  caused  by  being  gored  by  a  cow  when 
five  years  old,  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen. 
The  surviving  child,  Thomas  W.,  is  now  liv- 
ing at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvell  attend 
the  Baptist  church. 


■ASON  R.  HOLMAN,  who  for  over 
thirty  years  has  carried  on  a  general 
machine  business  in  Hinsdale,  was 
born  in  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  March  30, 
son  of  James  and  Mary  (Faulkner)  Hol- 
His  father  was  an  adopted  son  of  David 
Holman,  who  was  probably  a  son  of  Edward 
Holman,  of  Royalston,  Mass.  David  Holman 
settled  in  Chesterfield  about  the  year  1805, 
and  died  there  August  17,  1864,  aged  eighty- 
five  years.  He  first  married  Mebitable  Gale, 
who  died   November    19,   1847,  aged   si.\ty-four 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


69 


years.  A  second  marriage  was  contracted  by 
him  in  1850  with  Mrs.  Laura  Stone  Henry, 
who  died  March  21,  1863.  He  was  the  father 
of  one  child — Ella  F.,  who,  on  reaching  her 
maturity,  went  to  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

James  Holman  resided  in  Chesterfield  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  April  28,  1844,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-five.  His  wife,  Mary,  whom 
he  married  in  1824,  became  the  mother  of  nine 
children,  as  follows:  David,  born  January  5, 
1835;  Mehitable,  October  19,  1826;  William, 
August  2,  1828;  Jason  I^.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Sarah  F.,  December  26,  1832;  Esther 
M.,  January  22,  1834;  Cynthia,  September 
14,  1S36;  George,  August  3,  1838;  and 
Henry  M.,  May  15,  1840.  Mehitable  married 
Alanson  Spaulding.  Sarah  F.  died  March  21, 
1849.  Esther  M.,  who  married  Charles  Miles, 
of  Stow,  Mass.,  died  November  9,  1S57. 
Cynthia  became  the  wife  of  Robcrtus  F.  Col- 
burn.  George  died  March  24,  1863,  and 
Henry  died  October  28,  1847.  The  mother's 
death  occurred  August  31,   1841. 

Jason  R.  Holman  was  thirteen  years  old 
when  his  father  died,  leaving  his  mother  with 
a  large  family.  He  assisted  in  carrying  on 
the  homestead  farm  until  he  was  nineteen, 
with  the  ex'ception  of  a  year  spent  in  a  bit 
factory  in  Spofford.  Then  he  came  to  Hins- 
dale, and,  entering  the  machine  shop  of 
Messrs.  Newhall  &  Merrill  as  an  apprentice, 
he  remained  with  that  firm  for  twelve  years. 
Having  mastered  the  trade  and  saved  a  consid- 
erable amount  of  his  earnings,  he  in  1862  was 
enabled  to  embark  in  the  machine  business 
with  a  Mr.  Tolman.  Three  years  later  his 
partner  sold  his  interest  to  a  Mr.  Merriman, 
after  which  the  business  was  carried  on  by 
Messrs.  Holman  &  Merriman  until  1870. 
Since  then  Mr.  Holman  has  been  the  sole  pro- 
prietor. He  employs  in  busy  times  from  six 
to  nine  workmen,  and  his  plant  is  equipped 
with  every  modern  machine,  tool,  and  appli- 
ance necessary  for  a  varied  line  of  work.  He 
gives  his  jjersonal  attention  to  every  detail, 
and  has  excellent  facilities  for  building  ma- 
chinery or  making  any  kind  of  a  device  from  a 
draft  or  a  pattern. 

Mr.  Holman  has  been  three  times  married. 
The    maiden    name    of    his    present    wife    was 


Charlotte  Ellis.  He  has  two  sons,  Henry  and 
Warren,  both  of  whom  are  machinists.  Mr. 
Holman  has  served  with  ability  as  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Selectmen,  and  he  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the 
town. 


OHN  L.  FOSTER,  a  leading  farmer  of 
Merrimac,  is  a  native  of  Alexandria, 
this  State,  where  he  was  born  l""ebru- 
ary  9,  1821,  son  of  Joseph  and  Lydia 
Foster.  Like  that  of  many  other  men  whose 
families  have  been  long  identified  with  the 
State,  the  genealogy  of  Mr.  Foster  has  been 
preserved;  and  he  can  trace  his  ancestry  back 
through    several     generations.  His     grand- 

father, David  Foster,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
second  war  with  England,  begun  in  1812.  A 
sturdy  pioneer,  David  lived  to  the  age  of 
ninety-six  years,  and  dying  left  to  his  descend- 
ants a  name  to  be  proud  of.  David  Foster's 
son,  Joseph,  grew  up  a  farmer,  and  resided  in 
Alexandria.  He  was  zealous  in  the  pursuit  of 
whatever  object  he  sought  to  attain.  ]5oth  he 
and  his  wife  weie  devoted  workers  in  the 
Methodist  church  and  regular  attendants  at 
the  services.  Of  his  eight  children  six  are 
living. 

John  L.  Foster  grew  to  manhood  in  Alexan- 
dria, receiving  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  that  town.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  started  in  life  for  himself  by  learning  the 
trade  of  carriage  builder.  He  received  at 
first  only  his  board,  and  was  allowed  a  short 
time  to  attend  school.  He  has  successfully 
followed  this  trade  in  various  places  for  twenty 
years,  and  is  widely  known  as  a  very  skilful 
workman.  A  carriage  made  in  his  employer's 
shop  won  first  prize  at  an  exhibition  in  Eng- 
land. In  1855  he  located  in  Merrimac  per- 
manently. Two  years  later  he  bought  the 
farm  he  now  occupies.  Having  constantly 
improved  the  property  since,  he  now  owns  one 
hundred  and  twenty-four  acres  of  the  best  land 
in  this  section  of  the  State.  It  is  claimed 
that  his  land  produces  more  hay  to  the  acre 
than  any  other  farm  in  the  vicinity.  He  has 
a  comfortable  residence  and  in  every  way  a 
happy  home. 


7° 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


On  March  5,  1861,  Mr.  Foster  was  married 
to  Miss  Clara  K.  Read,  daughter  of  Luther 
W.  Read,  whose  biograjihy  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  work.  Their  only  child,  John  Frank 
Foster,  born  November  21,  1S62,  lives  at 
home  busily  engaged  in  farming,  an  indis- 
pensable aid  to  his  father.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Foster  are  connected  with  the  Congregational 
church  and  arc  valued  workers   in    the   siiciety. 


(Case) 


YRON  D.  PEASE,  M.D.,  the  pop- 
ular physician  of  Greenville,  was 
born  March  11,  1861,  at  Colebrook, 
Conn.,  son  of  Luman  and  Marcia 
Pease,  of  Temple.  His  grandfather, 
Sylvanus  Pease,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Win- 
sted.  Conn.,  was  the  father  of  si.\  sons,  all  of 
whom  did  honorable  service  in  the  late  war. 
Henry  R.,  the  eldest,  rose  to  the  rank  of  Cap- 
tain, and  commanded  a  colored  regiment  from 
Mississippi.  He  served  throughout  the  war, 
and  at  its  close  was  appointed  State  Superin- 
tendent of  Education  in  Mississippi,  and  later 
Postmaster  of  Jackson  in  the  same  State.  He 
became  well  known  in  political  circles,  and 
was  sent  to  the  United  States  Senate  to  finish 
out  a  term  as  Senator  from  Mississippi.  He 
now  resides  at  Watertown,  S.  Dak.  Byron 
W. ,  the  second  son,  was  a  surgeon  in  the 
army.  Since  his  discharge  he  has  been  in 
active  practice  as  a  physician  at  Thomaston, 
Conn.  Frank  Pease  served  in  the  war  as  a 
private,  and  now  lives  in  Harkhamsted,  Conn., 
where  he  is  occupied  with  farming  interests. 
Horton,  the  fourth  son,  who  is  now  a  druggist 
in  Connecticut,  also  served  as  a  private.  The 
other  sons  of  Sylvanus  Pease  are  Robert  and 
Luman. 

Luman  Pease,  the  father  of  Dr.  Pease,  was 
born  in  Winchester,  Conn.  After  finishing 
his  studies  in  the  town  schools,  he  learned  the 
painter's  trade,  and  has  continued  to  work  at 
it  since.  He  lived  for  a  time  in  Barkham- 
sted,  and  while  there  was  Selectman  and  held 
various  other  town  offices.  In  1892  he  re- 
moved to  Temple,  this  county,  and  has  since 
resided  there.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 
His  three  children  are:  Willie  M. ,  a  practis- 
ing physician  in  the  State  of    Maine;    Byron 


D.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ;  and  a  daughter, 
Adella  M. 

Byron  Pease  received  his  early  education  at 
Riverton,  Conn.  When  quite  young,  influ- 
enced, doubtless,  by  the  family  traditions,  he 
determined  to  devote  himself  to  the  study  of 
medicine.  With  this  purpose,  he  took  a 
course  of  study  in  the  University  of  Vermont. 
He  graduated  from  that  institution  in  the  class 
of  18S7,  and  shortly  after  located  at  Monterey, 
Mass.  He  remained  there  for  five  years,  and 
during  that  time  secured  the  respect  of  the 
townspeo]3le  not  only  as  an  able  physician,  but 
as  an  intelligent  and  active  citizen.  He 
served  the  community  in  the  capacity  of  Town 
Treasurer  and  in  other  offices. 

While  in  Monterey,  Dr.  Pease  married  Orra 
Belle  Rewey,  daughter  of  Albert  Rewey,  of 
Housatonic,  Mass.  In  -1892  he  removed  to 
Greenville,  and  since  coming  here  he  has 
gained  universal  commendation  and  a  steadily 
increasing  practice.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  is  always  ready  to  give  careful 
attention  to  any  question  relating  to  the  polit- 
ical or  civil  interests  of  the  town.  A  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  he  belongs  to  Sou- 
hegan  Lodge  in  Greenville;  also  to  Fraternity 
Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  and  to  Watatick  Lodge, 
A.  O.  O.  U.  W.  Dr.  Pease  is  still  an  active 
member  of  his  college  society,  the  Delta  Mu  of 
the  University  of  Vermont.  Mrs.  Pease  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church.  While 
Dr.  Pease  is  not  officially  associated  with  any 
church  organization,  he  has  a  firm  belief  in  the 
cultivating  influences  of  a  liberal  Christianity. 


ENJAMIN  G.  HERRICK,  of  Lynde- 
horo.  an  e.x-Commissioner  of  Hills- 
boro  County,  was  born  in  this  town. 
May  I,  1836,  son  of  Dr.  Israel  and 
Eliza  H.  (Burns)  Herrick.  His  great-grandpar- 
ents, I^dward  and  Sarah  (Kimball)  Herrick, 
residents  of  Andover,  Mass.,  reared  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Edward  Herrick  (second)  was 
the  si.xth  child.  This  Edward,  Benjamin  G. 
Herrick's  grandfather,  was  born  in  Andover, 
October  9,  1754.  He  settled  in  Wilton, 
N.H.,  just  after  the  Revolutionary  War,  built 
a    saw  and  grist    mill  at    Barnes's    Falls,    and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


7> 


there  canied  on  business  for  the  rest  of  his 
life.  He  served  ns  a  soldier  in  the  Revolii 
tionary  War.  On  November  iS,  1779,  he  was 
married  in  Andover  to  Mary  Holt,  who  was 
born  November  24,  1755,  and  with  her  reared 
nine  children.  He  died  February  15,  181 1, 
and  his  wife  died  in  1845,  over  ninety  years 
old.  During  her  widowhood  she  received  a 
pension  from  the  government. 

Israel  Herrick,  who  was  born  in  Wilton, 
July  9,  1794,  studied  medicine  in  Hanover, 
N.H.,  and,  having  duly  graduated,  settled  in 
Lyndeboro.  After  remaining  in  Lyndeboro 
a  few  years,  he  practised  his  profession  in 
IVIilford,  Mason,  and  Deering,  N.H.,  return- 
ing to  Lyndeboro  in  1834.  About  the  year 
1840  he  changed  to  the  homoeopathic  system 
of  medicine.  He  was  the  fourth  physician  to 
adopt  that  school  of  medicine  in  the  State, 
practising  therewith  successfully  for  the  rest 
of  his  life.  His  death  occurred  February  18, 
1866.  He  was  an  earnest  abolitionist  and  a 
strong  advocate  of  temperance.  In  politics  he 
supported  the  Republican  party  in  his  later 
years,  and  he  was  elected  to  various  public 
offices.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Selectmen  and  as  Town  Clerk,  and  he  was 
a  Representative  to  the  legislature  for  three 
terms.  His  wife,  Eliza,  whom  he  married  in 
Milford,  N.  H.,  November  28,  1S22,  was  a 
native  of  that  town.  She  died  April  20,  1848. 
Of  her  four  children  Benjamin  G. ,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  is  the  only  survivor.  In  the 
year  1849  Dr.  Herrick  married  limeline  Gray, 
of  Wilton,  for  his  second  wife.  She  died  June 
3,  1 891.  The  Doctor  and  both  of  his  wives 
were  members   of   the   Congregational    church. 

Benjamin  G.  Herrick  was  educated  in 
Lyndeboro.  Since  leaving  school,  he  has 
tilled  the  soil  of  the  home  farm.  During  the 
Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  a  company  raised  in 
this  town,  and  served  for  several  months  upon 
detached  duty.  Politically,  Mr.  Herrick  is  a 
Republican.  He  has  been  prominent  in  pub- 
lic affairs,  and  was  County  Commissioner  from 
1SS9  to  April    I,   1S97. 

On  January  8,  1861,  Mr.  Herrick  married 
Sarah  E.  Fisli,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  R.  Fisii, 
of  Peterboro,  N.  H.  Mrs.  Herrick  has  had 
one  son  —  Willie  F.,  born  January    15,    1866. 


He  married  Nellie  I^'arniiam,  of  L)ndeboro, 
who  died  May  5,  1897.  His  children  are: 
Harry  15enjamin,  born  October  16,  1891  ;  Roy 
¥.,  born  July  18,  1895;  and  Bessie  I*].,  born 
April  5,  1897.  Mr.  Herrick  is  connected 
with  Pinnacle  Grange,  of  which  he  was  for- 
merly Master;  and  his  son  is  now  occupying 
that  chair.  He  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
for  the  ability  he  displayed  as  County  Com- 
missioner, and  has  a  large  circle  of  friends  and 
acquaintances. 


HARLES    KNIGHT,    a    thrifty  farmer 
of   Westmoreland,  was   born  here,  Au- 


gust 2,  1 83 1,  son  of  Luther  and 
Sally  (Aldrich)  Knight.  The 
great-grandfather  of  Mr.  Knight  came  from 
England.  The  grandfather.  Captain  Artemus 
Knight,  settled  in  Franconia,  N.H.,  but  after- 
ward moved  to  the  northern  part  of  the  town  of 
Westmoreland,  where  he  took  up  a  farm  of 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  was 
successfully  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
cattle-raising.  He  married,  and  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  Luther,  Jonathan,  and 
Mary  remained  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland. 
The  other  children,  excepting  Betsey,  went 
West.  Mary  married  a  Mr.  Dore.  Luther, 
the  father  of  Charles  Knight,  was  born  \n 
Franconia.  He  commanded  a  company  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  in  which  He  served  for 
seven  years.  I  lie  rest  of  his  life  was  spent  on 
the  homestead  in  Westmoreland.  He  married 
Miss  Aldrich,  who  had  six  children.  These 
were:  Mary,  Nelson,  P^dward,  Artemus,  Lucy 
Ann,  and  Charles.  Mary  married  Joseph 
Heustis,  and  resided  in  I^oston.      Pxlward   died 


youn 


S-      Artemus,  who   married    Harriet  Web- 


ster, removed  to  Kansas,  where  he  died. 

Charles  Knight,  beginning  very  early,  as- 
sisted his  father  about  the  farm  until  his 
health  failed,  and  he  was  advised  to  go  to  the 
West  for  a  time  by  physicians  who  considered 
his  case  nearly  hopeless.  Having  acted  upon 
the  advice,  he  subsequently  returned  in  good 
health  and  took  up  farming  on  the  homestead. 
He  inherited  the  farm  with  his  brother  Arte- 
mus, whose  share  he  afterward  bought.  He 
lives    here    at     the    farm,     raising    cattle    and 


72 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


sheep  as  a  specialty,  and  carries  on  general 
farming  profitably.  A  man  of  genial  disposi- 
tion, always  courteous,  and  one  to  make  many 
friends,  he  has  represented  the  town  in  the 
legislature,  has  been  Selectman  for  two  years, 
and  Town  Treasurer  for  the  same  length  of 
time.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a 
disinterested  worker  for  the  public  good. 

Mr.  Knight  married  Lucy  J.  Woodward, 
daughter  of  h'zekiel  Woodward,  of  Westmore- 
land. His  children  are:  Alice  M.  and  Ida. 
Alice  married  John  Dunshee,  of  Walpole, 
N.  H.  Mr.  Dunshee  is  in  the  grocery  and 
provision  business  and  resides  in  Maiden, 
Mass.  Ida  married  Frank  Wilbur,  is  living 
in  North  Westmoreland,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren—Harry, Arthur,  and  Ralph.  Mr.  Wil- 
bur is  a  carpenter.  Mr.  Knight  was  very 
active  in  war  times,  using  his  persuasive 
powers  in  gaining  recruits  for  the  army.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross. 


iHARLES  H.  V.  SMITH  is  actively 
identified  with  the  industrial  inter- 
ests of  Hillsboro  County,  being  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  house 
finishings  of  all  kinds,  including  hard  and  soft 
foreign  and  domestic  woods,  and  of  bo.\  shooks, 
in  the  town  of  _^i]ford.  where  he  also  owns 
and  manages  a  fine  farm.  He  was  born  July 
20,  1845,  in  New  l^oston,  N.H.,  a  son  of  Luke 
Smith,  who  was  a  native  of  Hillsboro,  this 
State,  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  that  part  of  the  county.  One  mem- 
ber of  the  family  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Luke  Smith  remained  a  resident  of 
Hillsboro  until  after  his  marriage  with  Miss 
Wealthy  Ayers.  He  then  removed  to  New 
Boston,  where  he  purchased  a  large  mill,  and 
for  many  years  carried  on  an  extensive  busi- 
ness as  a  lumber  manufacturer  and  dealer. 
He  found  a  ready  market  in  Manchester,  and 
oftentimes  used  si.x  oxen  to  haul  his  lumber  to 
that  place.  In  1859  he  purchased  land  in  Mil- 
ford,  and  was  here  engaged  in  general  farming 
from  that  time  until  his  death  in  1888.  Both 
he  and  his  wife,  who  also  passed  her  last  years 
in  this  town,  were  sincere  Christians  and  mem- 
bers of  the  BajJtist  church.      Of   their  children 


but  two  are  now  living,  namely:  Mark  J.,  of 
Salem,  Mass.  ;  and  Charles  H.  V. 

Charles  H.  V.  -Smith  was  but  fourteen  years 
of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Mil- 
ford,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  com- 
pleted his  education  in  the  high  school  here, 
and  early  became  familiar  with  farming  pur- 
suits, assisting  during  his  earlier  years  in  the 
care  of  the  homestead.  This  property,  of 
which  he  is  now  the  owner,  consists  of  two 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  fair  cultivation.  In 
1894  Mr.  Smith,  with  the  enterprise  which 
has  characterized  his  previous  efforts,  estab- 
lished his  present  factory,  where  he  is  con- 
ducting a  lucrative  business,  his  prosperity 
being  the  natural  result  of  his  energy  and 
business  sagacity.  He  is  active  in  advancing 
the  prosperity  of  the  town,  giving  his  ready 
aid  to  all  beneficial  enterprises;  and  he  was 
one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Milford  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association,  of  which  he  is  now 
a  director. 

On  October  20,  1867,  Mr.  Smith  married 
Miss  Martha  A.  Sargent,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Weare,  N.  H.,  and  by  whom  he  has 
become  the  father  of  three  children  :  Charles 
L.,  who  died  in  1870;  Minnie  G.  ;  and  George 
M.  Mr.  Smith  is  connected  with  several  so- 
cial organizations  of  Milford,  being  a  member 
of  the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  the  Good  Fel- 
lows, and  of  the  Golden  Cross.  Politically, 
he  is  an  unswerving  Republican.  He  is  a 
member  of   the   I'irst   Congregational    Church. 


TTAAPTAIN  NKLSON  RICHARDSON, 
I  'tt-^  who  resides  upon  a  productive  farm  in 
^U  Ilinsdale,     not    far   from    his    birth- 

place, was  born  February  13,  1817, 
son  of  Jacob  and  Phoebe  (Moore)  Peacock 
Richardson.  His  grandfather,  Timothy  Rich- 
ardson, who  was  a  lifelong  resident  of 
Royalston,  Mass.,  reared  a  large  family. 
Jacob  Richardson  was  born  in  Royalston,  July 
14,  17S3.  When  a  young  man  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Hinsdale  and  cultivated  a  farm 
on  the  Chesterfield  road.  He  married  Mrs. 
Phoebe  Moore  Peacock,  a  widow,  who  was  born 
in  Hinsdale,  January  17,  1777.  Her  father, 
Josiah  Moore,  kejat  a  tavern  on  the  Chesterfield 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


73 


road.  She  became  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren, born  as  follows:  Mary  Ann,  April  8, 
1808;  Timothy,  September  13,  1810;  Adeline, 
September  4,  1S12;  Nancy,  January  15,  1S15; 
and  Nelson,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is 
the  only  one  living.  Mary  Ann  became  the 
wife  of  Allan  A.  Lamott,  and  died  April  6, 
1874.  Timothy,  who  married  Nancy  Hark- 
ness,  died  June  21,  1859.  Adeline  succes- 
sively married  Allan  Goodnow  and  Thomas  T. 
I'^isk,  and  died  August  24,  1861.  Her  last 
husband  died  in  the  same  year.  Nancy  mar- 
ried John  Van  Mater,  of  Yellow  Springs, 
Ohio,  and  died  April  2,  1888.  Mrs.  Jacob 
Richardson  spent  her  last  days  in  Greenville, 
Ohio. 

Nelson  Richardson  acquired  a  jiractical 
knowledge  of  the  ordinary  branches  of  study 
taught  in  the  district  schools,  and  was  reared 
upon  a  farm.  When  sixteen  years  old,  he  be- 
came what  was  known  along  the  river  as  a 
swift-water  man,  and  was  engaged  for  a  time 
in  running  a  ferry.  He  also  worked  upon 
farms  at  twelve  and  one-half  cents  a  day,  ex- 
cept in  haying  time,  when  he  received  seventy- 
five  cents,  and  as  a  boy  was  able  to  do  a  man's 
work.  He  finally  began  working  as  a  bow 
hand  upon  the  freight  boats  plying  between 
Bellows  Falls,  Vt.,  and  Hartford,  Conn. 
Four  years  later  he  became  captain,  in  which 
capacity  he  continued  employed,  commanding 
some  of  the  largest  boats  upon  the  river  until 
the  close  of  navigation  in  1847,  when  the  rail- 
road destroyed  the  river  boatman's  occupation. 
During  his  life  upon  the  river  he  had  many 
trying  experiences.  It  was  a  saying  in  those 
days  that  a  man  was  not  competent  to  manage 
a  boat  until  he  had  sunk  two  or  more;  but 
Captain  Richardson  was  unusually  fortunate  in 
that  respect,  for  he  never  lost  but  one,  and  for 
that  he  was  not  to  blame.  He  was  known  as 
one  of  the  most  expert  navigators  upon  the 
Connecticut  River  in  his  day,  and  he  is  prob- 
ably the  only  surviving  captain  who  ran  boats 
north  of  Brattleboro.  After  the  withdrawal  of 
the  boats  he  worked  for  a  time  in  the  factory 
of  Ripley  Hale  &  Todd  at  Hinsdale.  In  1856 
he  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he  has  since 
resided.  Here  he  has  been  successfully  en- 
gaged   in    farming.      He   has   also   cut   a   great 


deal  of  firewood,  which  he  sold  in  IJrattleboro 
and  other  places  at  a  profit ;  and  he  carried  on 
logging  operations  to  some  extent,  and  sold  a 
great  deal  of  timber  in  the  stump.  Origi- 
nally a  Whig,  he  has  been  a  Republican  since 
the  formation  of  the  party,  and  was  a  Free 
Soiler.  In  1871  and  1872  and  in  some  pre- 
ceding year  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  o£ 
Selectmen.  He  has  been  employed  to  settle 
many  estates,  and  has  acted  as  guardian  for 
minors  and  others. 

Captain  Richardson  married  Lucinda  H. 
Barrett,  daughter  of  Rufus  and  Lucinda  (Hig- 
gins)  Barrett.  Her  father  was  born  Novem- 
ber 22,  1785,  and  her  mother  on  March  2, 
1786.  They  had  eight  children,  of  whom 
Lucinda  H.  was  the  fifth-born ;  and  two  are 
living.  Rufus  Barrett  was  a  son  of  Philip 
Barrett,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Hinsdale. 
Philip  Barrett  was  three  times  married,  and 
reared  a  family  of  ten  children.  Rufus  and 
Lucinda  Barrett  spent  their  last  days  with 
their  daughter,  Mrs.  Richardson.  Mrs.  Rich- 
ardson has  had  no  children.  Captain  Richard- 
son is  an  interesting  man  and  has  a  wonderful 
memory  for  incidents  of  the  long  ago.  He 
takes  a  delight  in  chronological  records,  which 
he  has  kept  for  many  years,  including  the 
births  and  deaths  of  his  old  friends;  and  he 
has  most  of  the  names  of  Hinsdale's  oldest  resi- 
dents. He  reads  without  the  aid  of  glasses. 
Connected  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  for 
many  years,  being  a  charter  member  of  Golden 
Rule  Lodge,  of  Hinsdale,  he  has  advanced  to 
the  Royal  Arch  degree. 


Y^TKNRY  M.  JONES,  a  former  resident 
V^A  of  Hinsdale,  was  born  in  Phillips- 
Jjs  I  ton,    Mass.,    July    24,    181 1,    son    of 

Cyrus  and  Sally  (Barker)  Jones. 
His  father  died  about  the  year  1822,  and  his 
mother  died  in  1841.  When  eleven  years  old, 
young  Henry  moved  with  his  mother  to  Hins- 
dale. In  his  youth  he  lived  for  a  time  with 
Squire  Hinds,  working  upon  a  farm.  When  a 
young  man  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade. 
For  several  years  he  was  engaged  in  building, 
and  he  superintended  the  erection  of  many 
residences   in    Hinsdale.      He   later  operated  a 


74 


BlOGRAPHICyVL    RKVIEW 


saw-mill,  and  still  later  nianufactuied  tubing 
for  conducting  water  from  the  flume  to  the. 
water-wheel.  After  following  the  latter  busi- 
ness successfully  for  a  number  of  years,  he 
gave  it  up  and  was  subsequently  engaged  in 
planing  boards  for  builders,  having  a  shop  at 
the  upper  end  of  Canal  Street. 

In  his  younger  days  a  Whig,  he  later  became 
a  Republican.  He  served  as  a  Selectman  for 
a  number  of  terms,  was  three  times  elected  a 
Representative  to  the  legislature,  and  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  in 
1876.  The  title  of  Captain,  by  which  he  was 
familiarly  known,  was  derived  from  his  long 
connection  with  the  Ashuelot  Guards,  of  which 
he  was  the  commander.  In  his  business  deal- 
ings as  well  as  his  official  life  he  displayed 
sterling  integrity,  and  his  ability  as  a  legis- 
lator was  above  the  average.  He  was  for 
many  years  an  active  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  his  every-day  life  gave 
ample  evidence  of  his  sincerity.  His  quiet, 
unassuming  manner  and  uniformity  of  dispo- 
sition were  among  the  principal  traits  of  his 
character.  He  was  always  ready  with  a  reason 
for  his  convictions,  which  he  firmly  asserted, 
but  in  such  an  agreeable  manner  as  to  gain 
the  good  will  rather  than  the  enmity  of  an  op- 
ponent. He  was,  above  all,  extremely  so- 
licitous for  the  welfare  of  his  fellow-men; 
and  at  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Hinsdale, 
when  he  was  seventy-five  years  old,  his  many 
deeds  of  kindness  were  revived  in  the  mem- 
ory of  the  entire  community,  which  sincerely 
mourned   his  demise. 

On  December  7,  1842,  Mr.  Jones  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Julia  Worthington  Hooker, 
daughter  of  Henry  Hooker,  of  Hinsdale.  He 
reared  three  sons,  namely:  Henry  A.,  born 
March  29,  1845;  Charles  A.,  born  February 
25,  184S;  and  p-rederick  H.,  born  November 
30,  1866.  Charles  A.  Jones,  who  manufact- 
ures and  deals  in  carriages  at  Keene,  N.H., 
married  Emeline  C.  French,  December  27, 
1888.  His  mother  makes  her  home  with  him. 
Frederick  H.  Jones  was  graduated  from  the 
Hinsdale  High  School.  He  then  was  em- 
ployed in  a  drug  store  in  Keene.  Subse- 
quently he  passed  a  successful  examination  be- 
fore  the   Board   of   Pharmacy   in    1885,  and    in 


I  8go  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Jones 
&  O'Brien,  of  Hinsdale.  This  concern  started 
in  business  as  druggists  and  dealers  in  clothing 
and  furnishing  goods.  In  1894  they  annexed 
an  adjoining  store,  giving  them  double  the 
amount  of  floor  space,  and  they  are  now  doing 
an  excellent  business.  Mr.  Jones  has  charge 
of  the  drug  department,  while  his  partner  at- 
tends to  the  clothing  and  furnishings.  They 
carry  a  large  stock  in  each  line.  On  January 
9,  1894,  Mr.  Jones  married  Alice  M.  Spencer, 
daughter  of  James  and  Jane  Spencer.  In  Ma- 
sonry he  is  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge  of  the 
chapter  and  commandery  in  Keene,  and  of 
Aleppo  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  in  Bos- 
ton. In  1896  Mr.  Jones  made  an  extended 
pleasure  trip  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  visiting  va- 
rious places  in  California  and  Arizona. 


» 


ANIEL  A.  PEABODY,  a  veteran 
soldier  of  the  Civil  War  and  a  re- 
spected resident  of  Amherst,  was 
born  in  New  Boston,  N.H.,  June 
29,  1842,-  son  of  P^ancis  and  Lydia  (Peabody) 
Peabody.  The  family  come  of  English  ori- 
gin. George  Peabody,  the  celebrated  London 
banker,  lately  deceased,  descended  from  the 
same  ancestry.  Isaac  Peabody,  the  father  of 
Francis,  was  a  tailor  by  trade.  He  came  from 
Topsfield,  Mass.,  to  New  Hampshire  in  1775, 
first  settling  in  Londonderry.  Three  years 
later  he  removed  to  Hudson,  subsequently  to 
Litchfield,  and  finally,  in  1783,  to  New  Bos- 
ton, where  he  died. 

P'rancis  Peabody  was  born  February  6,  1793, 
in  New  I^oston,  which  was  his  home  until 
1845.  He  then  removed  to  Amherst,  this 
State,  and  resided  there  until  his  death  in 
1872,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age.  While 
a  resident  of  New  Boston,  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  sash,  blinds,  and  doors,  in 
which  he  was  a  pioneer.  He  also  did  wool 
carding  and  operated  a  saw-mill,  besides  car- 
rying on  farming  more  or  less.  After  remov- 
ing to  Amherst,  he  manufactured  shingles. 
His  business  ability  caused  him  to  be  often 
chosen  as  administrator  of  estates.  At  first  a 
Whig  in  politics,  he  later  became  a  Republi- 
can  and    a    strong    abolitionist.      In    religious 


lUOGRAl'IIlCAL    REVIEW 


75 


belief  he  wns  a  Congregational ist  and  an  ac- 
tive member  of  the  church  of  that  denomination 
in  Amherst.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Lydia  Peabody,  was  a  native  of  Topsfield. 
Three  of  their  children  are  living,  namely: 
Aaron  F.,  now  in  Topeka,  Kan.  ;  David,  in 
Denver,  Col.;  and  Daniel  A.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

Daniel  A.  Peabody  has  been  a  resident  of 
Amherst  since  he  was  brought  here  by  his 
parents  at  the  age  of  three  years.  He  was 
educated  in  the  town  schools,  and  his  vaca- 
tions were  spent  in  assisting  his  father  with 
the  farm  work.  In  May,  1861,  when  nineteen 
years  old,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G  of  the 
Second  New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Infantry, 
which  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  After 
serving  in  the  Civil  War  until  the  following 
July,  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  illness. 
Two  months  later  he  re-enlisted,  this  time  in 
Company  I,  Fifth  New  Hampshire  Volunteer 
Infantry,  which  also  became  a  part  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  ;  and  he  was  subsequently  in  the 
battle  of  Fair  Oaks.  The  greater  part  of  his 
time  was  spent  in  the  Peninsular  Campaign 
under  General  McClellan.  He  was  honorably 
discharged  in  October,  1862,  with  the  rank  of 
Corporal,  to  which  he  had  been  promoted  soon 
after  his  enlistment.  Broken  down  in  health, 
he  returned  home,  and  for  a  tinie  was  some- 
what of  an  invalid.  When  again  able  to  take 
up  work,  he  engaged  in  farming,  which  has 
been  his  occupation  since.  He  owns  thirty- 
three  acres  of  land  adjoining  Amherst  village. 

On  April  6,  1890,  Mr.  Peabody  married 
Miss  Emma  I"".  Robertson,  of  Greenfield, 
N.  H.,  daughter  of  James  T.  and  Isabella  S. 
(Metcalf)  Robertson.  Her  father,  now  de- 
ceased, was  born  in  Greenfield,  N.  H.  ;  and 
her  mother  in  Greenfield,  Mass.  Three  others 
of  their  children  are  living,  namely:  John  T. 
Robertson,  of  Greenfield,  N.  H.  ;  Mary  E., 
the  widow  of  P'rederick  C.  Thompson,  late  of 
Concord,  N.  H.  ;  and  Hannah  I.,  the  wife  of 
Fred  W.  Barnes,  of  Milford,  N.H.  Mrs.  Pea- 
body's  paternal  grandfather,  Thompson  Rob- 
ertson, was  an  early  settler  of  Greenfield;  and 
his  wife's  father  is  said  to  have  cut  the  first 
timber  in  this  part  of  the  town,  having  come 
here   before   there  were   any  roads.      Mrs.   Pea- 


body received  her  education  in  the  ,  public 
schools  of  Greenfield  and  at  McCollom  Insti- 
tute, Mont  Vernon,  N.H.  When  but  si.xteen 
years  old,  she  began  teaching,  and  subse- 
quently followed  it,  principally  in  Hillsboro 
County,  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Peabody  are  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  He  belongs  to  the  Charles  H. 
Phelps  Post,  No.  43,  G.  A.  K.,  and  is  con- 
nected with  the  Golden  Cross  Order.  She  is 
a  member  of  the  local  Relief  Corps.  Both  are 
popular  in  social  circles. 


OSEPH  W.  STILES,  who  owns  and 
cultivates  a  large  farm  in  Wilton,  was 
born  where  he  now  resides,  December 
9,  1821,  son  of  Asa  and  Polly  (Tapley) 
Stiles.  The  paternal  great-grandfather,  Asa 
Stiles  (first),  who  was  a  native  of  Middleton, 
Mass.,  moved  to  Wilton  previous  to  1782.  He 
purchased  the  farm  now  owned  by  Joseph  W. , 
and  resided  there  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Huldah  Bi.xby. 
He  reared  a  family  of  six  children,  all  of 
whom  were  born  in  Middleton.  The  eldest, 
Asa  Stiles  (second),  grandfather  of  Josejih  W. , 
was  born  in  1765.  He  was  a  blacksmith  in 
Wilton  for  some  years,  after  which  he  kept 
a  store  in  the  north-west  part  of  the  town. 
He  finally  engaged  in  farming,  and  continued 
in  that  occupation  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1832,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 
He  successively  married  Ruth  Stiles,  Mrs. 
Abigail  Ilarwood  Carson,  and  Mary  Dascomb. 
He  was  the  father  of  six  children,  three  by  his 
first  wife  and  three  by  his  second,  all  now  de- 
ceased. 

Asa  Stiles  (third),  tlie  eldest  child  nf  his 
father  and  Ruth  Stiles,  was  born  at  the  home- 
stead in  Wilton,  April  27,  1794.  Having 
adopted  farming  as  an  occupation  at  an  early 
age,  he  followed  it  industriously  throughout 
his  active  period,  on  the  home  farm,  to  which 
he  had  succeeded.  In  politics  he  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  he  served  two  years  as  a  Selectman. 
His  wife,  Polly,  a  daughter  of  Elihu  Tapley, 
of  Wilton,  reared  a  family  of  six  children. 
Three  of  these  are  living  —  Josej^h  W. ,  David 
T. ,  and  Harriet  E.      David  T.    married   Laura 


76 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


H.  Capron,  of  whose  ei<;ht  chiklrcn  by  him 
Ida  M.,  John  A.,  William  A.,  Charles  A., 
and  Hattie  A.  are  living.  Harriet  E.  is  the 
wife  of  Moses  M.  Balch,  of  New  Ipswich, 
N.  H.,  and  her  children  are:  Ann  J.,  Ella  M., 
and  Abbie  L.  Asa  Stiles  (third)  died  Octo- 
ber 2,  1874,  aged  eighty  years,  and  his  wife 
died  November  15,  1857.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  church. 

Joseph  W.  Stiles  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Wilton.  Since  reaching  manhood  he  has  de- 
voted his  energies  to  tilling  the  soil  of  the 
homestead  farm,  which  he  bought  of  his  father. 
He  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  desirably  lo- 
cated land,  and  raises  excellent  crops.  On 
November  29,  i860,  he  married  for  his  first 
wife  Nancy  Gray,  who  died  in  1888.  He  con- 
tracted a  second  marriage  on  November  29, 
18S9,  with  Harriet  J.  Eagley,  daughter  of 
John  Bagley,  of  Amesbury,  Mass.  Mr.  Stiles 
is  a  charter  member  and  has  been  an  ofificer 
of  Adrance  Grange,  No.  20,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry. Mrs.  Stiles  is  also  a  member  of  that 
organization. 


|UMUND  BURKE  HULL,  Representa- 
tive to  the  legislature  from  the  town 
of  Bedford,  was  born  in  Lempster, 
N.  H.,  May  11,  1S50,  son  of  Nathaniel  B.  and 
Emeline  C.  (Moore)  Hull.  His  father,  who 
was  a  native  of  Bennington,  Vt.,  in  young 
manhood  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  and 
was  subsequently  the  proprietor  of  several 
well-known  hostelries  in  different  places  dur- 
ing his  active  years.  In  1S73  Nathaniel 
settled  in  Bedford,  where  he  passed  the  rest  of 
his  life  in  retirement,  and  died  February  i, 
1881.  He  gained  a  high  reputation  as  a  ge- 
nial and  hospitable  host;  and,  wherever  he  lo- 
cated, the  patronage  of  the  travelling  public 
was  sure  to  follow  him.  He  was  a  worthy, 
upright  man  and  a  regular  attendant  of  the 
Congregational  church.  The  first  of  his  two 
marriages  was  contracted  vvith  Lima  J.  Keyes, 
who  had  two  children  —  Orison  N.  and  Lima 
J.  Orison  N.  is  now  residing  in  Cowansville, 
P. Q.  Lima  J.,  who  became  Mrs.  O.  F. 
Stearns,  is  no  longer  living.  Emeline  C. 
Moore,  a  native  of  Lempster,  became   his   sec- 


ond wife.  Her  only  child  is  lulmuncl  B.,  the 
subject    of    this    sketch.        She  died  June   20, 

1 891. 

Edmund  Burke  Hull  began  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Newport,  N.H.,  and  completed 
it  at  the  Colby  Academy  in  New  London. 
Then  he  obtained  a  position  in  the  Manches- 
ter office  of  the  Concord  Railroad  Company, 
the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  to  the  satis- 
faction of  his  superiors  for  twelve  years.  He 
then  resigned  in  order  to  engage  in  dairy 
farming,  which  he  has  since  followed  success- 
fully. At  the  present  time  he  is  carrying  on 
a  profitable  milk  business.  He  owns  a  subur- 
ban farm  of  forty  acres,  which  is  especially 
well  adapted  to  dairy  purposes.  His  various 
improvements,  both  upon  the  land  and  build- 
ings, have  much  enhanced  the  value  of  the 
property  since  it  came  into  his  possession. 
As  an  active  supporter  of  the  Republican 
party,  he  has  acquired  much  influence  in  polit- 
ical affairs,  and  his  natural  ability  makes  him 
particularly  eligible  to  the  public  service. 
He  was  elected  to  the   Board   of    Selectmen    in 

1892,  was  re-elected  and  served  as  chairman 
in  1S93.  In  the  New  Hampshire  legislature 
he  is  fully  realizing  the  expectations  of  his 
constituents. 

On  October  9,  1877,  Mr.  Hull  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Sarah  M.  Foster.  She  was  born 
in  Wanier,  N.  H.,  daughter  of  the  Hon. 
George  and  Salome  F.  (Little)  Foster,  who 
both  belonged  to  highly  reputable  families. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hull  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren, namely:  Harry  Foster,  born  July  24, 
1878;  and  Grace  E. ,  born  October  14,  1880. 
Harry  V.  is  now  pursuing  a  commercial  course 
in  Manchester,  and  Grace  E.  is  also  attending 
school.  Mr.  Hull  is  connected  with  the  Pa- 
trons of  Husbandry.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Hull 
are  highly  esteemed  in  this  community.  The 
family  attend  the  Congregational  church. 


LIJAH  BOYDEN,  late  a  prominent  resi- 
dent of  Marlboro,  Cheshire  County, 
was  born  in  this  town,  August  15, 
1814,  son  of  Elijah  and  Amity  (Fisher)  Boy- 
den.  His  father,  who  was  a  native  of  VVal- 
pole,  Mass.,  followed   general   farming   during 


<;^-t^r«><^^,^Xl 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


79 


his  active  years,  and  also  kept  a  tavern  in 
IVFarlboro,  where  he  died  in  the  prime  of  life. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  one  of 
seven  children,  received  his  education  in  the 
district  schools  of  this  town.  After  leaving 
school,  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in 
IJoston,  but  subsequently  returned  to  Marl- 
boro, where  he  built  the  Stone  Store,  now  oc- 
cupied by  Herbert  Collins,  and  carried  on  a 
general  mercantile  business  for  some  time. 
In  early  life  he  was  also  mail  agent  between 
Boston  and  l^urlington.  His  latter  years  were 
devoted  to  the  transaction  of  legal  business, 
he  having  been  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  since 
his  twenty-first  birthday.  He  settled  many 
estates;  and,  as  he  was  a  man  of  sound  judg- 
ment, his  advice  was  sought  by  all  classes. 
Previous  to  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  Post- 
master, and  was  honored  by  a  reappointment 
to  that  office.  He  was  a  regular  attendant  of 
the  Universalist  church  for  many  years,  or 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  his  eighty- 
first  year,  November  29,   1894. 

In  April,  1838,  Mr.  Boyden  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Anna  G.  Cummings,  a 
native  of  Sullivan,  N.H.,  and  a  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Charles  and  Mary  (Hemenway)  Cum- 
mings. The  Cummings  family  were  origi- 
nally residents  of  Seabrook,  N.  H.  ;  and  Mrs. 
Hoyden's  father,  who  was  pastor  of  a  church  in 
Marlboro  for  several  years,  died  in  1849.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Boyden  have  an  adopted  daughter  — 
Amelia  B.,  who  married  Clark  Chandler,  and 
whose  husband  died  leaving  her  with  one  son, 
Carl.  The  latter  is  a  graduate  of  a  Commer- 
cial College  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  is  now 
engaged  in  business  in  Boston. 


EliTELL  L.  TAL150T,  M.D.,  a 
rising  young  physician  of  Peterboro, 
Hillsboro  County,  was  born  in  Mil- 
ford,  N.H.,  April  5,  1S72,  son  of 
I.eroy  L.  and  Eliza  A.  (IJutton)  Talbot.  His 
great-grandfather,  Ezra  Talbot,  was  a  lifelong 
resident  of  Brookline,  N.H.,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  carpenter's  trade  in  connection  with 
farming  during  the  active  period  of  his  life. 
Ezra  Talbot  was  a  Deacon  of  the  Congrega- 
tional  church,  and   he  and   his   wife   were   the 


parents  of  ten  children.  Samuel  Talbot,  Dr. 
Talbot's  grandfather,  was  born  in  Brookline 
in  1 8 10.  For  some  years  he  followed  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter,  but  later  in  life  he  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits.  His  character 
was  that  of  an  upright,  prudent  man,  and  by 
availing  himself  of  every  opportunity  for  ad- 
vancement he  attained  a  comfortable  i)ros- 
perity.  In  his  later  years  he  acted  with  the 
Republican  party  in  politics.  He  married 
Eliza  G.  Hodgman,  of  Merrimac,  N.H.,  and 
they  reared  five  children,  of  whom  four  are 
now  living,  namely:  Sylvanus  J.,  who  mar- 
ried Abbie  Brooks;  Ann  T. ,  who  married 
Daniel  Hayden,  of  Hollis,  N.  H.,  and  has  one 
daughter,  Bertha  M.  ;  Leroy  L.  ;  and  Charles 
D.  Samuel  Talbot  lived  to  be  eighty-si.x 
years  old,  and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  si.xty- 
three. 

Leroy  L.  Talbot  was  born  in  Ikookline, 
N.H.,  December  17,  1846.  He  learned  the 
cooper's  trade,  which  he  followed  in  his  native 
town  for  a  time,  in  1870  settling  in  Milford, 
where  for  ten  years  he  continued  in  the  same 
occupation.  He  then  engaged  in  farming  uixm 
a  small  tract  of  land  in  Milford  village,  where 
he  still  resides.  Being  naturally  energetic 
and  thrifty,  he  has  become  fairly  well-to-do. 
In  politics  he  acts  with  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  a  prominent  Odd  P'ellow,  belonging  to 
Milford  Lodge,  in  which  he  is  Past  Grand, 
and  he  is  also  Past  Chief  Patriarch  of  the  en- 
campment. His  wife,  Eliza  A.  Dutton  Tal- 
bi)t,  whom  he  married  in  1870,  is  a  daughter 
of  Reed  Dutton,  of  Milford.  She  is  the 
mother  of  two  children:  Bertell  L.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  and  Carl  W.,  born  No- 
vember 6,  1886.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leroy  L. 
Talbot  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Bertell  L.  Talbot  was  graduated  from  the 
Milford  High  School  in  1891.  He  studied 
medicine  at  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1S96,  and  after  a  course  of  practical  observa- 
tion at  the  Boston  City  Hospital  he  located 
for  practice  in  Peterboro.  He  has  already 
secured  the  good  opinion  of  the  community, 
and  his  professional  career  has  opened  encour- 
agingly and  with  bright  future  prospects.  On 
August  27,     1896,    Dr.    Talbot   was   united    in 


8o 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


iiKiiriage    with    Mary    E.     Otis,     daughter     of 
diaries  L.   Otis,  of  j^ancock,  N.  H. 

Dr.  Talbot  is  connected  with  Milford 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  and  Mrs.  Talbot  is  a  Congre- 
giationalist. 


<^'«  ^» 


ALTER  E.  MARSH,  a  business  man 
of  .Swanzey.  was  born  in  Templeton, 
Mass.,  July  30,  1855,  son  of  James 
and  Candis  C.  (Aldrich)  Marsh.  The  father, 
who  was  born  in  Keene,  N.  H.,  December  24, 
1S23,  was  left  an  orphan  when  young,  and  his 
youth  was  necessarily  spent  in  struggling  for 
an  existence.  In  that  period  he  procured  em- 
ployment in  a  country  store  in  Grafton,  Vt., 
where  he  labored  diligently  to  obtain  a  knowl- 
edge of  business,  suffering  many  hardships  and 
drawbacks,  among  which  was  the  failure  of 
his  employer,  who  owed  him  a  considerable 
amount.  After  a  time,  however,  he  opened  a 
general  store  in  Winchendon,  Mass.  He  also 
engaged,  on  a  small  scale,  in  the  manufacture 
of  pails.  Enlarging  his  facilities  for  carrying 
on  this  business  as  the  demand  for  his  pails  in- 
creased, the  venture  turned  out  very  profitably. 
Selling  his  business  in  Winchendon  in  1865, 
he  came  to  Swanzey.  Here  he  purchased  a 
mill,  together  with  other  property,  and  estab- 
lished the  large  pail  manufactory  which  he 
has  since  carried  on.  For  over  thirty  years  he 
has  been  one  of  the  leading  manufacturers  of 
pails  in  this  locality,  having  a  capacity  for 
filling  large  orders.  His  factory,  which  em- 
ploys an  average  of  forty  hands,  consumes 
about  two  thousand  cords  of  lumber  per  annum. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  here  he  opened  a  gen- 
eral store,  which  has  become  the  main  source 
of  supply  for  a  large  number  of  residents  in 
the  locality.  He  also  owns  several  tenement 
houses,  which  yield  a  good  income,  and  his 
business  career  has  been  exceedingly  prosper- 
ous. His  home  is  in  Keene.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  and  for  twelve  years  he  was 
a  prominent  member  of  the  School  Board. 
He  has  long  been  identified  with  the  Congre- 
gational church  as  an  official,  and  he  is  an  ear- 
nest advocate  of  the  temperance  cause.  His 
wife,  Candis  C.  Aldrich    Marsh,  is  the  mother 


of  five  children;  namely,  IL  James,  ICnima 
A.,  Amasa  A.,  Walter  E.,  and  Alice  M. 
Emma  married  W.  H.  Spalter,  of  Keene; 
Alice  M.  resides  at  home;  E.  James  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Keene;  and  Amasa  A.  Marsh,  who 
resides  in  Swanzey,  married  Alice  Scott,  of 
Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  and  has  two'children  — 
Wanona  M.  and  Margaret. 

Walter  E.  Marsh  obtained  his  elementary 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Keene. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  entered  the  store  of 
W.  H.  Spalter  as  a  clerk,  continuing  in  that 
capacity  for  six  years.  He  then  took  a  busi- 
ness course  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Commercial 
College,  Boston.  After  this  he  resumed  his 
former  occupation  in  Keene,  and  followed  it 
until  failing  health  caused  him  to  seek  a  less 
confining  occupation.  He  next  travelled  in 
the  interest  of  the  Singer  Sewing  Machine 
Company  through  Cheshire  and  Hillsboro 
Counties,  was  for  a  time  located  in  Peterboro, 
N.H.,  and  was  finally  placed  in  charge  of  the 
company's  office  at  Keene.  In  18S2  he  came 
to  Swanzey  to  take  charge  of  his  father's  gen- 
eral store,  which  he  has  since  carried  on. 

Mr.  Marsh  wedded  Jessie  H.  Tottingham,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  N.  Tottingham,  of  Keene. 
Mrs.  Marsh  is  the  mother  of  three  children  — 
Raymond  E.,  Dorris,  and  Marion.  Mr.  Marsh 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Republican  Town 
Committee,  and  has  been  President  of  the  Re- 
publican Club  for  the  past  two  years!  He  was 
formerly  Postmaster  under  President  Arthur, 
and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Se- 
lectmen in  1897.  He  is  connected  with  the 
grange. 


'AMES  M.  LAWS,  the  popular  Town 
Clerk  of  Milford,  Hillsboro  County, 
N.  H.,  and  a  retail  dealer  in  boots  and 
shoes,  was  born  in  Sharon,  N.H.,  July 
31,  1845,  son  of  Archalaus  and  Isabella 
(Hooper)  Laws.  His  father,  who  was  a  native 
of  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  and  who  followed 
farming  as  his  main  occupation,  died  about 
1880.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Bridge- 
water,    Mass. 

When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  one 
year  old,  he  accompanied  his  parents  with  the 


BIOGKAI'HICAL    REVIKAV 


8i 


rest  of  their  family  to  Milford,  and  was  here 
reared  to  manhood.  He  received  his  general 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Milford, 
and  later  was  graduated  at  French's  Commer- 
cial College  in  I^oston,  Mass.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  was  employed  in  the  factory 
of  the  late  Andrew  Fuller  in  the  manufacture 
of  picture  frames,  and  subsequently  was  ap- 
pointed Assistant  Postmaster  of  the  Milford 
post  -  office,  which  position  he  retained  for 
about  eighteen  years.  Entering  into  the  boot 
and  shoe  business  in  May,  1888,  he  has  since 
continued  thus  engaged.  He  employs  two 
clerks,  carries  on  an  average  a  stock  of  ten 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  goods,  and  does  a 
thriving  and  increasing  trade. 

In  1874  Mr.  Laws  was  elected  Clerk  of  the 
town  of  Milford,  and  up  to  the  present  time 
he  has  been  annually  re-elected  to  the  same 
position  by  a  unanimous  vote.  For  a  number 
of  years  be  has  served  as  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  he  is  also  a  Notary  Public.  Mr. 
Laws  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  belongs 
to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
his  religious  opinions  cause  him  to  affiliate 
with  the  Congregational  church.  He  married 
I-'anny  A.  Moore,  of  Windham,  Vt. ,  and  has 
one  daughter,  Helen  M.  Another  daughter, 
l<"annie  M.  by  name,  has  passed  away. 

Mr.  Laws  is  an  enterprising  and  public- 
spirited  citizen,  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  the  town  of  Milford.  He  has 
a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances, 
and  is  highly  esteemed  in  this  community. 


'RANCIS  O.  COLBY,  a  farmer  of  Goffs- 
lown.  was  born  here,  March  8,  1835, 
son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Kelly)  Colby. 
His  great-grandfather,  Thomas  Colby,  was 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Bow,  N.H.,  where 
he  lived  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his 
life.  He  was  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Revolution- 
ary army.  Samuel  Ci.ilby,  son  of  Thomas  and 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  July  22,  1776,  and  was  a  farmer  in  Dun- 
barton,  N.H.,  where  he  lived  and  died.  His 
wife,  Sarah  Partridge  Colby,  came  from  Ports- 
mouth, N.H. 

Thomas  Colby,    the    father    of    P'rancis    O,, 


was  born  in  Dunbarton,  March  11,  1807,  son 
of  Samuel.  He  learned  the  shoemaking  trade, 
but  his  main  business  was  farming  and  mill- 
ing. He  was  a  sturdy,  hard-working  man  and 
a  good  farmer,  and  made  many  of  the  improve- 
ments which  still  remain  on  the  farm.  In 
1838  he  built  a  new  house,  which  has  since 
been  remodelled.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church.  In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat. On  April  5,  1834,  he  married  Mary 
Kelly,  daughter  of  Samuel  Kelly,  whose  an- 
cestors were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Goffs- 
town,  N.H,  coming  from  Massachusetts. 
He  died  September  11,  1S78,  and  his  wife 
survived  him  until  June  24,  i8go.  They  had 
si.x  children — P'rancis  O. ,  Sarah  E.,  Henry 
S. ,  Alfred  E.,  Lewis  R.,  and  Mary  C.  Plenry 
S.,  born  January  22,  1837,  died  in  August, 
1872,  in  California.  Alfred  E.,  born  Se[)- 
tember  30,  1839,  died  in  1843.  Lewis  R., 
born  August  30,  1841,  served  in  the  late  war 
with  the  One  Hundred  and  Twelfth  Illinois 
Regiment,  and,  after  being  taken  prisoner, 
died  in  Libby  Prison  in  1862.  Mary  C. ,  born 
October  22,  1845,  died  May  27,  18S8..  Sarah 
E.,  who  was  born  September  17,  1843,  mar- 
ried Orrin  T.  Clough. 

P"'rancis  O.  Colby,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
grew  up  in  Goffstown,  where  he  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools,  and  has  since  carried  on 
general  farming.  He  has  added  to  the  farm, 
having  now  about  two  hundred  acres  of  land, 
most  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He  has 
also  remodelled  the  buildings,  thereby  adding 
much  to  the  value  of  the  i^roperty.  In  politics 
Mr.  Colby  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  treasurer  of 
the  P.  of  H.  Junior  Grange,  No.  150,  at  Gras- 
mere,  and  is  also  Counsellor  of  Washington 
Lodge,  American  Mechanics,  No.  3. 

On  October  3,  1865,  Mr.  Colby  married 
Carrie  Farley,  who  was  born  December  28, 
1839,  daughter  of  Caleb  P".  and  Sally  (Hast- 
ings) Farley.  Both  Mr.  Ccdby  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  has 
been  a  Deacon  of  the  society  for  the  past 
twenty  years,  and  is  now  also  the  clerk.  Mrs. 
Colby  is  a  member  of  the  Daughters  of  Lib- 
erty. They  have  had  two  daughters,  namely  : 
Nellie  J.,  born  November  g,  1866;  and  Lillie 
May,  born    December    10,   1870.      Lillie   May 


82 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


married  Mr.  William  H.  Beals,  and  died 
October  2\,  1891,  leaving  one  daughter — Ra- 
mona  May,  who  was  born  July  26,  1S91. 
Nellie  J.  is  the  wife  of  Lafayette  S.  Lakeman, 
of  Pembroke.  They  have  one  son  —  Harold 
P.,  born  June  22,  1896,  and  they  at  present 
reside  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colby.  Mr.  Colby 
has  been  a  very  active  man,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  successful  farmers  of  the  town. 


ON.  GEORGE  G.  DAVIS,  of  Marl- 
an  e.\-member  of  the  State 
Senate  and  a  Civil  War  veteran,  was 
born  in  Ro.xbury,  N.  H.,  August  28, 
1842,  son  of  Joshua  and  Eliza  (Rice)  Davis. 
The  grandfather,  Isaac  Davis,  who  was  the 
seventh  son  of  a  seventh  son,  came  from  Mas- 
.sachusetts  to  Roxbury  among  the  pioneers  of 
that  town,  and  cleared  a  farm  from  the  wilder- 
ness. He  reared  several  children,  of  whom 
the  sons  were  Isaac  and  Joshua. 

Joshua  Davis  settled  upon  a  farm  adjoining 
the  homestead,  and  was  engaged  in  farming 
and  butchering  during  his  active  years.  In- 
dustrious and  frugal,  he  became  prosperous 
and  the  proprietor  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  desirable  land.  His  wife,  Eliza,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Rice,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, became  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren. These  were:  Julia  A.,  who  married 
Albert  Wright,  and  resides  in  Keene,  N.  H.  ; 
Mary  C. ,  now  the  wife  of  Luther  Hemmen- 
way,  of  Marlboro;  Louisa  J.,  the  wife  of 
W.  H.  Knight,  of  Swanzey,  N.  H.  ;  Almond, 
who  married  Eliza  Buckminster,  and  resides 
on  the  home  farm  in  Ro.xbury ;  Lucy  R.,  the 
widow  of  Henry  C.  Willard,  late  of  Boston; 
Miles,  who  married  Susan  Woodbury,  and  re- 
sides in  Keene;  George  G.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  and  Henry  J.  Davis,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  resides  in  Marlboro.  Joshua  Davis 
died  in  1862,  aged  sixty-si.\,  and  his  wife  died 
in  1888.  They  were  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational church. 

George  G.  Davis  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Ro.xbury  and  Keene.  When  eighteen  years 
old  he  came  to  Marlboro,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed by  Luther  Hemmenway  in  the  manu- 
facture of  boxes  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 


Civil  War.  He  was  one  of  the  first  volunteers 
for  the  late  war  in  Company  A,  Second  Regi- 
ment, under  Captain  T.  A.  Barker;  and  he 
participated  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run. 
At  Williamsburg  he  was  struck  in  the  left 
arm  by  a  fragment  of  a  shell,  and  was  after- 
ward confined  to  the  hospital  by  the  wound  for 
about  three  months.  After  his  discharge  he 
returned  to  Marlboro,  and  in  partnership  with 
Luther  Hemmenway  manufactured  boxes  and 
toys  until  1870.  After  this  he  conducted  a 
country  store  in  company  with  other  persons 
for  two  years  and  then  alone  and  with  suc- 
cess for  over  twenty  years.  His  stock  em- 
braced everything  necessary  for  farm  and  do- 
mestic use.  The  business  had  expanded  into 
large  proportions  when,  in  iSgi,  he  sold  out  to 
W.  S.  Garfield.  Mr.  Davis  is  president  of  the 
Guarantee  Savings  Bank  of  Keene;  a  director 
of  the  Citizens'  Bank  of  Keene  and  National 
Bank  of  Winchester,  N.  H.  ;  and  a  director  of 
the  Cheshire  County  Insurance  Company. 
Since  retiring  from  mercantile  business,  he 
has  had  more  applications  to  act  as  guardian 
than  he  could  accept;  and  as  agent  for  several 
well-known  insurance  companies  he  transacts  a 
great  deal  of  business  in  that  line. 

Since  his  retirement  Mr.  Davis  has  busied 
himself  with  political  affairs  and  the  settle- 
ment and  care  of  estates.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  His  public  services  date  from 
1874,  when  he  was  chosen  Town  Clerk  and 
Treasurer.  The  former  office  he  held  for 
about  fifteen  years.  He  is  still  in  charge  of 
the  town's  finances.  He  has  been  upon  the 
School  Board  for  a  long  series  of  years,  has 
ably  presided  as  Moderator  of  town  meetings, 
and  has  rendered  valuable  services  to  the  town 
in  other  official  capacities.  In  the  lower 
chamber  of  the  legislature,  to  which  he  was 
elected  in  1879  and  1881,  he  served  upon  some 
of  the  important  committees.  As  a  member 
of  the  Senate  in  1883,  he  was  appointed  upon 
the  Committees  on  Finance,  Banks  and 
Claims,  and  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Military  Affairs.  He  was  a  County  Commis 
sioner  for  three  terms,  being  chairman  of  the 
Board  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time;  and  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Charities  and  Correction  by  Governor  Busiel, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


?3 


and  is  now  its  chairman.  The  community  has 
had  his  services  in  the  capacity  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  many  years.  He  was  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  committee  of  arrangements  for  the 
centennial  celebration  of  the  town  of  Marlboro, 
read  the  Declaration  of  Inde[)endence  on  that 
occasion,  and  also  took  an  important  part  in 
the  dedication  of  the  soldiers'  monument. 

On  January  i,  1866,  Mr.  Davis  married 
Maria  L.  Collins.  They  have  had  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Ernest  and  Clifton  C.  died  in 
childhood.  The  surviving  child  is  Lester  G. 
Davis.  Both  parents  are  members  of  the 
Congregational  church.  Mrs.  Davis  is  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  society  and  its  aux- 
iliary organizations.  Although  Mr.  Davis  has 
declined  the  office  of  Deacon,  he  takes  a  deep 
intei'est  in  the  welfare  of  the  society,  is  one 
of  its  trustees,  and  was  the  superintendent 
of  its  Sunday-school  for  five  years.  He  is 
also  a  trustee  of  the  New  Hampshire  Home 
Missionary  Society,  a  member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Club,  and  a  comrade  of  John 
Sedgwick   Post,  No.  4,  G.  A.  R. 


TIS  F.  SUMNER,  a  prominent  drug- 
gist  Tn  Lioftstown  village  and  the 
jiresent  Postmaster,  was  born  in  Mil- 
ford,  Mass.,  December  13,  1851,  son 
of  Sylvanus  and  Orrisa  J.  (Gove)  Sumner. 
Sylvanus  Sumner,  also  a  native  of  Milford, 
Mass.,  born  January  25,  1810,  followed  the 
business  of  a  clothier  in  his  earlier  life,  and 
was  engaged  in  general  farming  in  his  later 
years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  and  in 
religion  a  Universalist.  He  died  September 
29,  1881,  at  Weare,  N.H.  His  wife,  who  was 
born  in  Weare,  N.H.,  March  26,  1819,  died 
March  26,  1888.  They  had  three  sons  who 
reached  maturity,  namely:  John  G.,  born  Au- 
gust 18,  1843,  a  mechanic  living  in  Nashua, 
N.H.  ;  Otis  P.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Charles  H.,  born  September  26,  1853,  now  a 
clerk  in  Lowell,  Mass.  Almeda,  their  only 
daughter,  who  was  born  Deceml)er  12,  1838, 
died  March  13,   1842. 

Otis  F.  Sumner  acquired  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  at  Weare  Academy.  In 
1871    he    began    learning    the    drug    business. 


Seven  years  later  he  started  in  business  for 
himself  at  Goffstown,  and  now  has  the  leading 
drugstore  in  the  village.  On  December  13, 
1877,  he  married  Miss  Ada  A.  Butler,  of 
Goffstown,  who  was  born  April  24,  1853. 
.She  died  (October  30,  1889,  leaving  no  chil- 
dren. He  contracted  a  second  marriage  in 
1S91  with  Miss  May  ]•'.  Merrill,  of  Manches- 
ter, N.H.,  who  was  born  J^'ebruary  7,  1865. 
They  have  one  son  —  Merrill  G.  Sumner,  born 
May  7,    1895. 

Politically,  Mr.  Sumner  is  a  Democrat. 
He  was  Town  Treasurer  for  one  term,  has  been 
on  the  Fire  and  Water  Committees,  and  has 
held  other  minor  offices.  On  July  21,  1893, 
he  received  the  appointment  of  Postmaster  of 
Goffstown,  and  is  still  serving  in  tiiat  capacity. 
He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  being  a 
member  of  Hillsboro  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  I-'.,  at 
Manchester;  Past  Master  of  Bible  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Goffstown;  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason  of  Mount  Horeb  Chapter;  a  Knight 
Templar  of  Trinity  Commandery;  and  he 
belongs  to  the  Consistory,  Scottish  Rite,  and 
the  Aleppo  Shrine  in  Boston.  He  is  a  Uni- 
versalist. 


ARCELLUS  J.  POWERS,  a  well- 
known  business  man  of  Hillsboro 
County,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Hollis,  where  he  now  resides, 
August  5,  1853.  His  father,  the  late  Harvey 
A.  Powers,  who  died  June  i  r,  1882,  was  born 
in  Vermont  on  February  7,  181 7,  and  came 
to  New  Hampshire,  settling  in  Hollis,  about 
the  year  185 1.  He  was  a  skilled  mechanic, 
and  was  engaged  in  carpentering  and  build- 
ing. In  politics,  during  the  latter  part  of 
his  life  he  was  a  Democrat.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Sarah  A.  Colburn,  was  born 
in  Hollis,  July  31,  1820,  and  died  April  9, 
1896.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  A.  Powers  were 
]-iaptists  in  religious  views,  and  were  members 
of  that  church  in  this  town  till  it  disbandeil. 
They  had  nine  children,  one  of  whom,  a 
daughter,  Francena  A.,  born  April  5,  1840, 
died  August  5  of  the  same  year;  and  another, 
a  son,  Julius  A.,  born  February  11,  1849, 
died    January     11,     1850.      Seven     sons    still 


S4 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


worthily  bear  the  family  name,  as  follows: 
Alphonso  H.,  born  April  5,  1840,  a  farmer 
and  a  graduate  of  Bridgewater  (Mass.)  State 
Normal  School,  now  residing  at  Litchfield, 
N.H.  ;  Ozro  E.,  born  September  15,  1846, 
now  in  Wallingford,  Conn.  ;  Luray  C,  a 
skilled  mechanic,  born  April  7,  185 1,  resid- 
ing in  Somerville,  Mass.  ;  Marcellns,  special 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Perley  A.,  born  Octo- 
ber 8,  1857,  a  dentist,  a  graduate  of  Ann 
Arbor  (Mich.)  Dental  College,  settled  in 
Meriden,  Conn.  ;  Lewellyn  S.,  mechanic  and 
musician,  born  January  15,  i860,  residing  at 
Brookline,  this  State;  and  Jesse  B. ,  dentist, 
graduate  of  Baltimore  (Md.)  Dental  College, 
born  January  i,  1864,  a  resident  of  Newton 
Centre,    Mass. 

Marcellus  Powers  passed  his  boyhood  days 
at  Hollis,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  town,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
began  to  learn  the  business  of  carriage  and 
house  painting.  He  has  made  himself  a  skil- 
ful workman  in  his  department  of  industry, 
and  has  consequently  as  many  calls  for  his  ser- 
vices as  he  is  able  to  respond  to.  His  time  is 
fully  occupied  with  looking  after  his  numer- 
ous engagements  and  in  giving  some  attention 
to  the  management  of  his  place  and  his  fruit- 
raising  business.  He  owns  a  small  farm, 
which  contains  thrifty  growing  orchard  trees, 
principally  apple  and  pear;  and  he  also  raises 
small  fruits  of  various  kinds,  taking  great 
interest  in  this  branch  of  horticulture. 

On  September  12,  18S2,  in  Farragut,  la., 
Mr.  Powers  married  Miss  Mary  S.  Perkins,  a 
lady  born  in  Hollis.  This  marriage  has  been 
blessed  by  the  birth  of  four  children:  Bessie 
M.,  born  May  8,  1883;  Marion  F.,  born  Oc- 
tober 23,  1888;  Helen  T.,  born  December  9, 
1891;  and  Harvey  M.,  born  May  31,  1894. 
Mrs.  Powers's  father,  John  B.  Perkins,  was 
born  at  Derry,  August  13,  1S29,  and  died 
February  28,  1880;  and  her  mother,  Mrs. 
Sophia  N.  Little  Perkins,  was  born  at  Atkin- 
son,, this  State,  November  29,  1830,  and  died 
August  17,  1894.  Mr.  Perkins  was  a  very 
well-known  and  universally  esteemed  man,  fol- 
lowing various  lines  of  business.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  was  Deputy  Sheriff  of  Hills- 
boro  County,  and  he  was  also  for  some  time  in 


the  custom-house  at  Boston.  The  Perkins 
children  were  four  in  number,  namely:  Sam- 
uel L. ,  born  October  26,  1849,  a  farmer  resid- 
ing in  Nebra.ska;  John  \V.,  of  Farragut,  la., 
a  farmer,  born  December  14,  1852;  Charles 
S. ,  born  December  9,  1856,  who  died  P'ebru- 
ary  11,  1884;  and  Mrs.  Powers,  who  was  born 
May  1,   1859. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Powers  are  members  of  the 
Congregational  church.  A  Democrat  in  na- 
tional politics,  Mr.  Powers  is  locally  a  Pro- 
hibitionist. He  is  vitally  interested  in  all 
public  movements,  and  has  been  chosen  to  fill 
various  town  offices,  including  that  of  Town 
Clerk.  During  the  past  six  years  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  School  Board,  and  is  now  its 
chairman.  In  Aurora  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  of 
Hollis,  to  which  he  belongs,  he  holds  the 
office  of  secretary. 


/T^ALVIN  MERRILL,  a  well-known  resi- 
I  \y  dent  of  Milford  and  the  representa- 
^jHs  five  of  the   third   generation   of  the 

Merrills  in  this  town,  was  born  on 
the  Merrill  homestead,  January  13,  1827,  son 
of  Asa  and  Fannie  (Steele)  Merrill.  The  fam- 
ily is  of  English  origin,  and  still  keeps  the 
hereditary  coat  of  arms.  Nathan  Merrill,  the 
grandfather  of  Mr.  Calvin  Merrill,  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Milford,  coming  here  from 
Bedford,  Mass.  In  1787  he  purchased  what 
is  now  known  as  the  Merrill  homestead,  and 
built  there  a  log  cabin.  In  the  following 
February  he  made  the  place  his  permanent 
residence.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  enlisting  when  a  mere  youth,  but 
filled  with  patriotism,  and  was  one  of  the 
guards  detailed  for  duty  at  the  execution  of 
Major  Andre.  He  was  an  old-school  Demo- 
crat and  a  strong  anti -slavery  man.  His 
death  occurred  in  1846.  The  maiden  name  of 
his  wife,  who  came  from  Bedford,  Mass.,  was 
Susan  Bacon.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Eliza- 
beth Lane  Bacon,  who,  born  in  London,  Eng- 
land, came  to  Bedford  and  married  a  member 
of  the  famous  Bacon  family  that  named  Bed- 
ford after  the  old  city  of  that  name  in  England. 
Nathan  Merrill,  Jr.,  the  eldest  son  of  Nathan 
Merrill,  built  in  New  Boston   what   is  alleged 


BIOGRAI'UICAL    RKVIEVV 


85 


to  have  been  the  first  stone  dwelling  in  Ilills- 
boro  County.  Joshua,  the  youngest  son,  in 
the  ca[xicities  of  teacher  and  superintendent 
was  connected  with  the  public  schools  of  Low- 
ell, Mass.,  for  forty  five  years.  Also,  for 
many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Lowell 
city  government;  and  at  one  time  he  repre- 
sented Lowell  in  the  General  Court  of  RLassa- 
chusetts.  He  was  a  stanch  temperance  advo- 
cate, and  was  once  a  candidate  on  the  Prohibi- 
tion ticket  for  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the 
State. 

Asa  Merrill,  born  in  Milford,  January  17, 
1794,  was  a  farmer  and  a  lifelong  resident  of 
the  town.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  first 
male  child  born  in  Milford  after  its  incorpora- 
tion. At  the  Merrill  homestead  he  received 
his  friends  with  the  hospitality  of  a  gentleman 
of  the  old  school.  Li  p(ditics  he  was  a  Whig 
and  later  a  Republican.  He  was  also  a  Free 
Soiler.  A  constant  reader,  he  kept  himself 
informed  of  current  events.  He  married  Fan- 
nie Steele,  a  native  of  Stoneham,  Mass.,  and  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Her  father, 
James  Steele,  was  an  officer  in  the  Continental 
army,  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Lexington. 
Six  of  Asa  Merrill's  children  survive,  namely: 
Fannie,  living  on  the  homestead;  Susan,  the 
wife  of  Dr.  Joseph  Mansfield,  of  Wakefield, 
Mass.;  Nathan,  living  in  Milford;  Calvin, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Henry,  of  Pepper- 
ell,  Mass.  ;  and  Mary  E.,  of  Milford. 

Calvin  Merrill  resided  on  the  homestead 
farm  until  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  began 
life  for  himself.  Li  his  twenty-first  year  he 
went  to  Brookline,  N.  H.,  where  he  learned 
the  cooper's  trade.  After  working  at  this  for 
a  short  time  he  spent  three  years  in  Roxbury 
and  Woburn,  employed  in  the  manufacture  of 
patent  leather;  and  then,  compelled  by  illness, 
he  returned  to  his  native  town.  Upon  first 
coming  back,  he  resided  on  the  old  home  farm, 
and  did  some  coopering  there.  Subsequently 
he  removed  to  Milford  village,  and  was  there 
for  a  time  engaged  in  lumbering,  coopering, 
and  farming.  In  1872  he  started  a  coal  busi- 
ness, which  he  managed  successfully  until 
1890,  when  his  sons  succeeded  him  under  the 
name  of  Merrill  Ikothers.  Li  connection  with 
his  coal  business  Mr.   Merrill    carried   on   con- 


siderable trade  in  ice  and  grain.  These  tie- 
partments  are  still  included  in  the  business  of 
the  I\Ierrill  Brothers,  whose  grain  elevator  is 
near  their  business  office.  In  jiolitics  Mr. 
Merrill  is  a  Rejjublican.  J^oth  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  J^aptist  church  at 
Milford. 

On  May  26,  1857,  Mr.  Merrill  was  married 
to  Lizzie  M.  Wheeler,  of  Amherst,  N.H. 
Her  parents,  both  now  deceased,  were  Daniel 
Wheeler,  a  native  of  Amherst,  and  Martha 
G.  (Aiken)  Wheeler,  of  Dcering.  I'hre'e 
others  of  their  children  survive  them,  namely: 
Mrs.  Abbie  Sawtelle,  of  Manchester,  N.H.  ; 
Fannie  R.,  also  of  Manchester;  and  Harry  R., 
of  Nashua.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Merrill  are:  John  C,  Hattie  E.,  Arthur  W., 
and  Walter  B.  Hattie  is  now  the  wife  of 
Walter  H.   Ware,  of  Milford. 


61  HOI 


HOMPSON  H.  RICHARDSON,  who 
J  I  for  many  years  past  has  been  connected 
with  the  blanket-mill  in  Marlboro,  was 
born  in  Baldwin,  Me.,  March  20,  1819,  son  of 
Artemus  and  Mary  (Thompson)  Richardson. 
He  belongs  to  an  old  Massachusetts  family. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Israel  Richardson, 
was  a  son  of  Thomas  Richardson.  The  mater- 
nal grandfather,  Thomas  Thompson,  was  a  sol- 
dier of  the  Revolution.  Artemus  Richardson, 
who  was  born  in  Templeton,  Mass.,  in  1780, 
went  to  Maine  in  his  youth,  and  there  for  sev- 
eral years  was  employed  by  a  Congregational 
minister.  He  afterward  owned  a  farm  in  the 
town  of  Baldwin.  This  he  subsequently  sold, 
and  purchased  another  in  Hiram,  Me.,  where 
he  spent  his  last  days,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years.  His  wife,  Mary,  had  nine 
children  —  Artemus,  Nancy,  Johanna,  George, 
Mary,  Thomas,  Thompson  H.,  Betsey  F.,  and 
Sarah  B. 

Thompson  H.  Richardson  is  the  only  sur- 
viving child  of  his  parents.  After  receiving 
a  limited  education  at  the  district  schools  in 
Maine,  he  worked  out  upon  a  farm  until  1853. 
Then  he  went  to  California  by  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  He  spent  four  years  in  the  mines 
of  Nevada  County.  Going  thence  to  Yuba 
County,   in  company  with  his  brothers  Artemus 


86 


BIOGRAPHIC  AL    KEVIKW 


and  George,  he  bought  a  mimber  of  claims 
there,  remaining  seven  years,  owning  at  the 
same  time  other  claims  in  the  Little  York 
mine.  After  eleven  years'  absence  in  the  gold 
fields  Mr.  Richardson  returned  home  with  his 
brother  Artenuis,  having  been  throughout  this 
time  an  industrious  and  successful  miner.  He 
settled  in  Marlboro,  and  was  at  once  employed 
in  the  blanket-mill  in  that  town.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  a  handsome  residence  in  the 
centre  of  the  town,  where  he  leads  a  retired 
life  with  his  wife  and  daughter. 

Mr.  Richardson  married  Hannah  Richard- 
son, whose  children  are:  Horatio  S.  and 
linima  A.  Horatio  S.,  who  is  a  druggist  at 
Concord,  Mass.,  married  Ella  Thurston,  and 
has  one  child,  Frank  N.  Emma  A.  resides  at 
home.  She  has  great  natural  talent  as  an 
artist,  and  her  parents  possess  many  beautiful 
specimens  of  her  skill.  While  Mr.  Richard- 
son has  constantly  voted  the  Republican  ticket, 
he  has  never  cared  for  public  life.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 


"^  ROOKS  R.  CAME,  of  the  firm  Brooks 
R.  Came  &  Son,  agriculturists  and 
coal  dealers  of  Mil  ford,  Hillsboro 
County,  was  born  December  5,  1836, 
in  Moultonboro,  Carroll  County,  this  State, 
a  son  of  Henry  Came,  and  a  descendant  of  one 
of  its  oldest  settlers.  Henry  Came,  also  a 
native  of  Moultonboro,  was  there  engaged  for 
many  years  in  lumbering  and  farming  on  the 
banks  of  Lake  Winnepesaukee.  He  married 
Mary  M.  Senter,  a  daughter  of  Moses  Senter, 
who  was  born  in  Londonderry,  N.  H.  From 
Londonderry,  when  young  men,  Moses  and  his 
brother  Sam  removed  to  Centre  Harbor,  and 
built  a  log  tavern  on  the  site  now  occupied  by 
the  fine  hotel  called  the  Senter  House.  Moses 
Senter  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
afterward    drew    a   pension    for   his   services  at 


that  time.  Henry  Came  and  his  wife  removed 
to  Amherst,  this  county,  about  1850,  and  some 
time  later  went  to  Linn  County,  Iowa,  whence 
they  migrated  to  Nebraska.  He  died  in  Ne- 
braska at  an  advanced  age  in  i  S94.  His 
widow,  now  in  her  ninety-fifth  year,  is  still 
living  there.      Five  of   their  children   are   liv- 


ing, namely:  Brooks  R.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Henry  F.,  who  lives  in  Iowa;  Charles 
F.  ;  Annette  M.,  of  Nebraska;  and  Sarah  E. , 
the  wife  of  James  Schalecka,  also  of  Nebraska. 

Brooks  R.  Came  obtained  his  early  educa- 
tion in  Moultonboro,  living  there  until  four- 
teen years  of  age.  He  then  came  with  his 
parents  to  this  county,  and  when  twenty  years 
old  accompanied  them  to  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
sided but  two  years.  Preferring  life  among  his 
native  hills,  Mr.  Came  returned  to  Hillsboro 
County,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  at  Amherst  and  in 
general  farming.  In  1S80  he  bought  his  pres- 
ent farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Mil- 
ford,  where  he  has  carried  on  mixed  husbandry 
most  successfully,  his  homestead  being  one  of 
the  best  appointed  in  the  locality.  Three 
years  later,  taking  into  partnership  his  only 
son,  Charles  B.  Came,  he  began  dealing  in 
coal,  in  which  he  has  now  an  extensive  trade, 
the  firm  of  Brooks  R.  Came  &  Son  being  one 
of  the  best  known  and  most  reliable  in  the 
town. 

On  June  26,  1859,  Mr.  Came  married  Miss 
Mary  A.,  daughter  of  the  late  Porter  Duncklee, 
of  Amherst.  Their  children  are:  Charles  B. 
Came,  as  previously  mentioned;  and  I'rank  P. 
and  Annie  Lincoln,  both  now  deceased.  In 
politics  Mr.  Came  is  a  Republican.  Besides 
having  served  two  terms  as  Selectman  of  Mil- 
ford,  he  has  been  Water  Commissioner  since 
the  establishment  of  water-works  in   the  town. 


DRON  WINSHIP,  a  well-known  resi- 
dent of  Greenville,  is  a  native  of 
Mason,  where  he  was  born  January 
14,  1833,  son  of  Noah  and  Abigail 
(Blood)  Winship.  His  father,  who  was  a 
leading  farmer  of  Mason,  also  carried  on  a 
saw-mill.  Both  parents  attended  the  Ortho- 
do.x  church.  Noah  was  an  old-time  Whig. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  and 
his  wife  at  about  the  same  age.  He  was  a 
hard-working  man,  and  had  the  respect  of  all 
his  fellow-townsmen.  His  wife's  father, 
Amos  Blood,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War.  Of  their  large  family  of  children 
Eunice,    Betsy,    and    Adron    are    living.      Eu- 


HlOCRAl'IIKAL    RK\IE\V 


87 


nice  was  successive!)'  married  to  Ciiarles  Rob- 
bins  and  David  Russell,  and  has  one  child  by 
her  first  husband,  Charles  A.  Robbins.  I^etsy 
was  first  married  to  Brooks  Hodgeman,  and 
had  two  children  —  Luella  and  Marshia.  Her 
second  marriage  was  contracted  with  Augustine 
Smith,  and  they  have  one  child,  Archie. 

Adron  Winship  when  a  boy  was  sent  to  the 
common  schools  of  Mason.  After  leaving 
school,  he  went  to  Townsend,  Mass.,  where  he 
worked  in  a  saw-mill  for  several  years.  Sub- 
sequently he  purchased  a  farm  of  about  eighty 
acres,  on  which  he  has  since  carried  on  general 
farming.  He  also  has  a  considerable  lumber 
business  and  runs  a  saw-mill  of  his  own.  In 
August,  185s,  Mr.  Winship  married  Harriet 
R.  Robbins,  of  Mason,  daughter  of  William  P. 
Robbins.  Of  their  nine  children  five  are  liv- 
ing, namely:  Minnie  J.,  born  May  24,  1863, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Albert  J.  Moore,  of  Dublin, 
N.H.,  and  has  two  children  —  Milton  A.  and 
Norman  G.  ;  Anna  L.,  born  August  6,  1866, 
who  is  now  Mrs.  Charles  Barrett,  of  Worces- 
ter, Mass.;  Eunice  E.,  born  June  11,  1871, 
who  is  married  to  Dana  B.  Howe,  of  Peter- 
boro,  N.  H.  ;  Frances  E. ,  born  August  2, 
1S77;  and  Noah  E.,  born  May  7,  1880. 

Mr.  Winship  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
He  has  always  been  very  industrious  and  is 
entirely  a  self-made  man.  The  goodly  amount 
of  property  which  he  owns  has  been  acquired 
through  his  own  energy  and  hard  work.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winship  attend  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


rgTERBERT   P.    THOMPSON,   an  enter- 
|-^-|       prising  merchant  and   the    Postmaster 

J_ls  I  of     Troy,     N.  H.,     was    born    here, 

September  i,  r866,  son  of  Samuel 
M.  and  Olive  J.  (Bo wen)  Thompson.  The 
father,  who  was  a  mason  and  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, later  in  life  became  a  pail  turner  in  the 
town  of  Troy,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
five  years.  He  fought  for  three  years  in  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion,  enlisting  as  a  member 
of  the  Seventh  New  Hampshire  Infantry.  In 
the  service  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
First  Lieutenant,  and  assigned  to  the  Four- 
teenth   New    Hampshire   Regiment.      His   five 


children  were:  Mabel  F. ,  Fred  B.,  lulgar  M., 
Herbert  P.,  and  Gertrude  M.  The  elder 
daughter  is  unmarried  and  resides  in  Troy. 
Fred  married  Mary  Weeks,  of  Richmond, 
N.H.,  and  lives  in  Petcrboro,  N.H.,  where  he 
dealt  largely  in  hens.  Edgar  lives  in  Fitz- 
william.  He  married  Lizzie  Davis,  and  is  in 
the  stone  business  there.  Gertrude  resides  in 
Brockton,  Mass.,  the  wife  of  George  Rowley. 

Herbert  P.  Thompson  ]jursued  the  high- 
school  course  at  Troy,  and  then  learned  chair- 
making  at  Fitzwilliam,  where  he  was  employed 
at  this  trade  for  eight  years.  In  June  of  1893 
he  opened  a  general  store  in  Troy,  and  has 
conducted  it  since.  His  stock  is  boots  and 
shoes  and  medicines.  On  July  3,  1890,  he 
married  Mary  E.  Hartley,  of  Halifax,  P'ng- 
land,  and  has  two  children.  These  are:  Har- 
riet PL,  born  February  22,  1893;  and  lulward 
W. ,  born  February  i,    1895. 

Mr.  Thompson  is  a  stanch  Republican.  lie 
served  on  the  Board  of  Selectmen  for  two 
years,  and  is  the  present  appointee  to  the  Troy 
post-office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Associa- 
tion of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  and  of  the 
Grange   Society. 


AMES  F.  BRENNAN,  an  attorney  and 
counsellor  at  law  of  Peterboro,  is  a 
native  of  this  town,  and  was  born 
March  31,  1S53.  His  father,  Hubert 
Brennan,  a  native  of  Lavagh,  County  Roscom- 
mon, Ireland,  who  was  born  in  1823,  and  came 
to  America  in  1845,  located  in  Peterboro  in 
1851,  where  he  built  up  an  extensive  marble 
and  granite  business,  and  brought  a  spirit  of 
enterprise  and  energy  which  has  added  mate- 
rially to  the  industrial  advancement  of  the 
town.  In  1850  Hubert  married  Mary  Ma- 
honey,  who  was  born  in  Callan,  County  Kil- 
kenny, Ireland,  in  1824,  and  emigrated  to 
America  in  1850.  Of  the  nine  children  born 
to  them  five  are  now  living,  one  son  and  four 
daughters. 

Mr.  James  Brennan  received  his  preliminary 
education  in  the  common  schools  and  academy 
of  Peterboro.  Then  he  learned  the  trade  of 
marble  carving  in  his  father's  sho]3.  In  1880 
he  went  to  Baltimore,    where  he  entered   the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


law  school  of  the  University  of  Maryland,  re- 
siding in  that  city  for  upward  of  four  years, 
during  which  time  he  was  fortunate  enough  to 
be  under  the  tutorship  of  Charles  Poe,  one  of 
the  most  accomplished  lawyers  of  the  State  of 
Maryland.  He  graduated  in  the  class  of  1884, 
receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  New  Hampshire  bar,  Au- 
gust 28,  1884.  Without  loss  of  time  he  en- 
tered upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  his 
native  town,  where  by  his  ability  and  indus- 
try he  has  acquired  a  lucrative  and  constantly 
increasing  practice.  In  politics  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. He  has  never  allowed  his  name  to  be 
used  as  a  candidate  for  any  political  office  but 
once.  This  was  in  the  year  1886,  when  he 
was  nominated  at  the  Democratic  convention 
for  County  Solicitor,  and  in  the  election  fol- 
lowing received  a  very  flattering  vote,  running 
far  ahead  of  his  ticket.  Effective  work  for 
his  party  has  been  done  by  him  on  the  stump 
in  recent  campaigns.  He  has  occupied  posi- 
tions on  the  School  Board,  Library  Committee, 
and  Board  of  Auditors  of  Peterboro.  In  relig- 
ious belief  he  is  a  Catholic.  He  has  a  very 
extended  acquaintance  throughout  the  State, 
possessing  a  host  of  friends  and  the  confidence 
of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  A  lover 
of  books,  he  has  collected  a  fine  private  li- 
brary and  one  of  the  best  law  libraries  in 
Southern  New  Hampshire.  Mr.  Brennan  is 
unmarried. 


ILLIAM  H.  W.  HINDS,  M.D.,  a 
prominent  and  well-known  ph)'si- 
cian  and  surgeon  of  Milford,  N.H., 
was  born  August  i,  1833,  at  Chichester,  this 
State,  coming  of  substantial  Irish  and  English 
stock.  His  father,  Barzillai  Hinds,  born  in 
Portland,  Me.,  descended  from  a  family  that 
came  from  Ireland  to  America,  and  were  after- 
ward active  participants  in  the  struggle  of  the 
colonies  for  independence.  Captain  Jacob 
Hinds,    one    of    his    kinsmen,    fought    at    the 


battle  of   Bunker  Hill,  being  an  officer  in  the 
regiment    commanded  by  General   John    Stark, 


whose  memory  is  honored  throughout  New 
England.  Barzillai  Hinds  married  Selura 
Aldrich,    a    native   of  Bow,    N.  H.,    and  a  de- 


scendant of  a  family  of  well-known  English 
Quakers. 

When  William  H.  W.  Hinds  was  ten  years 
of  age,  his  parents  removed  to  Boston,  Mass. 
Here  he  attended  the  Otis  School  and  later 
the  English  High  School,  graduating  from  the 
latter  in  1850.  He  afterward  studied  for  a 
year  at  the  New  Hampshire  Conference  Semi- 
nary in  Northfiekl.  Then  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  with  Dr.  O.  S.  Sanders,  of  Bos- 
ton, with  whom  he  remained  two  and  a  half 
years.  Going  then  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  he  con- 
tinued his  studies  with  Dr.  Daniel  Holt  for  a 
year.  During  this  time  he  had  taught  school 
in  the  winter  seasons,  earning  enough  money 
in  this  way  to  pay  his  college  expenses. 
y\fter  taking  one  course  of  lectures  at  the 
Dartmouth  Medical  College,  he  entered  the 
Harvard  Medical  College,  from  which  he 
received  his  degree  with  the  class  of  1861. 
In  the  intervals  between  the  lecture  courses 
he  gladly  availed  himself  of  every  opportunity 
for  increasing  his  knowledge  of  medicine  and 
surgery.  He  spent  four  years  as  clerk  and 
medical  assistant  at  the  State  Almshouse  in 
Tewksbury,  Mass. 

In  June,  1861,  just  after  his  graduation. 
Dr.  Hinds  was  appointed  by  the  late  Governor 
Andrew  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Seventeenth 
Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry  under  Colo- 
nel Amory.  Two  years  later  he  was  promoted 
to  the  post  of  Surgeon  of  the  Twelfth  Massa- 
chusetts Volunteer  Infantry,  known  as  the 
Webster  Regiment,  having  been  first  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Fletcher  Webster,  son  of 
Daniel  Webster,  the  eminent  orator  and 
statesman.  He  remained  %vith  this  regiment, 
efficiently  performing  his  duties,  until  it 
was  mustered  out  of  service,  July  g,  1864.  In 
the  following  January  Dr.  Hinds  located  in 
Milford,  where  he  has  built  up  a  large  and 
successful  practice,  and  won  a  position  of  in- 
fluence and  honor  among  his  fellow-townsmen. 
In  1875  and  1876  he  was  a  Representative  to 
the  State  legislature,  and  ten  years  later  he 
represented  the  Sixteenth  Senatorial  District 
of  New  Hampshire  in  the  same  body.  In  pol- 
itics the  Doctor  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He 
takes  an  active  interest  in  educational  mat- 
ters,   having  been   for  several  terms  a  member 


JASON     H.    T.    NEWELL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


9' 


of  the  School  Board  of  Milford  and  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Milford  Free  Library.  He 
likewise  served  as  chairman  of  the  Board  of 
Health  for  several  seasons.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  has  been  president  of  the  Milford 
Savings  Bank  and  of  its  board  of  trustees. 

Dr.  Hinds  is  a  member  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire State  Homceopathic  Medical  Society 
and  senior  member  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Homoeopathy,  to  which  he  has  belonged 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  In  Masonry 
he  has  taken  all  the  degrees  up  to,  and  includ- 
ing, the  thirty-second  ;  has  held  all  offices  of 
the  local  lodge  and  chapter  and  commandery ; 
and  he  was  Grand  High  Priest  of  New  Hamp- 
shire for  two  years.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Honor  and  the  Order  of  the  Golden 
Cross;  to  the  Oliver  W.  Lull  Post,  No.  ii, 
G.  A.  R.,  of  Milford;  and  to  the  military 
order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United 
States,  being  a  member  of  the  l^oston  Com- 
mandery of  the  same.  He  is  a  faithful  and 
active  member  of  the  Unitarian  church.  As 
chairman  of  the  church  Building  Committee, 
he  gave  efficient  aid  in  the  erection  of  the  edi- 
fice now  used  as  a  place  of  worship  by  that  de- 
nomination in  Milford. 

Dr.  Hinds  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife,  in  maidenhood  Harriet  M.  Twiss, 
was  born  in  Antrim,  N.  H.  She  died  Febru- 
ary 7,  1 87 1,  leaving  two  sons — Pldwin  H.  and 
Dr.  W.  H.  W.  Hinds.,  Jr.  The  latter  is  a 
practising  physician  of  Milford.  The  Doc- 
tor's second  marriage  was  made  August  17, 
1880,  with  Mrs.  Annie  M.  Price  Twiss,  of 
Plattsburgh,  N.  Y.,  who'  died  January  12, 
1890. 


jHARLES  A.  FARRAR,  of  Troy,  is 
^ — '  the  manufacturer  of  a  popular  gold  and 
silver  polish.  He  was  born  in  Fitz- 
william,  April  24,  1844,  son  of 
Daniel  M.  and  Sophronia  (Keith)  Farrar. 
His  grandfather,  Daniel  Farrar,  was  a  native 
of  Troy,  owned  a  farm  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  town,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  Daniel  M.  Farrar,  son  of  Daniel,  was 
a  butcher  at  Fitzwilliam  for  twenty  years,  and 
supplied  meat  to  Fitzwilliam   and  Troy.      Late 


in  life  he  built  the  house  now  occupied  by  his 
son,  Charles  A.  In  company  with  K.  P.  Kim- 
ball he  purchased  a  mill  ;  and,  afterward  buy- 
ing out  his  partner,  he  manufactured  tubs  ex- 
clusively until  his  last  illness.  He  died 
March  28,  1870,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years. 
By  his  wife,  Sophronia,  he  had  four  children 
—  Daniel  VV.,  John  L.,  Charles  A.,  and 
Abbie  L. 

Charles  A.  P'arrar,  the  sole  survivor  of  his 
parents'  family,  was  educated  at  Troy  while 
living  in  the  family  of  his  uncle  Leonard. 
Afterward  he  was  a  butcher  in  T'ltzwilliam  for 
a  time.  Then  he  worked  in  his  father's  mill 
until  the  death  of  the  latter  in  1870,  when  he 
took  sole  charge  of  the  business.  The  factory 
is  now  devoted  to  the  making  of  silica,  a  pol- 
ish for  gold  and  silver  ware,  and  which  is  also 
used  as  a  tooth-powder.  It  is  sold  in  small 
packages.  The  mill  turns  out  about  twenty 
tons  of  this  article  annually. 

On  April  6,  1865,  Mr.  Farrar  married  Char- 
lotte E.  Bemis,  daughter  of  Sumner  Bemis, 
of  Troy.  She  was  born  April  29,  1845. 
They  have  five  children,  as  follows:  Mary  A., 
born  March  11,  1866;  Leonard  A.,  born  Sep- 
tember 28,  1869;  P'red  J.,  born  July  28,  1S71  ; 
Nellie  I.,  born  October  28,  1875;  and  Lottie 
B. ,  born  June  10,  1877.  Mary  married  Fred 
W.  Fuller,  of  Westmoreland.  Leonard  mar- 
ried May  Frances  Bennett,  and  is  the  station 
agent  at  Maiden  on  the  Boston  &  Maine  Rail- 
road. They  have  one  child  —  Leonard  C, 
born  November  13,  1S95.  Fred  J.  married 
Ida  Fuller,  and  resides  in  Troy.  Lottie  has 
taught  school  in  Troy  as  an  assistant  teacher, 
and  her  sister  Nellie  is  a  book-keeper  for  the 
blanket  company.  Mr.  Farrar  was  a  Select- 
man in  1869.      In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 


ASON  H.  T.  NEWELL,  an  extensive 
real  estate  owner  of  Hillsboro,  N.H., 
was  born  in  this  town,  August  11, 
1 8 16.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Hillsboro,  and  early  took  his  place  among 
the  world's  workers.  He  first  tried  his  hand 
at  farming,  but  at  the  age  of  seventeen  turned 
his  attention  to  other  pursuits,  working  for  a 
while  at  the  painter's  and  carpenter's  trades, 


92 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ami  then  going  to  Fitzwilliam,  N.H.,  where 
for  fourteen  months  he  was  employed  in  the 
manufacture  of  woodenware.  On  his  return  to 
Hillsboro  he  worked  in  a  saw-mill.  In  1844 
he  took  a  new  departure,  opening  a  general 
store  in  the  village,  which  he  conducted  for 
seven  years.  Again  utilizing  his  versatile 
mechanical  ingenuity,  he  ne.xt  entered  the 
jewelry  business,  and  followed  it  exclusively 
for  a  year.  Then  once  more  engaging  in 
general  mercantile  business,  he  carried  on  both 
enterprises  for  several  years.  He  finally  dis- 
posed of  his  stock  of  general  merchandise,  but 
still  continued  to  carry  on  the  jewelry  store ; 
and  for  ten  years  he  acted  as  operator  for  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  and  agent 
for  the  American  E.xpress  Company.  In  1870 
Mr.  Newell  went  to  Effingham  Falls,  N.H., 
where  he  manufactured  shoe  pegs  for  a  time; 
and  later  he  built,  equipped,  and  operated  a 
peg  factory  in  Barnet,  Vt.  He  retired  from 
active  business  pursuits  some  years  since,  and 
is  now  devoting  his  time  to  his  real  estate 
interests  in  Hillsboro.  As  a  business  man  he 
always  displayed  good  judgment  as  well  as  a 
disposition  to  deal  fairly  with  his  customers, 
and  his  various  enterprises  proved  financially 
successful. 

Politically,  he  acts  with  the  Republican 
party.  From  1861  to  1869  he  was  Postmaster, 
the  office  being  located  in  his  jewelry  store. 
In  1 891  he  was  elected  Ta.x  Collector,  and  has 
since  discharged  his  official  duties  with  an 
ability  and  faithfulness  heartily  appreciated 
by  his  fellow-townsmen. 

On  December  6,  1838,  Mr.  Newell  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Lovilla  Emery,  his 
first  wife.  She  died  April  9,  1876,  leaving 
five  children.  One  son,  Albert  C. ,  born  No- 
vember 15,  1847,  died  October  9,  1893.  The 
other  four  children  are  living,  namely:  Sarah 
M.,  born  March  29,  1841;  Rosella  Ann,  born 
March  4,  1844;  Eva  Z.,  born  July  10,  1854; 
and  Amy  N.,  born  February  17,  1857.  Sarah 
M.  Newell  is  the  wife  of  VV.  H.  Story,  of 
Hillsboro,  and  has  four  children — Amy  L., 
Fred  G.,  William  O. ,  and  Frank  S.  Rosella 
Ann  married  George  W.  Anderson,  of  Provi- 
dence, R.I.,  and  has  one  son  living,  Richard 
R.  Anderson.      Eva  Z.  is  the  wife  of  Stillman 


C.  Davis,  of  Warner,  N.II.,  and  her  children 
are:  C.  Burdette  (deceased  at  eight  years  of 
age),  Lloyd  G.,  and  Stillman  C.  Davis,  Jr. 
On  September  28,  1876,  Mr.  Newell  wedded 
for  his  second  wife  Mary  Jane  Savory,  of 
Hillsboro.  By  this  union  there  were  no  chil- 
dren. His  present  wife,  whom  he  married 
January  g,  1883,  was  Sarah  A.  Emerson,  of 
Salem,  N.H. 

Mr.  Newell  is  jjrominently  identifieil  with 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  being  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  and  having  occupied  the  impor- 
tant chairs  of  the  lodge  in  Hillsboro.  He  has 
worked  his  way  to  a  position  of  comfortable 
prosperity  through  his  own  ability  and  pro- 
gressive tendencies,  is  highly  esteemed  for 
his  many  sterling  qualities  as  a  citizen. 


OHN  C.  DODGE,  a  farmer  of  Benmng- 
ton,  was  born  here,  November  7,  1818, 
son  of  John  and  Betsey  (Dinsmore) 
Dodge.  His  grandfather,  Gideon 
Dodge,  a  native  of  Beverly,  Mass.,  came  here 
in  1794,  when  the  place  was  called  Society 
Land,  purchased  a  tract  of  land,  and  thereon 
built  a  log  cabin.  Gideon  afterward  erected 
a  house,  in  which  he  lived  for  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  also  erected  the  first  church  in 
the  town,  for  which  he  gave  the  land  and  the 
lumber.  A  man  of  good  habits  and  a  hard 
worker,  he  acquired  a  valuable  estate,  and 
served  the  town  in  various  offices.  He  mar- 
ried Charity  Cole,  who  bore  him  eight  chil- 
dren. Both  he  and  she  were  members  of  the 
Baptist  church.  He  died  at  the  age  of  si.xty- 
two  years.  She  survived  him,  reaching  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years. 

John  Dodge,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  on  April  21,  1793,  on  the 
old  homestead,  where  he  remained  all  his  life 
and  carried  on  general  farming  successfully 
throughout  his  mature  years.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Democrat,  and  he  served  Society  Land 
in  the  legislature  for  ten  years.  He  married 
Betsey  Dinsmore,  daughter  of  Robert  Dins- 
more,  of  Society  Land,  later  of  Francestown, 
N.H.  They  had  eight  children,  of  whom 
John  C. ,  Gideon,  and  Mary  Jane  are  living. 
Gideon    married    Sarah    Baldwin,    of    Antrim, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RKVIKW 


93 


N.  11.,  and  is  now  a  widower  witli  tliree  ciiil- 
dren—  William  ]?.  D.,  Sarah  O.,  and 
Fanny  K.  Mary  Jane  is  now  the  wife  of 
N.  \V.  C.  Jameson,  of  Antrim,  aiHl  has  had 
nine  children,  of  whom  Nathan  C,  Charles  R., 
Caroline  E.,  Walter  U.,  Jennie  M.,  and  Ger- 
trude D.  are  living.  The  father  died  Septem- 
ber 23,  1865.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  Congregational  church.  The  death  of  his 
wife,  who  was  a  member  of  the  same  church, 
occurred  January  8,   1861. 

John  C.  Dodge  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  town.  He  has 
since  carried  on  general  farming,  residing  on 
the  old  homestead  first  settled  by  his  grand- 
father. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has 
been  quite  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the 
town.  He  was  Selectman  for  fourteen  years, 
served  in  other  offices,  and  was  legislative 
Representative  in  1867  and  1868.  He  is  a 
member  of  Pacific  Lodge  of  Masons  in  Fran- 
cestown,  N.H.  On  F"ebruary  10,  1846,  he 
married  Lucretia  A.  Russell,  daughter  of 
Nahum  and  Lucretia  (Johnson)  Russell,  of 
Greenfield,  N.H.  They  had  seven  children, 
si.x  of  whom  are  now  living.  They  are:  Mary 
F.,  Martha  A.,  George  R.,  Othniel  Dinsmore, 
Lucretia  R.,  and  John  M.  Mary  V.  married 
Edward  B.  Johnson,  of  Washington,  D.  C. ,  and 
has  one  child,  Clarence  R.  Martha  A.  is  the 
wife  of  Albert  Goodwin,  of  New  Boston, 
N.H.,  and  has  one  child,  George.  George  R., 
who  married  Caroline  Howland,  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  is  the  father  of  two  children  —  George 
L.  and  Gladys.  Othniel  Dinsmore  was  mar- 
ried to  Harriet  Howe  Mussey,  of  Bennington, 
whose  two  children  by  him  are:  Georgiana  I. 
and  John  C.  Lucretia  is  the  wife  of  George 
Edward  Lewis,  of  Manchester,  N.  H.,  and  the 
mother  of  one  child,  Allen  D.  John  M.  mar- 
ried Lela  Buchanan,  of  Antrim,  who  has  borne 
him  two  children  —  Ethel  B.  and  Warren  C. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  are  both  members  of 
the  Congregational  church.  Mrs.  Dodge  is 
now  the  oldest  living  member.  In  1896  they 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding,  when  they 
received  many  valuable  gifts  in  addition  to  the 
congratulations  of  their  friends.  Genial  and 
sociable,  they  are  highly  esteemed  by  their 
neighbors. 


OS  SCRIPTURE,  a  retired  business 
man  of  Greenville,  was  born  in  Mason, 
N.H.,  March  16,  1806,  son  of 
James  and  Lucy  (Dakin)  Scrijiture. 
H  is  grandfather,  James  Scripture,  was  one  of 
three  brothers  who  emigrated  from  Wales. 
One  settled  in  Nelson,  N.  H.,  another  in 
Hollis,  and  James  located  in  Mason.  He 
cleared  a  farm  from  the  wilderness,  and  there- 
after resided  on  it  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred when  he  was  over  ninety  years  old. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sybil  Ship- 
ley, lived  to  about  the  same  age.  She  was 
the  mother  of  nine  children,  all  of  whom  arc 
now  deceased.  The  eldest,  also  named  James, 
was  born  in  Mason  upon  the  farm  which  his 
father  had  cleared.  He  learned  the  cooper's 
trade,  which  he  followed  in  connection  with 
farming.  Besides  the  homestead,  which  he 
inherited,  he  owned  an  adjoining  farm.  He 
was  unusually  prosperous,  considering  his 
limited  opportunities.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety-four  years;  and  his  wife,  I.ucy,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Amos  Dakin,  of  Mason, 
lived  to  be  ninety-four.  They  were  members 
of  the  Christian  church. 

Amos  Scripture  attended  school  in  his 
native  town.  He  obtained  his  first  sight  of 
the  world  outside  Mason  while  driving  an  o.\ 
team  loaded  with  barrels  made  by  his  father  to 
Boston  and  Marblehead,  Mass.  When  a  young 
man  he  went  to  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  tinsmith.  After  work- 
ing at  it  as  a  journeyman  for  some  time,  he 
established  himself  in  business  in  Mason  \'il- 
lage.  He  dealt  in  tinware  and  stoves,  and  he 
also  manufactured  japanned  ware  and  sold  it 
throughout  the  New  England  States.  After- 
ward in  company  with  his  son,  Charles  A.,  he 
engaged  in  the  same  business  in  W'inchendon, 
Mass.  Two  years  later  they  moved  to  Nashua, 
N.H.,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  Script- 
ure &  Son  they  carried  on  business  for  four 
and  one-half  years.  Then  after  a  business 
career  of  nearly  fifty  years,  in  which  he  had 
acquired  an  ample  competence,  Mr.  Scripture 
retired,  and  has  since  resided  in  Greenville. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  and  Tax 
Collector  for  a  number  of  years.      He  is  one  of 


94 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RKVIEW 


the  oldest   members  of  the  Iiulependent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  in  this  locality. 

In  August,  1836,  Mr.  Scripture  wedded  for 
his  first  wife  Sophronia  Barrett,  of  Mason,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  years.  By  that 
union  there  were  two  children,  of  whom 
George  H.,  the  survivor,  married  Kate  Noone, 
of  Peterboro,  N.  H.  In  1851  Mr.  Scripture 
married  Alma  Russell,  of  Mason,  who  lived 
to  be  seventy-one  years  old.  She  had  two 
children,  of  whom  one  is  deceased.  The 
other,  Charles  A.,  born  May  20,  1854,  who 
was  educated  in  Greenville,  beginning  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  was  for  seven  years  in  the 
employ  of  Brooks  &  Davis,  who  ran  an  express 
between  this  town  and  Boston,  and  in  the 
stove  and  tinware  trade  with  his  father  for 
about  the  same  length  of  time.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Greenville;  and,  purchasing  a  half- 
interest  in  the  express  business  with  which  he 
was  formerly  connected,  he  continued  as  one 
of  its  proprietors  until  it  was  sold  out  to  the 
National  Express  Comjjany.  For  the  past  five 
years  he  has  acted  as  Greenville  agent  for  this 
company.  On  December  25,  1878,  he  mar- 
ried Emma  F.  Davis,  of  Fitchburg,  Mass. 
He  has  one  daughter,  Clara  Bell.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  while  in  religion  he  is  a 
liberal.  Mr.  Amos  Scripture  is  a  member  of 
the  Christian  church  in  Mason. 


1{VI    A.     FULLER,   a  prosperous   man- 
ufacturer    of      Marlboro    and     an     ex- 


member  of  the  legislature,  was  born 
in  Troy,  N.H.,  May  4,  1836,  son  of 
Amasa  and  Hannah  (Jackson)  Fuller.  His 
grandfather.  Captain  Isaac  Fuller,  who  was  a 
native  of  Newton,  Mass.,  moved  from  that 
State  to  Troy,  and  followed  the  trade  of  a  car- 
penter in  that  town  until,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
five,  he  lost  his  life  in  a  severe  snowstorm 
within  sight  of  his  home.  Captain  Fuller's 
wife,  in  maidenhood  Patty  Howe,  was  a  native 
of  H olden,  Mass. 

Amasa  Fuller,  the  father  of  Levi  A.,  was 
born  in  Holden  and  reared  in  Troy.  After 
learning  the  carpenter's  trade,  he  became  quite 
an  extensive  builder  in  Troy  and  vicinity,  and 
also  cleared    a    farm.      He  acquired   consider- 


able property  in  Troy,  and  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years  he  improved  a  water-power  at  Marlboro 
Depot,  where  he  erected  a  saw  and  grist  mill. 
He  had  also  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  woodenware  in  Marlboro  for  some  time, 
when,  in  1865,  he  sold  the  factory  to  his  son. 
His  last  days  were  spent  in  Swanzey.  Amasa 
P"uller  lived  to  be  eighty-two  years  old.  The 
children  of  his  first  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Anna  Bemis,  are  all  deceased.  Plannah 
Jackson  I-'uller,  his  second  wife,  who  was  a 
native  of  Warrenton,  Vt. ,  became  the  mother 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  Amasa,  Levi  A., 
and  Irwin  J.  are  living.  Amasa  is  a  pail 
manufacturer  in  Marlboio,  and  Irwin  J.  has  a 
woodenware  factory  in  Perry,  Ga. 

After  attending  school  in  Troy  and  Marl- 
boro, Levi  A.  Fuller  was  employed  in  his 
father's  factory  for  some  time.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  went  to  Fitzwilliam,  N.H.,  where 
he  manufactured  clothes-pins  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  1S65  he  purchased  his  father's 
business  in  Marlboro,  and  has  since  given  his 
attention  to  its  management.  He  manufact- 
ures lumber,  chair  stock,  pail  handles,  bale 
woods,  etc.,  and  has  a  good  business. 

On  February  22,  i860,  Mr.  Fuller  married 
for  his  first  wife  Elvira  L.  Bemis,  whose  chil- 
dren by  him  were:  Cora  A.,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; and  Elmer  A.,  a  resident  of  Danvers, 
Mass.,  who  married  Hattie  Wilson,  of  Sulli- 
van, N.  H.,  and  has  one  son,  Julian.  Mrs.  I{1- 
vira  F'uller  died  November  15,  1865.  Mr. 
Fuller's  second  marriage  was  contracted  Octo- 
ber 30,  1866,  with  Emily  L.  Adams,  daughter 
of  Dr.  Willard  Adams,  of  Swanzey.  ]3orn  of 
this  marriage  are  four  children  —  Ida  E.,  Wal- 
ter T.,  Arthur  L. ,  and  Cora  A.  Ida  E.  is 
now  the  wife  of  Fred  Farrar,  of  Troy,  N.H. 
Mr.  P'uller  joined  the  Congregational  church 
in  1867,  and  has  acted  as  a  Deacon  since  1S74. 
He  has  settled  many  estates,  and  has  been 
appointed  guardian  for  children.  He  is 
deeply  interested  in  the  general  prosperity  of 
the  neighborhood  as  well  as  in  its  moral  and 
religious  welfare,  and  is  connected  with  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry.  In  poljtics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. His  first  Presidential  vote  was  cast 
for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  i860.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Board   of   Selectmen  for  a  num- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    Rp:VlE\V 


95 


bei"  of  years,  was  a  delegate  to  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  in  1876,  was  Representative 
to  the  legislature  for  the  years  1873  and  1874; 
and  he  has  been  on  the  Board  of  County  Com- 
missioners for  four  years.  In  the  campaign  of 
1894  he  just  missed  nomination  for  the  State 
Senate. 


'ORRI-:ST  V.  BARRETT,  V.S.,  a 
graduate  of  the  Ontario  Veterinary 
College,  who  is  now  practising  his 
profession  with  success  in  J^eterboro.  Hills- 
boro  County,  was  born  in  Bennington,  N.H., 
March  28,  1857.  His  parents  are  Lund  and 
Mary  E.  (Tirrell)  I^arrett,  the  former  of 
whom  is  a  native  of  Stoddard,  N.H.,  and  the 
latter  of  Keene,  this  State. 

Luther  Barrett,  grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  for  many  years  a  farmer  in 
the  town  of  Stoddard,  where  he  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-three  years.  He  wedded  Mary 
Greene,  who  lived  to  be  seventy  years  old 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.  Luther  and  Mary  (Greene)  Barrett 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  four  of 
whom  are  living;  namely,  William  A., 
Lund,  Elvira,  and  Alcesta.  William  A. 
wedded  Maria  Eredenburg,  of  Stoddard,  and 
has  six  children—  Ida,  Frank,  Fred,  Charles, 
Catherine,  and  May.  Elvira  is  the  widow  of 
Samuel  Wilson,  late  of  Springfield,  Mass., 
and  has  one  daughter,  Lillia.  Alcesta  is  the 
wife  of  Fred  Pitcher,  of  Keene,  and  her  chil- 
dren are:  Rosa,  Victoria,  Viola,  Flora,  and 
Walter,  of  whom  Victoria  and  Viola  are 
twins.  Lund  Barrett,  father  of  Forrest  V., 
resided  in  Stoddard  during  his  earlier  years, 
but  is  now  a  resident  of  Gilsum,  N.H.  His 
wife,  Mary  E.  Tirrell  Barrett,  is  the  mother 
of  three  children,  as  follows:  Elwyn  O.,  who 
Wedded  Matilda  Curtis,  of  Antrim,  N.IL, 
and  has  one  daughter,  Mary;  F"orrest  V.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Minnie  M.,  wife 
of  George  Leach,  of  Gilsum,  who  has  two 
children  —  Carl  and  Helen. 

Forrest  V.  Barrett  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Stoddard  and  Marlow. 
Deciding  to  adopt  the  profession  of  a  veteri- 
nary surgeon,  he  entered  the  Veterinary  Col- 


lege in  Toronto,  Ont.,  and  was  graduated  in 
1895.  He  immediately  located  in  Peterboro, 
where  he  has  since  remained,  and  he  has  al- 
ready gained  a  good  reputation  for  skill  and 
success  in  his  chosen  calling. 

On  March  2,  1881,  Dr.  Barrett  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Josie  E.  Scott,  daugh- 
ter of  James  H.  Scott,  of  Stoddard.  Politi- 
cally, he  is  a  Republican.  Mrs.  Barrett  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church. 


HARLES  S.  NESMITH,  a  prosper- 
ous merchant  and  business  man  of 
Reed's  Ferry,  Hillsboro  County, 
was  born  in  Merrimac,  N.H.,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1849,  son  of  Samuel  C.  and  Eliza- 
beth (McKeen)  Nesmith.  Samuel  C.  Nesmith 
was  a  native  of  Londonderry,  N.H.,  and  his 
active  life  was  spent  in  the  employ  of  the  Old 
Concord  Railroad  Company.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  forty-seven  years.  His  wife,  Elizabeth, 
who  was  born  in  Nashua,  N.  H.,  became  the 
mother  of  three  sons :  Charles  S.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  William  C,  a  grocery  clerk  in 
Manchester,  N.H.;  and  Edward  M.,  superin- 
tendent of  a  soap  manufactory  in  Boston.  The 
mother  died  at  about  the  age  of  forty-seven 
years. 

Charles  S.  Nesmith  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Merrimac  and  Nashua.  In  early 
life  he  worked  for  the  Old  Concord  Railroad 
Company  for  a  time,  but  finally  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business  at  Reed's  P\'rry,  which  he 
still  carries  on.  He  deals  quite  extensively  in 
town  lots  and  agricultural  property,  owns  some 
desirably  located  residences  here,  and  is  also 
largely  interested  in  timber  lands.  He  is  also 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  as  a  partner  in 
the  firm  of  Haseltine  &  Co.  He  subscribed 
liberally  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  Merrimac 
Shoe  Manufacturing  Company,  which  was  or- 
ganized in  1895,  and  he  is  its  treasurer.  This 
concern  employs  from  forty  to  fifty  hands,  and 
makes  a  specialty  of  ladies'  and  misses'  fine 
footwear.  It  is  equipped  with  the  latest  im- 
proved machinery,  and  is  propelled  by  an  ex- 
cellent water-power. 

Politically,  Mr.  Nesmith  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  been  Town  Treasurer  for  three  years, 


96 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


a  member  of  the  School  Board  for  an  equal 
length  of  time,  and  for  the  past  eleven  years 
has  acted  as  sole  trustee  of  the  school  funds. 
He  has  been  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  twenty 
years.  On  June  27,  1875,  he  was  joined  in 
marriage  with  Ellen  E.  Worthley,  of  Bedford, 
N.  H.  Notwithstanding  the  recent  and  present 
business  depression  which  has  been  felt  in  all 
parts  of  the  country,  his  various  interests 
are  in  a  most  flourishing  condition,  which 
speaks  well  for  his  ability  and  good  judgment. 


EORGE  I.  CUTLEI^,  M.D.,  who 
has  practised  his  profession  in  _Swan- 
zey  for  over  thirty  years,  was  born  in 
Keene,  N.H.,  December  10,  1833,  son  of 
Gardner  C.  and  Olive  H.  (Watts)  Cutler. 
Mis  first  American  ancestor  was  James  Cutler, 
who  emigrated  from  England,  and  settled  in 
Watertown,  Mass.,  in  1634.  Jonas  Cutler, 
his  grandfather,  resided  in  Hinsdale,  N.H., 
for  some  years,  and  afterward  lived  in  Guil- 
ford and  Brattleboro,  Vt. 

Gardner  Chandler  Cutler,  Dr.  Cutler's 
father,  was  born  in  Guilford  and  reared  in 
Brattleboro.  He  located  upon  a  farm  in 
Keene  about  the  year  1832,  and  some  years 
later  he  removed  to  Charlestown,  N.H.,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  general  farming  for  some 
time.  His  last  days  were  spent  in  Alstead, 
N.H.  His  wife,  Olive,  who  was  a  native  of 
Charlestown,  became  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 
George  I.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Caro- 
line A.,  born  August  8,  1842,  who  married  a 
Mr.  Colburn,  and  is  now  a  widow,  residing  in 
Alstead;  and  Sarali  E.,  born  July  23,  1845, 
who  is  now  the  widow  of  Silas  Livergood,  and 
resides  in  Iowa  Falls,  la.  The  others  were: 
Gardner  C,  born  January  12,  1831,  who  died 
September  4,  1839;  Louise  M.,  born  Decem- 
ber 18,  1836,  died  September  4,  1839;  Olive 
Louisa,  born  March  i8,  1840,  who  died  May 
12,  1854;  and  Elizabeth  S.  P.  Cutler,  born 
November  6,   1S48,  who  died  June  15,   1858. 

George  I.  Cutler  attended  the  high  schools 
of  Alstead  and  Brattleboro,  and  was  a  pupil  at 
the  Westminster  Seminary  for  several  terms. 
Afterward  he   taught   school   for  a   number  of 


years  until  i860,  when  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  with  Dr.  D.  L.  M.  Cummings. 
Later  he  was  under  the  guidance  of  Dr. 
William  M.  French  in  Alstead.  He  then 
completed  the  course  of  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Vermont,  and  grad- 
uated with  a  large  class  in  1864.  In  the  fol- 
lowing February  he  located  in  West  Swanzey, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  His  practice  ex- 
tends over  a  wide  circuit,  embracing  the  ad- 
joining towns.  Although  several  other  phy- 
sicians have  attempted  to  locate  here,  he  has 
maintained  his  position  without  difficulty. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  In  1866  he 
was  chosen  a  member  of  the  School  Board  and 
the  Superintendent  of  Schools.  The  latter 
office  he  held  until  the  old  regime  gave 
place  to  the  new.  He  is  now  chairman  of  the 
Board.  Under  his  able  direction  the  old  dis- 
trict system  has  been  superseded  by  graded 
schools  with  able  instructors.  He  has  been 
Town  Clerk  since  1867,  and  has  acted  as  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  many  years.  With 
the  exception  of  one  year  he  has  served  as 
superintendent  of  the  library  since  its  estab- 
lishment; and  during  the  two  terms  of  Presi- 
dent Cleveland's  administration  he  served  as 
United  States  Pension  Examining  Surgeon 
at  Keene.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  State,  Cheshire  County,  and  Con- 
necticut River  Medical  Societies;  of  Golden 
Rod  Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry;  of  the 
Order  of  the  Golden  Cross;  and  of  Social 
Friends  Lodge,  No.  42,  F.  &  A.  M.,  hav- 
ing been  made  a  Mason  in  1857.  Dr.  Cutler 
married  K.  Jennie  Aldrich,  daughter  of  Arvin 
Aldrich,  Esq.,  of  I{ast  Westmoreland,  N.H. 
His  practice  has  proved  successful  financially 
as  well  as  otherwise,  and  he  erected  his  pres- 
ent residence  in  1894. 


KRANK  E.  KALEY,  the  treasurer  of 
the  Morse  &  Kaley  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, of  Milford,  a  man  of  recognized 
business  ability,  and  an  esteemed  resident  of 
the  town,  was  born  March  13,  1856,  in  Can- 
ton, Mass.,  son  of  the  Hon.  Timothy  Kalev. 
Timothy  Kaley,  who  was  born  and  bred  in 
Ireland,  and   came  from    there  to  America    in 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


97 


his  boyhood,  was  an  energetic,  ambitious 
youth.  Quickly  adapting  himself  to  his  new 
surroundings,  he  showed  aptitude  for  business 
and  mechanical  employments.  In  1840  he 
established  himself  in  business  at  Canton, 
Mass.,  as  a  manufacturer  of  knitting  yarns  of 
all  kinds,  remaining  there  until  i860.  Then 
he  removed  his  home  and  factory  to  Milford, 
N.  H.,  where  he  was  prosperously  engaged  in 
the  same  occupation  until  his  demise  in  Sep- 
tember, 1882.  Beginning  with  a  limited  cap- 
ital, he  gradually  increased  his  business,  man- 
ufacturing in  addition  to  knitting  yarns  and 
cotton,  crochet  cotton,  crochet  cord,  embroid- 
ery cotton,  darning  cotton,  and  mending 
worsted. 

In  politics  he  was  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  he  served  acceptably  in 
both  houses  of  the  State  legislature.  Good 
service  was  also  rendered  by  him  in  the  tem- 
perance cause.  He  married  Miss  Sarah 
Hersey. 

Frank  E.  Kaley,  the  only  child  of  Timothy 
Kaley,  being  but  four  years  old  when  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Milford,  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  this  town.  As  soon  as  he  was  old 
enough  to  be  of  use,  he  began  working  under 
his  father's  instruction  in  the  latter's  factory, 
becoming  familiar  with  the  details  of  its  man- 
agement. Having  in  a  manner  succeeded  to 
his  father's  interests  in  the  same,  he  is  now  a 
member  of  the  firm  above  mentioned.  The 
plant  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  kind 
in  the  vicinity.  An  average  of  seventy-five 
hands  are  employed,  and  each  month  there  is 
turned  out  a  large  quanity  of  varied  goods, 
which  are  well  known  in  the  New  England 
markets.  Mr.  Kaley,  who  is  held  in  high 
esteem  as  a  business  man  and  a  citizen,  served 
for  two  terms  as  a  Representative  to  the  State 
legislature.  He  was  a  member  uf  Governor 
Currier's  staff,  with  the  rank  of  Colonel. 
Earnestly  interested  in  local  affairs,  he  is  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Milford  Building  and 
Loan  Association,  which  he  has  since  served 
as  president.  He  is  likewise  one  of  the  di- 
rectors of  the  Souhegan  National  Bank.  He 
affiliates  with  the  Republican  party,  and  he  is 
a  Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow.  On  October 
12,    1885,    Mr.     Kaley    married    Miss    Harriet 


E. ,  daughter  of  the  late  William  R.  Wallace, 
of  Milford.  They  have  one  child,  named 
Barbara. 


LBERT   M.    FHILBRICK,  a  represent- 
ative citizen   of   Amherst  anil   a  well- 


known  hotel  man,  was  born  in 
Lempster,  this  State,  August  15, 
1S46.  His  parents  were  Joseph  and  Clarinda 
(Fuller)  Philbrick.  His  mother,  now  ninety- 
one  years  old,  is  living  at  Amherst.  The 
family  came  here  in  i860.  Some  years  later 
the  father  died,  leaving  three  children. 
These  were:  Sylvia,  now  Mrs.  Welton,  of 
Amherst;  Charles  W.,  who  resides  in  Bos- 
ton; and  Albert  M.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Albert  M.  Philbrick  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Amherst  and  later  a  private  school 
in  Nashua,  receiving  a  training  that  fitted 
him  for  practical  business  life.  Beginning 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  worked  for 
a  time  as  a  farm  hand.  When  eighteen 
years  old  he  went  to  Boston,  and  was  em- 
ployed as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store.  Some 
time  after  he  came  back  to  Amherst,  and  en- 
gaged in  lumbering  and  general  agriculture. 
He  is  prominent  in  social  circles  and  in  all 
public  movements  in  the  town.  I'or  four 
years  he  has  been  Selectman,  having  been  the 
chairman  of  the  Board  for  a  part  of  the  time. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Souhegan  Grange  at 
Amherst. 

In  1895  Mr.  Philbrick  leased  Hotel  Po- 
nemah  at  Milford,  and  managed  it  during  that 
season.  In  the  following  year  he  and  Charles 
C.  Swett,  of  Boston,  purchased  the  property. 
The  village  of  Milford,  containing  about 
thirty-five  hundred  inhabitants,  and  only  fifty- 
one  miles  distant  from  Boston,  is  one  of  the 
most  picturesquely  situated  of  the  many  New 
Hampshire  towns  which  are  sought  in  summer 
by  tourists  and  pleasure-seekers.  It  com- 
bines the  attractions  of  country  life  with  the 
comforts  of  the  town,  having  an  electric  light- 
ing system,  public  water-works  and  drainage, 
a  public  library,  and  well-kept  streets  and 
fine  roads.  It  is  situated  in  a  valley  through 
which  runs  the  smooth-gliding  Souhegan,  and 


98 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


is  surrounded  by  many  beautiful  hills,  whose 
names  have  become  classic  in  the  literature 
of  America  through  the  poems  of  Whittier  and 
the  prose  of  Hawthorne.  Hotel  Ponemah  is 
built  upon  a  commanding  site  on  the  east  side 
of  F'ederal  Hill,  and  looks  out  over  as  fine  a 
sweep  of  landscajje  as  can  perhaps  be  found  in 
any  country  the  world  over.  From  the  tower 
on  the  south  may  be  seen  on  a  clear  day,  look- 
ing northward,  the  peaks  of  Old  Joe  English 
in  New  Boston;  the  "twin  Uncannoonucs, 
stately  and  tall,"  in  Goffstown ;  rugged 
Chocorua;  sloping  Kearsarge,  "lifting  his 
Titan  forehead  to  the  sun";  Ossipee,  Croy- 
don, Sunapee,  Crochet,  and  Moosilauke,  with 
others  of  less  note.  On  the  east  are  Sugar 
Loaf,  Agamenticus,  Teneriffe,  Saddleback, 
and  others  in  Maine,  with  Pawtuckaway  in 
New  Hampshire;  on  the  south,  Wachusett, 
and,  between  stretches  of  green  meadow  lands, 
the  blue  of  lake  or  stream,  or  the  darker 
tinges  of  forest  lands.  The  hotel  was  built 
in  1882,  and  has  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most 
popular  summer  resorts  in  this  section  of  the 
State.  It  is  eight  hundred  feet  above  sea 
level,  and  is  surrounded  by  about  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  field  and  woodland,  which  are  at 
the  disposal  of  the  guests  during  their  stay 
here.  The  famous  Milford  Spring  mineral 
water,  also  known  as  the  Ponemah  water, 
which  is  now  used  exclusively  at  the  Bruns- 
wick and  Victoria  Hotels  in  Boston,  is  obtained 
from  a  beautiful  spring  situated  just  below 
the  hotel.  Its  health-giving  properties  are 
well  known,  and  the  guests  of  the  house  have 
ample  opportunity  to  test  it  as  it  comes 
sparkling  from  its  secret  caverns.  At  the 
bottling-house  also  are  prepared  ginger  ale, 
lemon,  orange,  and  other  flavored  drinks  for 
the  table  service.  The  hotel  itself,  especially 
attractive  in  architectural  effect,  has  an  artis- 
tic setting  in  its  well-kept  grounds.  It  is  a 
long,  three-story  house,  with  a  broad  veranda 
reaching  all  around  it,  approached  by  wide 
and  comfortable  steps  on  three  sides,  with  a 
stairway  on  the  east  side  leading  to  the 
spring.  Inside  are  wide  hallways  connecting 
the  dining-rooms,  parlors,  reading-rooms,  and 
office.  The  parlors  are  tastefully  and  luxuri- 
ously furnished  ;  and  the  dining-room    is   spa- 


cious, well  lighted,  and  made  cheerful  on  a 
cool  morning  or  damp  evening  by  the  ruddy 
glow  from  the  open  fireplaces.  Although 
fitted  with  the  most  approved  apparatus  for 
steam  heating,  fireplaces,  of  which  there  are 
about  a  dozen,  constitute  one  of  the  satisfying 
features  of  the  house.  Any  one  who  has 
been  a  guest  at  a  White  Mountain  hotel  knows 
the  comfortable  sensation  imparted  by  a  glow- 
ing fire  in  an  open  grate  when  the  weather 
outside  is  forbidding.  The  hotel  has  fifty-five 
rooms,  and  contains  all  modern  appliances  for 
the  comfort  of  its  guests,  including  gas  and  a 
perfect  system  of  electric  bells.  As  for  en- 
tertainment there  is  never  any  lack  of  that. 
There  is  every  facility  for  tennis,  croquet, 
bowling,  dancing,  driving,  golf,  etc.  Be- 
sides the  Saturday  evening  hops,  accompanied 
by  a  full  orchestra,  there  is  plenty  of  music 
every  evening,  and  usually  a  dancing  party. 
Then  there  are  card  parties,  amateur  theatri- 
cals, costume  parties,  and  all  sorts  of  impro- 
vised house  entertainments.  Many  of  the 
guests  bring  their  carriages  with  them  for  the 
season,  and  there  are  constant  driving  parties. 
There  is  a  livery  stable  under  the  personal 
management  of  Mr.  Philbrick,  who  is  con- 
stantly planning  drives;  and  the  tally-ho  is 
frequently  to  be  seen,  loaded  with  a  jolly 
picnic  party.  One  of  the  pleasant  short 
drives  is  that  to  Amherst  station,  which  is 
about  two  miles  distant,  the  nearest  stopping- 
place  on  the  Boston  &  Maine  road.  Among 
the  well-known  resorts  within  easy  driving 
distance  are:  Purgatory  in  Mont  Vernon, 
Bedford's  Ravine  in  Bedford,  Lake  Baboosie 
and  Amherst  Springs  in  Amherst,  Lake 
Potanipo  in  Brookline,  and  Miller  Park  on 
Pack  Monadnock  Mountains.  While  looking 
out  so  well  for  the  pleasure  and  amusement  of 
his  guests,  Mr.  Philbrick  has  been  no  less 
mindful  of  their  health.  The  house  is  pro- 
vided with  the  latest  sanitary  plumbing,  and 
has  ample  protections  against  fire.  The 
health-giving  winds  which  sweep  down  from 
the  higher  New  Hampshire  hills  are  a 
sufficient  defence  against  all  other  possibili- 
ties of  contagion. 

Mr.    Philbrick's    most    valued    adviser    and 
ablest    coadjutor   is   his  wife,    in    maidenhood 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


99 


Mary  E.  Ober,  to  whom  he  was  married  July 
1 8,  1866.  She  is  a  native  of  Amherst,  and 
both  her  parents  were  born  in  this  town. 
They  were  John  Ober,  who  died  in  March, 
1867,  and  Rebecca  (Kendricl<)  Ober,  who, 
now  eighty-six  years  old,  resides  with  Mrs. 
Philbrick,  her  only  surviving  child.  The 
Kendrick  family  is  of  English  origin.  Mrs. 
Philbrick's  great  -  great  -  grandfather,  Benja- 
min, was  one  of  two  brothers  who  came  to 
this  country  in  1639,  and  settled  in  what  was 
formerly  called  Monson,  now  a  part  of  Am- 
herst, where  Benjamin  became  owner  of  large 
tracts  of  land.-  He  was  the  first  Town  Clerk 
of  Amherst.  Mr.  Philbrick's  only  child, 
Charles,  who  was  last  year  graduated  from 
the  Milford  schools,  is  a  prime  favorite  with 
the  guests  by  reason  of  his  obliging  disposi- 
tion and  skill  in  all  the  outdoor  sports  and 
indoor  entertainments. 


<^»  ^» 


"jClDWARD  P.  KIMBALE,  of  Troy,  who 
F^  has  been  a  Deputy  Sheriff  of  the  county 
"^■'"^■"  for  nearly  fifty-five  years,  was  born 
in  Hillsboro,  N.H.,  February  23,  1819,  son 
of  Retire  and  Lucy  (Bell)  Kimball.  The 
father,  who  followed  the  occupations  of  tanner, 
currier,  and  shoemaker  in  Hillsboro  Bridge, 
and  was  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-sixth  New 
Hampshire  Regiment  of  militia,  died  at  the 
latter  place  in  1830. 

Young  Kimball  was  educated  at  the  private 
schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  After 
the  death  of  his  father  he  went  to  live  with  an 
uncle,  who  kept  a  store,  and  required  him  to 
sleep  in  the  store  at  night.  After  two  years 
of  such  hardship  he  went  to  Francestown, 
where  he  earned  his  board  by  working  on  a 
farm,  also  gaining  some  schooling  during 
this  time.  He  then  learned  the  hat  and  cap 
business  in  the  store  of  Benjamin  V.  Gros- 
venor  at  Hillsboro  I^ridge,  and  became  the  fur 
buyer  for  his  employer.  In  1S36  he  came  to 
Troy  with  Mr.  Grosvenor,  who  opened  a  hat 
and  cap  store  here.  At  the  end  of  four  years 
he  bought  out  his  employer,  and,  adding  gro- 
ceries and  general  merchandise  to  his  stock, 
he  has  since  built  up  a  large  and  successful 
business.      In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.      He 


has  been  Deputy  Sheriff  of  the  county  since 
1844,  he  held  the  office  of  High  Sheriff  for 
two  years,  and  he  was  the  Postmaster  of  Troy 
under  Presidents  Pierce  and  Buchanan. 

On  July  9,  1844,  Mr.  Kimball  married 
Mary  A.  Fairbanks,  of  Troy,  daughter  of 
Cyrus  Fairbanks.  They  have  three  children, 
two  of  whom  are  now  living  —  Charles  and 
Warren  \V.  Charles,  a  resident  of  Troy, 
married  Abbie  L.  Farrar,  who  is  now  de- 
ceased, and  has  one  daughter,  Bessie  F. 
Warren  W.  is  now  a  partner  in  his  father's 
business,  and  has  been  the  Postmaster  three 
times.  Mr.  Kimball,  Sr.,  has  been  Town 
Clerk,  Treasurer,  and  Town  Agent,  and  he 
rendered  valuable  service  to  the  town  as  a 
member  of  a  committee  appointed  to  adjust 
the  village  lines,  improve  the  public  common, 
relocate  the  town  hall,  and  to  transact  other 
important  town  business.  He  has  long  been 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  is  the 
only  living  charter  member  of  the  Troy  Lodge. 


«  *  ■  »  > 


J^^OEL  H.  ELLIOT,  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent lumbermen  and  well-to-do  resi- 
dents of  Greenville,  was  born  in  Mason, 
N.  H.,  June  16,  1835,  son  of  Joel  and 
Anna  A.  (Shedd)  I{lliot.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Elias  Elliot,  who  was  a  native  of  Pep- 
perell,  Mass.,  accompanied  his  father  to 
Mason  when  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  and 
there  assisted  in  clearing  a  farm,  which  he 
subsequently  inherited,  and  became  a  success- 
ful agriculturist.  He  utilized  the  water-power 
of  a  brook  upon  his  premises  by  erecting  a 
saw  and  grist  mill,  in  which  he  manufactured 
considerable  lumber.  He  was  industrious  and 
prosperous,  and  lived  to  be  eighty-eight  years 
old.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ruth 
Lawrence,  died  at  about  the  same  age.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children. 

Joel  Elliot,  born  on  the  homestead  in  Mason, 
was  reared  to  farm  life.  Succeeding  to  the 
property,  he  added  much  land  to  the  original 
tract,  and  at  his  death  possessed  about  one 
thousand  acres.  A  tireless  worker,  when  not 
busy  with  his  regular  farm  duties  he  con- 
structed stone  walls  and  made  other  improve- 
ments.     In   politics   he  was  a   Democrat.      He 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


died  in  February,  1870.  His  wife,  Anna, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  Silas  Shedd,  of  Pepper- 
ell,  Mass.,  became  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Eliza  and  Joel  H.  are  living. 
Eliza  married  for  her  first  husband  Edward 
Keyes,  of  Wilton,  N.H.  She  is  now  the  wife 
of  William  Wright,  of  ]5rookline,  N.  H.,  and 
has  two  children.  The  mother  died  in  18S8. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Joel  H.  Elliot  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Mason.  When  a  young  man  he  engaged  in 
tilling  the  soil  at  the  homestead.  He  resided 
there  some  forty  years,  and  for  about  twenty 
years  he  worked  in  a  saw-mill  in  Mason.  In 
1875  he  erected  the  residence  in- Greenville 
where  he  has  since  lived.  He  continues  to 
cultivate  the  home  farm,  and  also  conducts 
quite  an  extensive  lumber  business.  He  owns 
about  one  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Mason, 
besides  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
in  Greenville ;  and  he  has  erected  several  ten- 
ement houses  here  as  an  investment.  He  is 
an  active  business  man  as  well  as  one  of  the 
wealthiest  residents  of  this  town. 

On  March  26,  1874,  Mr.  Elliot  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Ellen  C.  Raddin,  daughter 
of  Joshua  H.  and  Martha  J.  (Tarbell)  Raddin. 
Her  father,  who  was  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Hillerica,  Mass.,  died  at  the  age  of  si.xty-one; 
and  her  mother  lived  to  be  seventy-six  years 
old.  They  had  four  children,  of  whom  the 
other  survivor  is  Marion,  the  wife  of  James  F. 
Russell,  of  Wilton,  N.H.  Both  parents  were 
Baptists  in  religion.  Mr.  Elliot  acts  with  the 
Republican  party  in  politics.  He  and  Mrs. 
Elliot  attend  the  Congregational  church. 


'AMUEL  S.  SAWYER,  an  exten- 
sive dairyman  and  cattle  dealer  of 
Antrim  and  an  ex-member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  legislature,  was 
born  in  Bedford,  N.  H.,  November  8,  1836, 
son  of  Edmund  and  Nancy  J.  (Steele)  Sawyer. 
His  great-grandfather,  Enoch  Sawyer  (first), 
who  came  from  Ireland,  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Goffstown.  luioch  was  a  prominent 
man  of  that  locality  in  his  day,  and  represented 
the  district  in  the  General  Court.  He  mar- 
ried a  lady  named  Little. 


Enoch  Sawyer  (second),  grandfather  of  Sam- 
uel S. ,  was  a  native  of  Goffstown.  When  a 
young  man  he  came  as  a  pioneer  to  Antrim, 
and  cleared  and  improved  a  farm,  which  he 
cultivated  for  the  rest  of  his  active  period. 
He  married  Lucy  Simonds,  and  had  a  family 
of  six  children,  of  whom  Edmund  was  the 
third-born,  but  none  of  whom  are  now  living. 
Edmund  Sawyer  was  born  in  Antrim,  and 
grew  to  manhood  upon  the  farm.  He  learned 
the  blacksmith's  trade,  which  he  afterward  fol- 
lowed in  Bedford  and  Antrim  for  more  than 
forty  years.  His  death  occurred  in  the  last- 
named  town  at  the  age  of  eighty-si.x  years.  By 
industry  and  thrift  he  acquired  a  good  estate. 
He  was  respected  by  the  entire  community  as 
an  upright,  conscientious  citizen.  In  his  later 
years  he  was  a  Republican,  while  in  religion 
he  was  a  Presbyterian.  His  wife,  Nancy,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Steele,  of  Antrim, 
became  the  mother  of  two  children,  namely: 
Samuel  S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Mary  V.,  the  wife  of  D.  P.  Bryer,  of  Antrim. 
Mrs.  Edmund  Sawyer  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years. 

Samuel  S.  Sawyer  came  with  his  parents 
from  Bedford  to  Antrim  when  he  was  six 
months  old.  His  education,  begun  in  the 
schools  of  this  town,  was  completed  at  the 
Peterboro  Academy.  After  spending  a  year 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  Milford, 
Mass.,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Sawyer  & 
Parnienter,  he  returned  to  Antrim  and  engaged 
in  farming.  Eor  many  years  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  milk  business,  and  is  also  an  ex- 
tensive dealer  in  cattle.  Besides  the  home- 
stead property  he  owns  a  valuable  farm  in 
Windsor,  N.H.  He  is  one  of  the  most  thrifty 
and  progressive  agriculturists  in  this  section. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  For  sixteen 
years  he  served  the  town  ably  and  faithfully  in 
an  official  capacity.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Selectmen  for  ten  years,  being  the 
chairman  of  the  Board  for  five  years  of  the 
time.  For  two  years  he  was  Town  Treasurer. 
He  has  also  served  as  Supervisor  of  the  Check 
List,  and  he  represented  the  town  in  the  legis- 
lature for  the  years  1879  and  18S0. 

On  May  18,  1861,  Mr.  Sawyer  was  united 
in    marriage    with     Mary     Day,     daughter    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Robert  Day,  of  Peterboro.  Mrs.  Sawyer  is 
the  mutlier  (if  five  children  —  Willis  H.,  Eva 
L.,  (ieorgiamia,  Alice  B.,  and  Harry  G. 
Willis  H.  Sawyer,  M.D. ,  who  is  a  graduate  of 
Tufts  College  and  of  the  Medical  College  of 
New  York,  is  now  practising  his  profession  in 
Boston.  He  wedded  Mabel  Ladd.  Eva  L.  is 
the  wife  of  Watson  B.  Fearing,  of  Dorchester, 
Mass.,  and  has  two  children  —  Ruth  and 
Ralph.  Georgianna  is  now  Mrs.  John  S. 
Nesmith,  of  Antrim.  Alice  B.  is  teaching 
school  in  Hillsboro,  N.H.  Harry  G.,  who  is 
unmarried,  is  engaged  in  the  milk  business  in 
Dorchester,  Mass.  Mr.  Sawyer  has  been  con- 
nected with  Harmony  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M., 
for  the  past  thirty-two  years,  and  has  occupied 
some  of  its  important  chairs. 


RANCIS  C.  MINOR,  a  retired  wool- 
len manufacturer  of  Gilsum,  Cheshire 
County,  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War,  is  a  native  of  Canada,  born  June  12, 
1832.  His  parents,  Robert  and  Margaret 
(Lambert)  Minor,  were  natives  of  the  British 
Provinces,  as  was  also  his  grandfather,  Joseph 
Minor.  The  last  named  was  a  farmer,  and 
reared  a  large  family.  Robert  Minor  was  an 
industrious  tiller  of  the  soil  during  the  active 
period  of  his  life.  He  was  the  father  of  four 
children — Joseph,  Celia,  Josephine,  and 
Francis  C. 

Francis  C.  Minor  attended  schools  in  Can- 
ada and  in  Northfield,  Vt.  He  learned  the 
woollen  manufacturing  business  in  the  Green 
Mountain  State,  and  followed  it  in  various 
places  until  1867  and  after  that  date  in  Gil- 
sum,  being  associated  with  the  late  Robert 
Cuthbert.  He  subsequently  became  a  member 
of  the  Gilsum  Woollen  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  retained  his  interest  in  that  concern 
until  the  fall  of  1896,  when  he  retired  from 
business.  Mr.  Minor  enlisted  in  Company  E, 
Fifteenth  Regiment  Vermont  Volunteers,  with 
which  he  served  one  year  in  the  Civil  War, 
participating  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  He 
belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
He  has  been  active  in  public  affairs,  support- 
ing the  Republican  party  in  politics;  and  as  a 
member  of  the   House  of    Representatives    in 


1879  he  served  ujion  the  Committee  on  Reform 
Schools.  He  is  connected  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  being  made  a  Mason  in  De  Witt 
Clinton  Lodge  of  Northfield,  Vt.,  and  belongs 
to  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church. 

In  1855  Mr.  Minor  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  limily  F.  Thompson,  who  was  born  in 
Gilsum,  July  11,  1834,  daughter  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Winchester)  Thompson.  She  has  been 
the  mother  of  three  sons:  Frank  L.,  born  in 
Keene,  May  7,  1857;  Elmer  E. ,  born  in 
Northfield,  Vt.,  July  2,  1861  ;  and  Charles  C, 
who  was  drowned  at  the  age  of  five  years. 
Frank  L.  Minor,  who  was  in  the  woollen  man- 
ufacturing business,  married  Irene  Polly,  and 
died  in  1880.  Elmer  E.  Minor,  who  was 
educated  at  the  Kimball  Union  Academy, 
Meriden,  N.H.,  is  now  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  in  Gilsum.  He  married  Viola 
Pitcher,  who  was  born  in  Sullivan,  N.  IL, 
March  13,  1868,  daughter  of  I-^rederick  L. 
Pitcher,  of  Keene.  He  has  two  children : 
Frank  C,  born  in  Keene,  December  28,  1889; 
and  Paul  L. ,  born  in  Gilsum,  August  22,  1893. 


OSEPH  P.  TROW,  a  prosperous  and 
highly  respected  agriculturist  of  Am- 
herst, owning  and  occupying  a  valuable 
homestead  property  on  Christian  Hill, 
was  born  in  Mont  Vernon,  September  26, 
1826,  son  of  Joseph  Trow,  Jr.  The  Trow 
family  have  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  industrial  interests  of  Hillsboro  County  for 
many  generations.  The  greatgrandfather  of 
Joseph  P.  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  Mont 
Vernon;  and  Joseph  Trow,  Sr. ,  the  grand- 
father, it  is  supposed  was  a  lifelong  resident 
of  that  place. 

Joseph  Trow,  Jr.,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Mont  Vernon,  there  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  which  lasted  more  than  fourscore 
years,  chiefly  engaged  in  farming.  Widely 
known  as  a  man  of  just  and  honest  principles, 
industrious  and  thrifty,  he  was  held  in  high 
esteem.  In  politics  he  was  identified  wnth  the 
Democratic  party.  He  married  Sally  Perkins, 
who  was  born  in  Mont  Vernon.  Her  father, 
Joseph  Perkins,  was  a   soldier    in    the    Revnhi- 


BlOliRAlMlKAL    KF.\  IKW 


tioiiarv  viiiiiv  aiul  a  tlcsceiulant  of  one  of  the 
original  settlers  of  that  place.  Of  her  chil- 
ilien  three  are  living,  naniely :  Alniira  L., 
the  wife  of  Charles  Forsaith,  of  Mont  Ver- 
non; Henry  M.,  also  of  Mont  Vernon;  and 
Joseph  r. ,  the  subject  of  this  biography. 

Joseph  P.  Trow  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  town,  receiving  such  educational  advan- 
tages as  were  afforded  the  boys  of  his  day,  and 
assisting  in  the  lighter  duties  of  the  farm. 
For  a  short  time  in  his  early  life  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  Amoskeag  Cotton  Mills  of  Man- 
chester, N.H.  Afterward  he  purchased  his 
present  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  whereon  he 
has  since  successfully  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing and  dairying.  He  has  taken  an  active  and 
intelligent  part  in  promoting  the  best  interests 
of  the  town.  For  four  years  he  served  most 
satisfactorily  as  Selectman,  being  chairman  of 
the  Board  throughout  the  period  of  his  service. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views. 

On  January  8.  1856,  Mr.  Trow  married 
Miss  Foreno  F.  Underwood,  who  was  born  in 
Mont  Vernon,  daughter  of  the  late  William 
and  Naomi  (Wilkins)  Underwood,  and  a 
trrand-dausihter  of  Thomas  Underwood,  an  old 
and  respected  resident  of  that  part  of  Hillsboro 
County.  Her  father,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Amherst,  later  became  a  resident  of  Mont 
Vernon,  where  his  death  occurred  some  time 
ago.  Her  mother,  now  an  active  woman  of 
eighty-three  years,  contracted  a  second  mar- 
riage with  John  McConihe,  of  Amherst.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Trow  are  the  parents  of  two  children, 
namely:  Clarence  L.,  a  resident  of  Milford, 
this  county;  and  George  A.,  who  lives  on  the 
home  farm.  Mrs.  Trow  has  been  a  true  help- 
m.rte  and  counsellor  to  her  husband.  Both  she 
and  Mr.  Trow  are  active  members  of  Souhe- 
g-an  Grange,  No.  lo,  of  Amherst. 


B 


AVID  N.    HAYDEN,   junior  partner 
in     the    firm    of    Hayden    Brothers, 

Holiis.     Hillsboro    County, 


N.H. 


and  Representative  to  the  General 
Court  from  this  town  for  the  session  of  1S95- 
96,  was  born  in  HoUis,  August  i.  1842,  son 
of  Samuel  and  Harriet  (Needhani)  Hayden. 
Mr.       Havden's     great-grandfather,     Thomas 


Hayden,  was  a  Massachusetts  man,  living  in 
the  town  of  Stow,  and  spent  his  whole  life  in 
that  State. 

His  son,  Josiah,  was  the  founder  of  the  fam- 
ily in  Hollis,  coming  here  when  but  five  years 
old,  and  errowing  to  be  a  sturdv  frontiersman. 
He  was  a  trapper,  keen  and  alert ;  and  during 
good  seasons  the  number  of  pelts  dressed  by 
him  ran  very  high,  and  brought  him  large  re- 
turns. He  was  also  engaged  in  the  making  of 
pitch  and  turpentine;  and,  bjiilding  a  saw- 
mill, he  laid  the  foundations  of  the  extensive 
milling  and  lumbering  business  still  so  suc- 
cessfully carried  on  by  his  descendants,  a  saw- 
mill on  the  same  site  being  now  run  by  Hay- 
den Brothers.  Josiah  Hayden  died  in  Hollis 
at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Mary  Patch,  lived  to  a  good 
old  age,  affectionately  cared  for  bj-  her  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren.  Josiah  Hayden  was 
a  Whig  and  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.  His  sons  and  grandsons  have  imbibed 
his  political  principles,  and  are  all  good  Re- 
publicans. They  are  also  Congregationalists 
in  religion,  and  most  ef  them  are  members  of 
the  church.  All  of  the  nine  children  of  Josiah 
and  Mary  Hayden  lived  to  grow  to  maturity, 
and  all  are  now  deceased. 

Samuel    Bailev,   of  Andover,    Mass.,   great- 


grandfather 
ternal  side. 
Continental 
was  to  be  a 
the  17th  of 
son  that  he 
his  gun  and 
scene  of  act 


of  the  Hayden  Brothers  on  the  ma- 
had  a  son  James  who  was  in  the 
army  in  1775.      Hearing  that  there 

battle  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston  on 

June,  he  was  so  worried  about  his 
left  his  plough  in  the  field,  took 
powder-horn,  and  hastened  to  thg_ 

ion,  arriving  at  Bunker  Hill  just  as 


the    British    troops    were    charging.      Without 


enlisting,  he  joined  the  brave  defenders  for 
the  redoubt,  and  shortly  received  his  death 
wound.  A  neighbor  reported  that  he  saw  him 
lying  on  the  field,  his  hand  upon  his  side  and 
the  blood  flowing  through  his  fingers.  He 
asked  this  neighbor,  ."How  goes  the  day.'" 
"Our  men  are  on  the  retreat,  for  we  are  out  of 
powder. "  The  dying  hero  said,  "Take  mine. " 
The  British  occupied  the  field,  and  buried  Mr. 
Bailey  there.  The  son  whom  the  father  failed 
to  see  lived  through  the  war,  and  his  musket 
and  powder-horn  are  still  preserved. 


BirXJRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


•03 


Samuel  Hayden,  above  named,  the  eldest 
son  of  Josiah  Hayden,  occupied  the  homestead, 
and  was  diligently  engaged  in  farming  and 
other  rural  pursuits  throughout  the  greater 
part  of  his  long  and  useful  life.  He  was  an 
eminently  worthy  representative  citizen  of  the 
town,  being  a  man  of  high  Christian  character, 
active  in  the  church,  and  a  Captain  in  the  State 
militia.  The  Hon.  H.  G.  Little,  of  Grinnell, 
la.,  in  his  book,  "Remembrances  of  Hollis 
Seventy  Years  ago,"  said  of  Samuel  Hayden, 
father  of  the  Hayden  Brothers,  thai  "he  was 
one  of  the  best  specimens  of  manhood,  both 
morally  and  physically  ever  raised  in  Hollis." 
He  married  Harriet  Xeedham,  of  Milford, 
daughter  of  Stearns  Xeedham,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  old  Xeedham  famil)',  and  whose 
wife  was  a  Bailey.  Si.x  children,  four  sons 
and  two  daughters,  were  bom  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Samuel  Harden;  and  all  are  now  living  except 
John  W.  Hayden,  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion,  who  died  February  8,  1862,  in  the 
Regimental  Hospital,  Xew  York  City,  at 
twenty-three  years  of  age.  S.  Franklin  Hay- 
den, the  eldest  child,  was  in  the  Fifteenth 
Xew  Hampshire  Regiment,  and  was  at  the 
siege  of  Port  Hudson,  a  sharpshooter.  He 
lives  in  Hollis,  and  is  engaged  in  farming, 
^lar)'  Elizabeth  Ha^'den  married  John  L. 
Woods,  and  lives  on  the  Captain  Tajior  farm 
in  Hollis.  The  other  daughter,  Mrs.  Emily 
H.  Rideout,  who  was  a  noted  school  teacher 
in  her  younger  days,  is  now  living  with  her 
daughter  on  Winter  Hill,  Xashua 

Daniel  W.  Hayden,  senior  partner  in  the 
firm  of  Hayden  Brothers,  is  a  »-eil-known, 
public-spirited  citizen.  Serving  in  the  Civil 
War  as  a  member  of  the  Seventh  Regiment, 
Xew  Hampshire  Volunteers,  he  was  wounded 
at  the  charge  of  Fort  Wagner,  and  was  carried 
to  the  hospital  at  Hilton  Head.  Again,  at  the 
battle  of  Olustee,  Fla.,  he  was  dangerously 
wounded  by  shell  and  left  on  the  iield  for 
dead;  but  after  a  while  he  regained  conscious- 
ness, and  was  assisted  from  the  field  b}'  a  )Ias- 
sachusetts  regiment  and  taken  a  second  time  to 
the  Hilton  Head  Hospital,  where  he  remained 
for  several  months.  He  was  finally  discharged 
on  account  of  bis  wounds.  He  is  Adjutant 
and   Past  Commander  of  John    H.   Worcester 


Post,  G.  A.  R.      He  has  been  on  the  Board  of 

Selectmen  of  Hollis.  Daniel  W.  Hayden 
married  Miss  Ann  E.  Talbot.  Of  the  two 
children  born  to  them  one,  a  son  named  Wil- 
lard  Bertel,  a  boy  of  unusual  promise,  died 
while  attending  the  high  school,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  and  seven  months.  The  other,  a 
daughter,  Bertha  M.  Hayden,  a  girl  of  eigh- 
teen, has  just  graduated  from  the  high  school. 
David  N.  Hayden,  with  whose  name  this 
sketch  begins,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead 
in  Hollis,  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  town  and  at  Xashua  Literary 
Institute,  which  he  attended  when  it  was  under 
the  charge  of  David  Crosby.  In  early  life  Mr. 
Hayden  was  a  pigeon  trapper,  and  at  times 
made  as  high  as  one  hundred  dollars  a  day. 
He  is  now  devoted  to  the  various  interests  of 
Hayden  Brothers,  including  farming,  milling, 
lumbering,  and  coopering.  They  own  be- 
tween seven  and  eight  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
Hollis  and  adjoining  towns,  and  with  their 
saw  and  grist  mills  and  planing  and  stave 
mills  carr}'  on  an  extensive  business,  employ- 
ing from  twent)"-five  to  forty  men.  Mr.  Hay- 
den has  shown  much  interest  in  public  affairs, 
and  has  been  chairman  of  the  lifjard  of  Select- 
men and  R<jad  Commissioner,  besides  holding 
various  minor  offices.  He  has  just  completed 
a  term  as  Representative  to  the  Xew  Hamp- 
shire legislature. 


3 


WIGHT      WEBSTER      STEARXS, 

formerly  the  member  of  the  Xew 
Hampshire  legislature  from  Hins- 
dale, was  bom  in  this  town,  Janu- 
ary 28,  1830,  son  of  John  and  Esther  (Web- 
ster; Steams.  Xathaniel  Steams,  his  great- 
grandfather, who  was  known  as  Lieutenant 
Steams,  came  originally  from  Hebron, 
Conn.,  and  is  supposed  to  have  resided  in 
Xorthfield,  Mass.,  previous  to  locating  in 
what  is  now  Hinsdale.  Xathaniel  married 
Dorcas  Sanger,  and  became  the  father  of  ten 
children.  His  eldest  son,  Walter  Steams, 
who  was  bom  in  1774,  and  resided  in  Hins- 
dale for  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  in  August, 
1797,  married  Theresa  Shattuck,  a  daughter 
of  Daniel  Shattuck.     Her  grandfather,  Daniel 


104 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Shattuck  (first),  who  located  on  Merry 
Meadow,  in  1736  built  a  fort  over  the  brook. 
This  fort  was  partially  burned  by  the  Indians 
in  1746.  On  September  25,  1753,  when  the 
town  of  Hinsdale  was  organized,  he  was 
chosen  a  Selectman.  Daniel  Shattuck  (sec- 
ond), who  served  as  a  soldier  at  Fort  Dummer 
in  1756,  and  commanded  a  company  at  the 
battle  of  Stillwater  in  1777,  was  twice  mar- 
ried, and  reared  seven  children.  Walter 
Stearns  was  the  father  of  several  children;  but 
only  two  of  his  sons,  Eliott  and  John,  settled 
in  Hinsdale. 

John  Stearns,  the  father  of  Dwight  \V., 
was  born  in  this  town,  August  10,  1801. 
When  a  young  man  he  bought  the  Shattuck 
farm,  a  large  and  productive  piece  of  agricult- 
ural property,  upon  which  he  resided  for  over 
half  a  century.  He  was  a  successful  farmer 
and  cattle  dealer,  and  widely  known  through- 
out Northern  New  England  as  an  excellent 
judge  of  horses.  At  one  time  he  was  part 
owner  of  the  American  House  in  Brattleboro, 
Vt.,  and  of  the  Ashuelot  House  in  Hinsdale. 
When  at  middle  age  he  had  acquired  a  good 
estate.  Though  not  actively  concerned  in 
public  affairs,  he  exercised  much  influence  in 
politics,  while  his  business  ability  was  a  val- 
uable factor  in  developing  the  resources  of 
Hinsdale.  For  many  years  his  home  was 
noted  in  this  section  for  its  hospitality  and 
good  cheer;  and  the  genial  host,  who  could 
both  enjoy  and  relate  amusing  stories,  was  a 
general  favorite  with  all  who  knew  him.  On 
February  25,  1825,  John  Stearns  married 
Esther  Webster,  of  Northfield,  Mass.,  a  most 
estimable  lady,  and  a  relative  of  Noah 
Webster,  the  lexicographer.  She  became  the 
mother  of  eight  children;  namely,  Jane  R., 
Elvira,  Dwight  W. ,  Janette,  Franklin,  New- 
ton, Charles,  and  Ellen.  Jane  R.  married 
Leroy  Preston,  and  resides  in  West  North- 
field;  Elvira  is  the  wife  of  D.  S.  Saunderson  ; 
Franklin  married  Martha  Tyler;  Janette  mar- 
ried Leander  Thomas ;  and  Ellen  is  the  wife 
of  George  P  Slate.  The  death  of  the  mother 
in  1878  was  such  a  severe  shock  to  her  hus- 
band that  he  was  unable  to  recover  from  its 
effects.  He  gradually  withdrew  from  the 
world,  rarely  leaving  his  home  during  the  last 


two  years  of  his  life;  and  he  died  December 
2,   18S4. 

Dwight  Webster  Stearns  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing farmers  of  Hinsdale.  In  politics  he  was 
always  a  Republican.  First  elected  Select- 
man in  1863,  he  afterward  held  that  office  for 
eighteen  consecutive  years,  serving  as  chair- 
man of  the  Board  for  many  terms.  In  this 
year,  1897,  he  is  again  Selectman.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  State  House  of  Representatives 
in  1889  and  1890,  and  there  served  on  the 
Agricultural  College  Committee.  He  has 
been  a  trustee  of  the  Hinsdale  Savings  Bank 
since  its  organization. 

Mr.  Stearns  married  for  his  first  wife  Han- 
nah Smith,  daughter  of  Daniel  Smith,  of 
Winchester,  and  became  the  father  of  five 
children.  These  are:  Edda  Esther,  who 
married  Frank  R.  Stratton ;  Nellie  A.,  the 
wife  of  Fred  A.  Adams,  of  South  Vernon; 
Dora  E.,  who  married  Ernest  E.  Stratton,  of 
Hinsdale;  Willis  D.,  who  resides  at  home; 
and  Julia  E.,  a  graduate  of  the  Moody  School, 
Northfield,  Mass.,  and  now  a  teacher  in  the 
Springfield  High  School.  Willis  D.  Stearns, 
who  is  an  energetic  and  progres.sive  young 
man,  was  elected  Selectman  in  i8g6.  The 
mother  died  in  July,   1870. 


ILLIAM  HERBERT  PRENTISS, 
(s\j  of  Keene,  eldest  son  of  John  W. 
and  Elinor  (May)  Prentiss,  was 
born  in  Keene,  N.  H.,  March  22,  1852.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  He 
attended  the  common  schools  in  Keene  and 
subsequently  the  high  schools  in  Keene  and 
Greenfield,  Mass.  After  preparing  for  col- 
lege in  Ithaca,  N.Y.,  he  entered  Cornell  Uni- 
versity, becoming  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1874.  As  the  completion  of  a  college  course 
required  expenditures  which  he  could  not 
otherwise  meet,  and  for  which  he  was  unwill- 
ing to  be  indebted  to  others,  he  obtained  em- 
ployment in  the  office  of  the  Ithaca  Democrats 
with  the  purpose  of  learning  the  trade  of 
printer,  through  the  kindness  of  his  friend, 
B.  R.  Williams,  the  editor  and  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  that  paper. 

In    1872    circumstances    made    it    expedient 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


'05 


for  him  to  return  to  Keene  to  live  with  his 
mother,  who  needed  his  presence  at  home; 
and  soon  after,  upon  the  request  of  his  grand- 
father, the  Hon.  John  Prentiss,  who  founded 
the  New  Hampshire  Sentinel  in  1799,  he  was 
given  a  position  in  tlie  job  printing  depart- 
ment of  the  Sentinel  establishment.  In  that 
office,  supplemented  by  a  short  experience  in 
the  establishment  of  Alfred  Mudge  &  Son, 
of  Boston,  he  completed  his  theoretical  knowl- 
edge of  the  business  of  a  printer  and  pub- 
lisher. In  March,  1880,  he  purchased  a  third- 
interest  in  the  business  of  the  Sentinel  Print- 
ing Company,  and  became  the  city  or  local 
editor  of  the  New  Hampshire  Sentinel,  the  es- 
tablishment presenting  to  him  particularly 
pleasing  associations  from  the  fact  that  his 
grandfather  and  his  father  had  been  its  earli- 
est proprietors.  On  the  establishment  of  the 
Keene  Evening  Sentinel  in  1890,  he  became 
city  editor  of  that  paper  also,  which  position, 
at  this  writing,  he  still  holds. 

On  November  21,  1892,  at  Swampscott, 
Mass.,  he  married  Mary  Ann  Adams,  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  Frederick  Hurd,  of  that  town. 
They  have  one  child,  Mary  Elinor,  born  De- 
cember 30,  1893.  Having  previously  served 
Keene  in  minor  town  offices,  Mr.  Prentiss 
represented  Ward  One  in  the  legislature  of 
1881. 


lYRUS  PORTER  COLBY,  an  active 
and  enterprising  farmer  of  Milford, 
N.H.,  and  a  veteran  of  the  late 
Civil  War,  was  born  July  31,  1845, 
in  Sandown,  Rockingham  County.  He  is 
descended  from  an  old  and  respected  fam- 
ily of  New  England.  One  of  his  ancestors, 
John  Colby,  while  serving  in  the  French 
and  Indian  War  under  Colonel  Ebenezer 
Hinsdale,  was  captured  by  the  Indians  near 
Hinsdale  Fort  on  the  Connecticut  River, 
July  22,  1755,  and  taken  by  them  to  Mon- 
treal. He  was  held  in  captivity,  but  re- 
ceived kindly  treatment,  until  Montreal  was 
taken  by  General  Amherst  in  September, 
1760  He  arrived  home  in  the  following  Oc- 
tober, having  in  his  possession  several  articles 
given    him    by    the    Indians,    which    are   still 


preserved  by  the  family.  Two  comrades  of 
John,  captured  at  the  same  time,  were 
scalped.  The  fifth  generation  of  the  family 
are  living  in  the  old  house  built  by  this  an- 
cestor in  1760  and  1761.  It  is  also  recorded 
of  him  that  he  gave  the  land  on  which  the  old 
church  was  built  in  1773-74.  This  building 
is  still  in  good  repair,  and  is  used  every  year 
for  town  meeting.  John  Colby  received 
no  pay  for  his  five  years'  service  as  a  soldier. 
Amos  Colby,  the  father  of  Cyrus  P.,  after  a 
lifelong  residence  in  Sandown,  died  there, 
March  22,  1894,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one 
years.  He  married  Mary  A.  Sanborn,  also  a 
native  of  Sandown,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
Sanborn,  who  served  his  country  in  the  War 
of  1 8 12.  She  died  in  early  life,  leaving  sev- 
eral children,  of  whom  the  survivors  are: 
Cyrus  P.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  John  L. , 
of  Sandown;  and  George  E.,  of  Salina,  Kan. 
Cyrus  P.  Colby  was  but  six  years  old  when  his 
mother  died.  From  that  time  imtil  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age  he  lived  with  an  aunt  in 
South  New  Market,  N.  H.  Going  then  to  the 
neighboring  town  of  Danville,  he  made  his 
home  with  an  uncle  of  his  mother's  for  four 
years.  On  October  12,  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  Seventh  New  Hampshire  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  term  of  enlistment,  which  expire  1  June  6, 
1862,  he  was  on  guard  duty.  On  March  17, 
1864,  he  re-enlisted,  joining  Company  B, 
Third  Massachusetts  Cavalry,  which  was 
assigned  to  the  Nineteenth  Army  Corps,  under 
General  N.  P.  Banks.  When  the  corps  re- 
turned from  the  Red  River  campaign,  it  was 
made  a  part  of  Sheridan's  army,  which  was 
then  stationed  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley. 
Mr.  Colby  subsequently  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Winchester  and  in  the  engagements 
at  Fisher's  Hill  and  Cedar  Creek.  At  the 
latter  place  he  was  captured  by  the  Confeder- 
ates. He  was  kept  in  confinement  for  five 
months,  first  in  Pemberton  Prison,  then  at 
Salisbury,  N.C  ,  and  later  at  Libby  Prison, 
from  which  he  was  paroled,  finally  receiving 
his  honorable  discharge  from  the  service,  June 
10,  1865.  While  a  prisoner  he  suffered 
terrible  hardships  and  privations,  which  ])er- 
manently  undermined  his  health.      After  being 


io6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


honorably  discharged  June  lo,  1865,  he  re- 
turned to  New  England,  locating  in  Nashua, 
where  he  worked  at  the  trade  of  an  iron 
moulder  for  several  years.  For  the  succeed- 
ing five  years  he  was  employed  as  fireman  on 
the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad  between  Boston 
and  Worcester.  In  1876  he  bought  his  pres- 
ent farm  of  fifty  acres  in  Milford,  and  has 
since  been  profitably  engaged  in  agriculture. 
In  politics  he  is  a  loyal  Republican. 

On  November  28,  1866,  Mr.  Colby  married 
Miss  Abbie  J.  Colburn,  who  was  born  in  Mol- 
lis, N.H.,  daughter  of  Washington  and  Relief 
(Wright)  Colburn,  natives  respectively  of 
Milford  and  Dunstable,  Mass.  He  has  now 
four  children,  namely:  Grace  E.,  wife  of 
Arthur  W.  Merrill,  of  this  town;  Charles  H.; 
Minnie  J.;  and  Mary  B.  He  belongs  to 
Granite  Lodge,  No.  i,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of 
Nashua;  is  a  comrade  of  O.  W.  Lull  Post, 
No.  II,  G.  A.  R. ;  and  he  and  Mrs.  Colby  are 
charter  members  of  Gustos  Morum,  Rebekah 
Lodge,  No.  23,  of  Odd  Fellows  of  Milford. 
Both  are  also  active  and  valued  members  of 
the  Baptist  church. 


RA  MONROE,  a  retired  farmer  of 
Marlboro,  Cheshire  County,  N.H., 
and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was 
born  in  Marlow,  this  county,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1 8 19,  son  of  Isaac  and  Fanny  (Robb) 
Monroe.  Isaac  Monroe,  who  was  a  native  of 
Carlisle,  Mass.,  cleared  a  farm  in  Marlow, 
where  he  resided  for  many  years.  He  was 
also  at  one  time  a  resident  of  Stoddard,  N.H. 
He  lived  to  be  eighty-four  years  old.  His 
wife,  Fanny  Robb  Monroe,  whom  he  married 
in  Marlow,  became  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  only  survivors  are:  Isaac 
O. ;  and  Ora,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Ora  Monroe  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Marlow  and  Stoddard,  and  for  nine 
years  after  the  completion  of  his  studies  he 
was  employed  as  a  farm  assistant.  After  his 
marriage  he  bought  a  farm  in  Leominster, 
Mass.,  where  he  resided  four  years;  but,  sub- 
sequently selling  that  property,  he  purchased 
a  tract  of  land  located  upon  the  Keene  road  in 
the    town    of     Marlow,     and    upon    which    he 


erected  a  set  of  substantial  buildings.  This 
he  occupied  but  a  short  time,  when  he  again 
sold  out  and  moved  to  another  farm,  situated 
at  Marlow  Hill.  Here  he  tilled  the  soil 
successfully  for  a  number  of  years,  when  he 
disposed  of  that  farm  also,  and  removed  to 
Marlow  village,  where  he  owned  a  large  tract  of 
land.  He  continued  to  carry  on  general  farm- 
ing until  1882,  when  he  retired  from  active 
labor,  and,  purchasing  a  pleasantly  situated 
residence  in  Marlboro,  has  since  resided  here. 
During  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Monroe  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  the  Fourteenth  New  Hampshire 
Regiment,  with  which  he  served  two  years 
and  si.\  months,  being  honorably  discharged 
at  Washington  in  April,   1865. 

The  first  of  Mr.  Monroe's  two  marriages  was 
contracted  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  with 
Ro.xana  Fox,  who  died  in  Marlow,  leaving  two 
children  —  Mary  E.  and  Abbie.  Mary  E. 
became  the  wife  of  John  Stone,  who  died  leav- 
ing her  with  five  children.  Abbie,  who  mar- 
ried Elmer  Dennis,  died  in  Springfield, 
Mass.,  February  4,  1886.  Mr.  Monroe's 
second  wife  was  before  marriage  Eunice  Mc- 
Intire,  daughter  of  David  and  Eunice  (Burnap) 
Mclntire,  her  father  being  a  native  of  Fitch- 
burg,  Mass.,  and  her  mother  of  Temple,  N.H. 
Both  her  parents  are  now  deceased.  In  1870 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Monroe  adopted  Willie  Winfield 
Cilley,  who  lived  to  the  age  of  twenty-five 
years  and  two  months,  dying  November  5, 
1890.  Mr.  Monroe  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics and  a  Baptist  in  his  religious  belief. 
He  has  displayed  good  judgment  in  real  es- 
tate transactions,  which,  together  with  his 
habits  of  industry  and  frugality,  have  been  the 
means  of  his  accumulating  a  comfortable  com- 
petency; and  he  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of 
his  toil. 


T^HARLES  L.  WILKINS,  of  the  firm 
I  ^TT-^  Wilkins  Brothers,  the  well-known 
^^IL)  paper  bo.x  manufacturers  of  Milford, 

is  a  native  of  Amherst,  N.H.  He 
was  born  April  23,  1861,  son  of  Aaron  and 
Abbie  (McCluer)  Wilkins,  both  also  natives 
of  Amherst.  His  paternal  great-grandfather 
was  Aaron    Wilkins,  who   came   from    Middle- 


ORA     MONROE. 


i:i()c;rai'iiical  review 


109 


ton,  Mass.,  to  Amherst,  and  was  the  first  of 
the  family  in  that  place.  Aaron  Wilkins 
(second),  the  grandfather,  likewise  a  native 
of  Amherst,  was  the  father  of  Aaron  S.  The 
father,  who  had  previously  resided  in  Am- 
herst, in  1893  came  to  Milford,  where  he  now 
resides  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  F.  W. 
Sawyer.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
he  was  Selectman  in  Amherst  for  a  time. 
His  wife,  one  of  whose  ancestors  was  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  bore  him  six  children, 
namely:  A.  Milton,  a  resident  of  Amherst; 
George  H.,  M.D.,  a  physician  in  Palmer, 
Mass. ;  Frank,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Ken- 
dall &  Wilkins,  merchants  of  Milford; 
Charles  L. ,  the  subject  of  this  biography; 
Harry  A.,  of  the  firm  Wilkins  Brothers;  and 
Mrs.  F.  W.  Sawyer,  of  Milford. 

Charles  L.  Wilkins  was  reared  to  man's  es- 
tate in  Amherst,  and  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  that  town.  Later  he  studied  for 
three  years  in  the  McCollom  Institute  of 
Mont  Vernon,  N.  H.,  and  subsequently  at- 
tended the  State  Agricultural  College  at 
Hanover.  In  1879  ^^  engaged  as  a  clerk  with 
C.  E.  Kendall  &  Co.,  of  Milford,  and  was 
with  them  four  years.  He  went  to  Florida  in 
1884,  and  at  Jacksonville  was  engaged  as  a 
salesman  in  mercantile  business  for  some 
three  years.  Then  he  returned  to  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  had  charge  of  a  general  store  in 
Amherst  for  a  number  of  years.  While  there 
he  was  Town  Treasurer  and  Town  Clerk  re- 
spectively for  two  years.  In  1891,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brothers,  he  purchased  the 
paper  box  business  of  C.  A.  Adams  in  Mil- 
ford, and  the  place  has  since  been  conducted 
by  Wilkins  Brothers.  They  manufacture  any 
and  all  kinds  of  paper  boxes,  with  the  most 
improved  machinery. 

Mr.  Wilkins  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Water  Commissioners  of  Milford 
since  April,  1895.  In  December  of  1896  he 
was  appointed  Registrar  of  the  Board.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  belongs  to 
the  Masonic  lodge  of  Milford,  and,  having  a 
membership  in  the  Milford  Odd  Fellows,  he 
has  passed  through  the  chairs  of  Prospect 
Hill  Encampment.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church,  and   takes  an    interest 


in  everything  likely  to  improve  the  town. 
Mr.  Wilkins  was  married  October  8,  1885,  to 
Fannie  H.  Spaukling,  daughter  of  W.  Spauld- 
ing,  of  Milford,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
War.  They  have  two  children  —  Charles  H. 
and  Marion  W. 


t^TENRY  F.  DODGE,  a  prominent  and 
L^-l  well-known  citizen  of  Mont  Vernon, 
|ig  I  was    born    in    this    town,    May    Vj, 

^-^  1838,  a  son  of  Henry  C.  and  Sophia 
(Emerson)  Dodge.  He  is  a  descendant  of  an 
early  settler  who  located  in  Beverly,  Mass., 
in  1638.  Josiah  Dodge,  the  founder  of  the 
family  in  Hillsboro  County,  removed  from 
Beverly  in  1772  to  that  part  of  Amherst  now 
within  the  limits  of  Mont  Vernon.  He  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life  in  this  vicinity,  rear- 
ing a  family  of  children. 

Henry  C.  Dodge  was  born  and  reared  in 
Mont  Vernon,  and  there  spent  his  long  and 
useful  life.  He  has  ever  performed  his  full 
share  in  promoting  the  prosperity  of  his  na- 
tive town,  which  he  has  represented  in  the 
State  legislature,  and  served  as  Selectman 
and  chairman  of  the  Selectmen.  He  is  a 
stanch  Democrat  in  politics.  He  is  now  a 
hale  and  active  man  of  eighty-six  years.  His 
wife,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Marlboro, 
this  State,  is  but  three  years  younger.  Of 
their  five  children  Henry  F.  and  Anna  R. 
are  living.  The  father  was  well  educated  for 
a  man  of  his  day,  and  in  his  earlier  years 
taught  in  the  public  schools  of  this  and  sur- 
rounding towns.  He  was  also  a  noted 
teacher  of  penmanship,  and  had  evening 
classes  in  this  section  of  the  county  for  many 
winters. 

Henry  F.  Dodge  completed  his  early  edu- 
cation at  the  Appleton  Academy  of  Mont 
Vernon,  now  known  as  McCollom  Institute, 
and  of  which  for  a  time  he  has  been  a  trustee. 
On  reaching  man's  estate  he  chose  agriculture 
for  his  occupation,  and  since  1882  has  had 
charge  of  and  still  owns  the  old  homestead  of 
the  Dodge  family,  which  contains  over  two 
hundred  acres.  He  now  resides  on  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  about  a  mile  distant  from  the 
homestead.      Of  late  years   he   has   openeil    his 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


house  for  the  reception  of  summer  boarders, 
who  at  his  pleasant  home  find  healthful  rest 
and  recreation  from  the  city's  heat  and  dust. 
Mr.  Dodge  takes  an  intelli,i;ent  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  his  native  town  and  county,  aiding 
by  every  means  in  his  power  its  advancement 
and  prosperity.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
was  Selectman  of  Mont  Vernon,  serving  a 
part  of  the  time  as  chairman  of  the  Board; 
and  he  also  represented  the  town  in  the  State 
legislature.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  is  identified  with 
the  society  of  the  Golden  Cross  at  Amherst. 

On  January  7,  1864,  Mr.  Dodge  married 
Miss  Laura  R.  Parker,  daughter  of  William 
and  Sarah  Parker.  Her  father  died  April  13, 
1885,  while  her  mother  is  now  a  resident  of 
New  Boston,  N.H.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge 
have  three  children:  Fannie  L.,  the  wife  of 
William  D.  Clark,  of  Amherst;  Clara  E. ; 
and  Abbie  S. 


J  "DUDLEY  HUNTLEY,  an  industri- 
— 1  ous  farmer  and  an  esteemed  resident 
9^  of  Marlovv,  was  born  in  this  town, 
March  25,  1820,  son  of  Curtis  and 
Betsey  (Lewis)  Huntley.  The  first  of  his  an- 
cestors to  settle  in  New  Hampshire  was 
Elisha  Huntley,  his  great-grandfather,  who 
was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  The  father,  who 
was  born  in  Marlow  in  1790,  tilled  the  soil  of 
a  good  farm  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1869.  He  was  the  father  of  eight  chil- 
dren; namely,  Elisha,  Nathan,  Polly,  Nathan 
(second),  Harriet,  Dudley,  William,  and 
Alden. 

Dudley  Huntley  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Marlow.  He  worked  in  a  factory  in  Nashua, 
N.H.,  for  a  time,  and  also  spent  a  year  or  two 
in  Boston  when  a  young  man,  but  general 
farming  has  been  his  chief  occupation.  He 
formerly  owned  and  cultivated  agricultural 
property  in  Unity  and  Goshen,  N.H.  Since 
1859  he  has  resided  upon  a  farm  in  Marlow, 
where  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  able 
and  successful  farmers. 

Mr.  Huntley  married  Mrs.  Aurelia  M. 
Hall  Baker,  then  a  widow,  who  was  born 
December  25,  1824,  daughter  of  Edward  Hall, 


of  Marlow.  She  became  the  mother  of  two 
children:  Melvin  J.,  born  in  Unity,  August 
31,  1853;  and  Lizzie,  born  in  the  same  town, 
August  9,  1858.  Lizzie  married  Walter 
Paige,  a  well-known  resident  of  Stoneham, 
Mass.,  and  her  children  are  Guy  and  Ralph. 
Melvin  J.  Huntley,  having  acquired  a  good 
practical  education,  has  devoted  his  attention 
principally  to  assisting  his  father  upon  the 
farm.  He  is  energetic  and  progressive,  takes 
a  lively  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  In  his  religious  belief  he  is  a  L^ni- 
versalist.  He  married  Frances  R.  Dodge, 
who  was  born  in  1853,  daughter  of  Rufus 
Dodge,  of  Marlow.  Mrs.  Dudley  Huntley 
died  February  15,   1894. 


/^^TeORGE  E.  CLARKE,  of  Milford, 
I  •)  I  Hillsboro  County,  a  successful  agri- 
^ —  culturist,  a  surveyor,  and  a  dealer  in 
real  estate,  was  born  here,  December  18, 
1840.  He  is  of  English  ancestry.  His 
grandfather,  Richard  Clarke,  was  an  early  set- 
tler of  Milford.  His  father,  Rufus  Clarke, 
after  spending  his  eighty-five  years  of  life  in 
Milford,  died  on  the  family  homestead,  Janu- 
ary 10,  1 88 1.  Rufus  was  a  farmer  and  a 
lumberman,  carrying  on  an  extensive  business 
for  his  day,  and  he  was  very  active  in  local 
and  church  affairs.  He  married  Frances 
Almina  Conant,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Mil- 
ford. Of  their  three  children  George  E.  and 
Rufus  A.  are  living.  Both  parents  were 
members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

George  E.  Clarke  was  reared  to  manhood 
beneath  the  parental  roof -tree.  He  received 
his  elementary  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Milford  and  Hollis.  Afterward  he 
took  a  special  course  in  surveying  and  civil 
engineering  at  the  Appleton  Academy  in 
Mont  Vernon,  this  county.  Of  late  years  Mr. 
Clarke  has  been  much  engaged  in  these  occu- 
pations. He  has  carried  on  an  extensive  busi- 
ness in  drawing  up  legal  documents  of  all  kinds, 
dealing  in  real  estate,  and  serves  as  adminis- 
trator, trustee,  and  guardian,  besides  success- 
fully managing  his  well-improved  farm  of  one 
hundred  acres.      He   is  recognized   throughout 


IJlOGRAl'lliCAL    REVIEW 


the  community  as  an  intelligent  and  able 
business  man,  upright  and  honest  in  all  of  his 
transactions.  Desirous  of  promoting  the  wel- 
fare of  the  town,  he  has  served  it  for  several 
terms  as  Selectman.  For  many  years  he  was 
the  auditor  and  a  trustee  of  the  Milford  Sav- 
ings Bank.  In  politics  he  is  a  consistent  Re- 
publican. He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church. 

Mr.  Clarke  was  united  in  marriage  January 
6,  I  88 1,  with  Miss  Ermina  E.  Holt,  daughter 
of  Horace  Holt,  late  of  Milford,  N.H.  Their 
pleasant  home  is  an  attractive  resort  for  sum- 
mer tourists  and  their  large  circle  of  friends 
and  acquaintances. 


LINTON    H.    TIRRELL,    a    widely 
known  and  successful  farmer  of  Goffs- 


town,  was  born  here,  February  22, 
1S46,  son  of  Hiram  and  Martha 
(Gilmore)  Tirrell.  His  grandfather,  Jesse 
Tirrell,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
part  of  Goffstown  called  Canada  Hill,  where 
he  took  up  and  cleared  new  lands,  making  a 
comfortable  farm,  and  subsequently  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  there.  His  last  years 
were  passed  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Clin- 
ton H.  Tirrell. 

Fliram  Tirrell,  son  of  Jesse,  a  native  of 
Goffstown,  was  born  in  July,  1806.  He  fol- 
lowed the  occupations  of  farmer  and  lumber- 
man. After  his  marriage  he  moved  to  the  old 
Gilmore  farm,  which,  with  the  exception  of 
seven  years  spent  in  Boston,  was  his  home  for 
the  rest  of  his  life.  In  religion  he  was  a 
Baptist  and  in  politics  a  Republican.  He 
died  January  9,  1888.  His  wife,  Martha,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Gilmore,  who  was  a  pio- 
neer of  the  town,  died  July  22,  1876.  They 
had  five  children,  three  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. Three  of  these  children  are  living, 
namely:  Jesse  VV.,  a  farmer  of  Goffstown; 
Caroline,  the  wife  of  George  C.  Baker,  of 
West  Manchester;  and  Clinton  H.,  the  young- 
est, and  the  subject  of  this  biography.  The 
other  two  were:  Harriett,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  nineteen;  and  Joseph,  who  died  June  17, 
1895,  aged  fifty-seven  years. 

Clinton  H.  Tirrell  was  educated  in  the  com- 


mon schools  of  his  native  town.  I'^arminLf, 
which  he  has  followed  very  successfully,  has 
been  his  principal  occupation.  He  has  also 
been  engaged  in  the  lumbering  business,  and 
for  seventeen  years  he  drove  a  milk  route  in 
Manchester.  He  still  makes  a  sjjecialty  of 
the  latter  branch  of  his  business.  Since  the 
farm  left  by  his  father  came  into  his  posses- 
sion, he  has  so  enlarged  it  that  it  now  con- 
tains over  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  is 
one  of  the  largest  estates  in  the  town.  The 
modern  out-buildings,  handsome  residence, 
and  other  improvements  give  ample  evidence 
of  able  management. 

Mr.  Tirrell  was  married  June  29,  1875,  to 
Sarah  J.  Boynton,  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Hannah  Boynton,  of  Bedford,  both  now  de- 
ceased. Their  children  are:  Lewis  O.,  born 
August  19,  1876,  now  a  farmer,  and  living  at 
home;  and  Burton  G.,  born  September  3, 
1878,  at  present  studying  at  a  business  col- 
lege. In  politics  the  father  is  a  Republican, 
and  he  belongs  to  the  Junior  Grange,  No. 
150,  P.  of  H.,  at  Grasmere.  The  mother  and 
sons  are  Good  Templars.  All  attend  the  Bap- 
tist church. 


TT^HARLES  O.  WHITNEY,  one  of  the 
I  \r^  pioneer  manufacturers  in  Marlboro 
^U  and    an      e.\-member     of     the     New 

Hampshire  legislature,  is  a  de- 
scendant of  John  and  Eleanor  Whitney,  who 
emigrated  from  England,  and  settled  at 
Watertown,  Mass.,  in  June,  1635.  John 
Whitney's  second  wife,  whom  he  married  in 
Watertown,  was  Judith  Clement  Whitney. 
Jonathan,  son  of  John  and  Eleanor  Whitney, 
was  born  in  England  in  1634.  On  October 
30,  1656,  he  was  married  in  Watertown  to 
Lydia  Jones.  Joseph  Whitney,  son  of  Jona- 
than, was  born  in  Watertown,  March  10, 
1672.  He  married  Rebecca  Burge,  of 
Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  resided  in  Pepperell. 
Ensign  James  Whitney,  son  of  Joseph,  born  in 
Pepperell  in  1714,  settled  in  Dunstable, 
Mass.  An  account  of  the  manner  in  which 
he  was  accidentally  killed  by  one  of  his 
neighbors  is  given  in  the  History  of  Dun- 
stable.      John    Whitney,    grandfather    of    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RFA'IEVV 


subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Dunstable, 
April  15,  1745.  He  foimht  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill  in  Captain  Whitcomb's  company, 
which  subsequently  served  in  the  Continental 
army  throughout  the  Revolutionary  War. 
After  the  close  ot  hostilities  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  in  Troy,  N.  H.,  where  he  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life  occupied  in  farming.  He 
wedded  Mary  Jones,  of  Franiingham,  Mass., 
and  died  in  1829. 

Charles  O.  Whitney,  who  was  born  in  Troy, 
N.  H.,  May  4,  1838,  left  fatherless  at  the  age 
of  three  years,  went  to  live  with  his  uncle,  Ira 
Godding.  When  twelve  years  old  the  death 
of  his  uncle  and  aunt  threw  him  upon  liis  own 
resources,  and  he  was  forced  to  reside  with 
such  families  as  were  willing  to  board  and 
clothe  him  in  return  for  his  labor.  His  edu- 
cational opportunities  were  limited  to  a  short 
attendance  at  the  district  school  during  the 
winter  season  for  a  few  years.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  secured  employment  in  a  saw  and 
grist  mill.  Later  he  learned  the  chairmaker's 
trade  in  Gardner,  Mass.,  where  he  remained 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War. 
Then  he  went  to  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  was 
there,  at  the  United  States  Arsenal,  em- 
ployed in  the  manufacture  of  muskets  for  two 
years.  He  ne.xt  became  associated  with  his 
brother-in-law  in  the  manufacture  of  chairs 
in  South  Gardner,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Whitney  &  Bent,  and  did  a  profitable  business 
for  about  three  years.  In  1866  he  came  to 
Marlboro,  where  he  with  others  founded  the 
Marlboro  Manufacturing  Company,  and  in  the 
following  spring  began  the  manufacture  of 
horse  blankets.  Some  time  later  Mr.  Whit- 
ney withdrew  from  that  enterprise,  and,  after 
erecting  a  building  upon  the  site  of  a  good 
water-power,  which  he  improved,  resumed  the 
manufacture  of  chairs.  He  at  length  entered 
into  partnership  with  Warren  H.  Clark  ;  and, 
fitting  up  his  mill  for  the  production  of  horse 
blankets,  he  is  now  running  seven  sets  of  ma- 
chinery, and  employs  over  one  hundred  hands 
the  year  round.  This  firm  also  manufactures 
satinets,  of  which,  when  working  to  their  full 
capacity,  they  turn  out  three  thousand,  nine 
hundred  yards  daily. 

In   politics    Mr.    Whitney  is   a    Republican. 


He  has  served  with  ability  as  a  Selectman, 
was  for  a  number  of  years  a  member  of  the 
School  Board,  and  in  1896  was  elected  to  the 
legislature  from  this  town.  He  is  connected 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the  LIniversalist 
church. 


INSLOW  S.  KYES,  who  was  a  well- 
known  merchant  of  Peterboro  and 
the  treasurer  of  the  Contoocook 
Valley  Savings  Bank,  was  born  in  Marlow, 
N.H.,  February  27,  1832,  son  of  Leonard  and 
Charlotte  (Royce)  Kyes,  of  Acworth,  N.H. 
His  grandfather,  Asa  Kyes,  who  was  a  pros- 
perous farmer  of  that  town,  married  Catherine 
Blood,  of  Groton,  Mass.,  and  reared  eleven 
children,  none  of  whom  are  living. 

Leonard  Kyes,  born  January  7,  1804,  set- 
tled in  Peterboro,  and  for  some  time  was  em- 
ployed in  the  cotton-mill  at  West  Peterboro 
as  a  mechanic.  Later  he  was  overseer  of  the 
carding-room,  and  still  later  of  the  spinning- 
room.  While  residing  in  Acworth  he  was 
Captain  of  a  militia  company.  He  possessed 
a  high  mora]  character,  and  was  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him.  He  died  in  Peterboro  at 
the  age  of  si.xty-seven  years.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Democrat,  and  a  Methodist  in  his  relig- 
ious belief.  His  wife,  Charlotte,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Royce,  of  Marlow,  became 
the  mother  of  two  children  —  Winslow  S.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Diantha  A.,  who 
married  John  F.  D'Orsay,  of  Dorchester. 
Diantha  has  one  daughter,  Edith  N.,  born 
June  27,  1875.  Mrs.  Leonard  Kyes  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy -si. \  years. 

Winslow  S.  Kyes  was  a  year  old  when  his 
parents  moved  to  Peterboro.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  at  Appleton 
Academy  in  New  Ipswich,  N.H.  Afterward, 
while  employed  in  the  factory  at  West  Peter- 
boro, he  attained  the  position  of  an  overseer, 
in  which  capacity  he  worked  for  several  years. 
After  resigning  this  position  he  conducted  a 
grocery  store  for  seven  years.  In  1880  he 
opened  a  dry-goods  store  in  Peterboro  village, 
and  subsequently  he  established  an  undertak- 
ing business,  both  of  which  he   carried   on   for 


lilOCRAl'HlCAL    RE\IE\V 


"3 


the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  also  inter- 
ested in  the  Contoocook  Savings  Bank,  of 
which  he  was  the  treasurer.  His  natural 
energy  and  ability  gave  him  prominence 
among  business  men,  who  regarded  him  as  a 
successful  merchant.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat.  He  took  an  active  part  in  local 
public  affairs,  and  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Selectmen  for  nine  years  in  suc- 
cession. He  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
Masonic  lodge  in  Peterboro.  In  his  relig- 
ious belief  he  was  a  Unitarian,  and  for  some 
years  was  a  Deacon  and  the  treasurer  of  the 
local  society. 

On  January  29,  i860,  Mr.  Kyes  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Catherine  Harding,  daughter 
of  James  and  Catherine  (Hosmer)  Harding, 
respectively  natives  of  Maine  and  Baldwins- 
ville,  Mass.  Mrs.  Kyes  is  the  mother  of  four 
children',  namely:  Frank  W.,  born  December 
4,  i860;  Katie  L.,  born  October  17,  1864; 
Gertrude  H.,  born  March  23,  1866;  and  Karl 
S.,  born  May  23,  1878.  Frank  W.  married 
for  his  first  wife  Millie  White  of  Peterboro, 
who  bore  him  one  son,  Herman  W.  His  pres- 
ent wife  was  before  marriage  Georgia  Cald- 
well, of  Ipswich,  Mass.  Katie  L.  is  the  wife 
of  George  H.  Haskell,  of  Ipswich,  and  has 
one  son,  Harold  K.  Gertrude  H.  is  the  wife 
of  Carl  H.  F'oster,  of  Peterboro,  and  has  one 
son,  Curtis  G.  Karl  S.  is  now  a  student  at 
the  Harvard  Dental  College.  The  father 
died  at  his  home  November  20,  1895,  mourned 
by  all  who  knew  him.  Mrs.  Kyes  has  since 
conducted  the  dry-goods  and  millinery  busi- 
ness formerly  carried  on  by  him,  and  is  well 
maintaining  the  high  reputation  which  the  es- 
tablishment has  had  since  its  opening. 


/®Tc 


EORGE  ROBERTSON  was  one  of 
\  •)  I  the  enterprising  and  public-spirited 
men  of  Hinsdale.  He  was  born  in 
Hartford,  Conn.,  April  19,  1822,  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Christina  (Ross)  Robertson,  who 
were  both  natives  of  Scotland.  The  father, 
born  July  2  1,  1793,  learned  the  paper-maker's 
trade.  About  one  year  after  his  marriage, 
which  took  place  February  14,  181 7,  he 
emigrated     to      Halifa.x,     N.S.       Two     years 


later  he  went  to  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  in  the 
autumn  of  1823  he  removed  to  Putney,  Vt. 
In  Putney  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  paper  until  extreme  old  age  compelled  him 
to  retire.  He  and  his  wife  passed  their  last 
days  in  Hinsdale,  where  they  are  remembered 
as  a  charming  couple,  speaking  the  Scotch 
dialect,  which  they  never  sought  to  overcome. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children; 
namely,  Ann,  Marion  K.,  George,  John,  Jean 
N.,  Edwin  R.,  and  Christina  C. 

George  Robertson  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Putney.  Employed  in  his  father's  mill 
from  an  early  age,  he  became  an  expert  paper- 
maker  before  reaching  his  majority.  While 
he  and  his  brother  John  were  still  under  age, 
their  father  repurchased  a  mill  that  he  had 
formerly  owned,  and,  transferring  the  prop- 
erty to  them,  thus  started  them  in  business  as 
paper  -manufacturers.  George  Robertson  re- 
sided in  Putney  until  1849,  at  which  time 
he  came  to  Hinsdale,  leaving  his  brother  in 
charge  of  the  business,  but  retaining  his  inter- 
est in  it  until  1856.  After  locating  here  he 
and  others  bought  a  paper-mill,  wliich  was 
erected  by  Thomas  Cutting  in  1845,  and  began 
the  manufacture  of  paper  in  this  town.  In 
1851  this  mill  was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  it 
was  immediately  rebuilt,  and  operated  until 
again  burned  in  1863.  Another  mill  built 
upon  the  same  site  was  ready  for  business  in 
1865,  and  was  afterward  successfully  con- 
ducted until  1880,  when  the  bursting  of  what 
is  known  as  a  rotary  bleach  again  laid  the 
mill  and  machinery  in  ruins.  This  disaster, 
although  a  serious  one,  was  not  sufficient  to 
dampen  the  courage  of  Mr.  Robertson,  who 
commenced  the  erection  of  a  new  mill  in  the 
same  fall,  and  resumed  business  in  the  follow- 
ing spring,  with  a  building  and  a  plant  ca- 
pable of  turning  out  in  the  neighborhood  of  two 
and  one-half  tons  of  paper  per  day.  The  place 
was  nearly  in  good  running  order  when  another 
accident,  of  a  still  more  serious  nature,  over- 
took the  stout-hearted  man.  On  the  afternoon 
of  May  24,  1882,  Mr.  Robertson  went  to 
Ashuelot  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  a  new 
paper-mill  that  was  in  process  of  erection  by 
his  sons.  While  standing  in  close  proximity 
to  the  walls,  he  was   struck   by   a  falling   der- 


114 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


rick,  sustaining  a  fracture  of  the  skull,  from 
the  effects  of  which  he  died  shortly  afterward. 
Thus  was  removed  from  the  community  one  of 
its  most  useful  members  in  the  midst  of  his 
best  and  busiest  years.  The  late  George 
Robertson  was  not  only  energetic  and  perse- 
vering, but  public-spirited  as  well.  He  did 
not  stop  to  measure  the  length  of  his  purse 
when  some  worthy  object  needed  aid,  such  as 
starting  a  deserving  young  man  in  life.  A 
friend  who  knew  him  well  said  of  him, 
"With  him  honesty  and  probity  were  gar- 
ments for  every-day  use."  For  some  years 
he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school 
connected  with  the  Congregational  church. 
In  politics  he  was  successively  a  Whig  and  a 
Democrat,  and  his  public  services  to  the  town 
were  performed  with  the  same  energy  and  ca- 
pability which  characterized  his  business  oper- 
ations. He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  coun- 
cils of  Golden  Rule  Lodge. 

At  his  death  Mr.  Robertson  left  four  sons 
—  Frank  W.,  George  A.,  Edwin  C,  and 
Orren  C. —  all  of  whom  are  engaged  in  the 
paper  manufacturing  business.  Frank  and 
Edwin  are  carrying  on  mills  at  Ashuelot, 
employing  an  average  of  twenty  hands,  and 
doing  a  profitable  business.  George  A.  and 
Orren  C.  Robertson  are  operating  the  mill  in 
Hinsdale,  where  they  reside.  Edwin  Robert- 
son has  represented  Hinsdale  in  the  legislat- 
ure, and  Frank  W.  Robertson  has  served  it  as 
.1  Selectman.  Frank  is  a  member  of  Golden 
Rule  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Hinsdale,  is 
connected  with  the  chapter  and  commandery  in 
Keene,  and  has  reached  the  thirty-second  de- 
gree. George  A.  and  Orren  C.  are  members 
of  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  F.  W.  R.,  E.  C.  R., 
and  are  both  thirty-second  degree  Masons. 


7TAOLONEL  FRANK  GARDNER 
I  Sj-^  NOYES,  a  retired  lawyer  and  business 
\jU  man,  was  born  in  Nashua,  N.H., 
July  6,  1833,  son  of  Leonard  W. 
and  Ann  Sewall  (Gardner)  Noyes.  Some  of 
his  ancestors  on  both  his  father's  and  mother's 
sifle  were  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  pa- 
triots.     His    parents   were    lifelong    residents 


of  Nashua.  He  acquired  the  elementary  part 
of  his  education  in  private  schools.  Later  he 
attended  Phillips  Academy,  Williams  and 
Union  Colleges,  and  was  graduated  from 
Union  University  in  1853.  He  then  pursued 
a  three  years'  course  at  Harvard  University 
Law  School,  graduating  in  1856,  and  receiv- 
ing the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  In  the 
same  year  he  went  to  Clinton,  la.,  where  he 
formed  a  partnership  in  the  law  business  with 
ex-Governor  Baker,  of  New  Hampshire.  At 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Noyes 
was  appointed  Aide-de-camp  and  Colonel  of 
Volunteers  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Kirkwood, 
of  Iowa.  In  1862  he  was  commissioned,  by 
President  Abraham  Lincoln,  Captain  of  United 
States  Volunteers,  and  attached  to  the  Thir- 
teenth Army  Corps  at  St.  Louis.  He  took 
part  in  all  the  operations  against  Vicksburg, 
and  in  its  final  capture,  in  the  battle  of 
Mobile  Bay,  and  in  many  minor  engagements. 
He  was  twice  wounded,  and  in  1S65  was  pros- 
trated with  yellow  fever  at  Galveston,  Tex. 
He  was  mustered  out  at  Nashua,  N.  H.,  in 
1865,  having  served  practically  through  the 
entire  war. 

In  1867  Colonel  Noyes  declined  his  ap- 
pointment to  the  consulate  of  Panama,  as  he 
was  then  engaged  in  settling  his  father's  es- 
tate. In  1869  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  machinery  at  Clinton,  la.,  with  Colonel 
Tenbroeck,  under  the  firm  name  of  Tenbroeck 
&  Noyes.  Two  years  later  Mr.  Noyes  pur- 
chased his  partner's  interest,  after  which  he 
carried  on  the  enterprise  alone  until  1878. 
Then  he  disjjosed  of  the  business,  and,  return- 
ing to  Nashua,  has  since  lived  in  retirement. 
Colonel  Noyes  was  made  a  Mason  in  Western 
Star  Lodge,  No.  100,  of  Clinton,  in  1857, 
and  has  been  officially  connected  with  the 
chapter  and  with  Holy  Cross  Commandery, 
No.  10,  Knights  Templar,  of  Clinton,  of 
which  he  has  been  Captain  General  for  three 
years.  He  takes  no  active  part  in  public 
affairs,  and,  although  he  has  been  frequently 
solicited  to  accept  office,  has  always  declined. 
He  is  a  comrade  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  was  Department  Commander  of 
New  Hampshire  in  1893. 

On  December  10,   185  i,  Colonel   Noyes  was 


iii()(;rai'iiic;al  review 


joined  in  marriage  with  Hannah  E.  Richard- 
son, of  Tevvlcsbury,  Mass.,  great-grand-niece 
of  Worcester,  tiie  lexicographer.  Colonel 
and  Mrs.  Noyes  have  had  seven  children,  of 
whom  four  are  living,  namely:  Anna  Gard- 
ner, who  is  the  wife  of  Sheridan  P.  Read, 
United  States  Consul  at  Tien-Tsin,  China; 
Clara  Leonard  Hancock,  of  whom  there  is  no 
special  record;  Grace  Richardson,  the  wife  of 
Leon  Mead,  of  New  York,  formerly  editor  of 
Truth;  and  Elizabeth  Greenleaf  Gardner 
Noyes,  who  is  now  residing  in  China.  Polit- 
ically, Colonel  Noyes  is  a  Democrat.  He 
has  gained  wide  reputation  as  a  public 
speaker,  and  is  frequently  called  upon  to 
deliver  addresses  upon  political  and  other 
subjects. 


JB 


ANIEL  RICHARDSON,  a  skilful 
carpenter  and  a  highly  respected 
resident  of  Mont  Vernon,  was  born 
in  New  Portland,  Me.,  February 
23,  1837,  son  of  Daniel  and  Joanna  (Quint) 
Richardson.  On  the  paternal  side  he  comes 
of  L'ish  ancestors,  and  on  the  maternal  side  of 
Scotch.  Grandfather  Richardson  served  for 
seven  years  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
fought  at  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill.  He 
also  was  with  General  Putnam  in  the 
march  to  Quebec  through  Maine,  where  the 
men  suffered  from  cold  and  starvation.  His 
grandfather  served  for  three  years  in  the  same 
war.  The  father,  a  native  of  Maine,  was  for 
nearly  half  a  century  a  resident  of  New  Port- 
land. Thence  he  removed  to  Chelmsford, 
Mass.,  where  he  died.  His  wife,  Joanna, 
was  born  in  Stark's,  Me.  Her  mother  was  a 
second  cousin  of  Lord  Norton,  of  Scotland. 

Daniel  Richardson  was  twelve  years  of  age 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Chelms- 
ford, Mass.  He  resided  with  them  until  h's 
seventeenth  year,  although  he  practically  sup- 
ported himself  after  he  was  thirteen.  He  then 
went  to  Vermont.  After  his  marriage  he 
spent  several  years  in  Bradford,  Vt.,  and  for 
several  years  following  he  was  a  resident  of 
Hillsboro  County,  New  Hampshire.  Then, 
removing  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  he  worked  for  a 
time   in    one  of   the   cotton-mills,    but    subse- 


quently engaged  in  business  for  liim^elf  as  a 
contractor  and  builder.  After  living  in  Low- 
ell for  about  twenty  years,  he  came  in  1875 
to  Mont  Vernon,  where  he  has  since  resuiid. 
While  he  continues  to  work  at  carpentering, 
he    also    carries   on    farming. 

Mr.  Richardson  was  married  May  g,  1857, 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Twiss,  who  was  born  in 
Antrim,  N.H.,  daughter  of  Captain  Dimon 
and  Harriet  (I'armenter)  Twiss.  Her  father, 
who  was  born  in  Beverly,  Mass.,  was  Captain 
of  the  old  grenadier  military  company  of 
Antrim,  and  for  nearly  a  half  a  century 
carried  on  blacksmith  work  in  that  place. 
Her  mother  was  a  native  of  Antrim.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Richardson  are  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  whom  Willie  F.  and  Hattie  M. 
are  living. 

In  politics  Mr.  Richardson  is  a  Republican. 
For  many  years  he  has  been  president  of  the 
Mont  Vernon  Republican  Club,  and  he  is 
very  active  in  local  affairs.  He  has  served 
for  one  year  as  Selectman.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  me  nbers  of  Prospect  Grange,  No. 
21,  in  which  he  has  served  for  two  years  each 
as  Overseer  and  Master.  He  and  his  wife  are 
also  members  of  the  Golden  Cross  Order. 


HOMAS  J.  WINN,  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Winn  Brothers,  of  Harrisville, 
Cheshire  Count}',  general  "storekeepers 
and  manufacturers  of  woodenware,  was  born 
in  this  town,  March  23,  1867,  son  of  lidward 
and  Mary  (Kennedy)  Winn.  His  parents 
were  born  in  Ireland;  and  his  paternal  grand- 
father, William  Winn,  reared  a  family  of  six 
children,  five  sons  and  one  daughter.  The 
sons  were  named  respectively:  James,  lul- 
ward,  William,  John,  and  Thomas. 

Edward  Winn,  father  of  Thomas  J.,  was  ed- 
ucated in  his  native  country,  and  when  a 
young  man  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States. 
He  first  settled  upon  a  farm  in  Harrisville, 
but  later  engaged  in  trade,  establishing  the 
large  mercantile  business  now  carried  on  by 
his  sons,  to  whom  he  sold  the  business  some 
time  ago.  He  is  now  living  in  retirement, 
having  been  a  resident  of  Harrisville  for  the 
past    forty  years,    and    is    a    highly    respected 


ii6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


citizen.  His  wife,  Mary,  became  tlie  mother 
of  six  children,  namely:  Thomas  J.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Edward  F.  and  Minnie 
N.  (twins),  born  April  4,  1869;  Michael, 
born  July  4,  1871;  George,  born  March  10, 
1874;  and  James,  born  in  1878.  Minnie  N. 
finished  her  studies  at  Mount  St.  Mary's 
Academy,  Manchester,  and  now  resides  with 
her  parents. 

Thomas  J.  Winn  completed  his  education 
at  a  commercial  college  in  Manchester,  N.  H., 
and  for  four  years  was  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  in  Fitzwilliam.  He  also  for  four 
years  kept  a  boot  and  shoe  store  in  Boston, 
and  then  succeeded  to  his  father's  business  in 
"^  Harrisville.  The  firm  now  consists  of 
Thomas  J.,  Michael,  George,  James,  and  Ed- 
ward F.  Winn.  Thomas  J.  has  charge  of  the 
store,  which  is  heavily  stocked  with  a  varied 
line  of  general  merchandise;  and  Edward  F. 
superintends  the  mill,  which  is  devoted  to 
the  manufacture  of  boxes,  clothes-pins,  and 
toys. 

Mr.  Thomas  J.  Winn  married  Kate  Grimes, 
of  Troy,  N.H.  He  is  an  able  and  energetic 
business  man,  and  the  firm  is  conducting  a 
very  profitable  enterprise. 


"ON  JOHN  AUGUSTINE  SPALD- 
ING, of  Nashua,  was  born  in  Wil- 
ton, N.H.,  May  29,  1837.  A  son 
of  Moses  and  Anna  H.  (Kimball) 
Spalding,  who  were  residents  of  Wilton  for 
many  years,  he  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Ed- 
ward Spalding,  one  of  three  brothers  who 
came  from  England  to  this  country  in  the 
eighteenth  century.  Young  Spalding  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  public  schools  of  Wilton  and 
Crosby's  Academy  at  Nashua.  He  went  to 
work  at  the  age  of  thirteen  in  a  clothing  store 
of  Lawrence,  Mass.  Six  years  later,  when  he 
was  only  nineteen  years  old,  he  started  a  busi- 
ness for  himself  in  Nashua,  and  successfully 
conducted  it  afterward  for  about  five  years. 
In  1863  he  was  aj^pointed  cashier  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Nashua.  After  faithfully 
discharging  the  duties  of  that  position  for 
thirty-two  years,  he  was  elected  to  the  office 
of    vice-president.       Mr.    Spalding    is    also    a 


trustee  of  the  City  Guarantee  Savings  Bank, 
a  director  of  the  Wilton  Railroad  and  of  the 
Worcester,  Nashua  &  Rochester  Railroad, 
and  a  trustee  of  the  State  Insane  Asylum. 
Caring  for  the  interests  of  others  as  if  they 
were  his  own,  throughout  his  long  and  suc- 
cessful business  career  he  has  held  the  un- 
broken confidence  of  the  community.  Mr. 
Spalding  has  been  honored  with  election  to 
several  important  offices  by  the  Republican 
party,  and  in  politics  as  in  business  he  has 
worn  his  honors  with  dignity,  looking  well  to 
the  interests  of  the  people,  and  performing 
conscientiously  the  duties  devolving  upon 
him.  He  represented  Nashua  in  the  State 
legislature  in  1865-66,  was  State  Senator  in 
1878,  a  member  of  Governor  S.  W.  Hale's 
Council  in  1883-84,  and  the  Mayor  of  this 
city  in  1885.  He  is  at  present  chairman  of 
the  Republican  State  Central  Committee. 
He  served  as  a  Garfield  Presidential  Elector, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  St.  Louis  Conven- 
tion that  nominated  Major  McKinley  in  i8g6. 
On  October  13,  1859,  in  Wilton,  Mr. 
Spalding  was  married  to  Josephine  E.  East- 
man, of  Nashua.  Of  his  two  children  by  that 
marriage  William  E.  Spalding,  of  this  city, 
is  the  survivor.  On  November  24,  1878,  he 
contracted  a  second  marriage  with  Anna  M. 
Learned,  daughter  of  Dr.  E.  T.  Learned,  of 
Fall  River,  Mass.  A  thirty-second  degree 
Mason,  he  belongs  to  Rising  Sun  Lodge,  No. 
39;  to  St.  George  Commandery  of  Nashua; 
and  to  the  Scottish  Rite.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Pennichuck  Lodge,  No.  44,  I.  O.  O.  F. ; 
and  has  been  Noble  Grand  and  chief  officer  of 
Nashanoon  Encampment;  and  he  is  a  comrade 
of  the  Association  of  Amoskeag  Veterans  of 
Manchester. 


^RANK  M.  PARKER,  Po.stmaster  at 
Hillsboro  Bridge,  was  born  in  Milford, 
N.  H.,  December  8,  1863,  son  of 
George  F.  and  Sarah  (Lawrence)  Parker 
His  grandfather,  Orrin  Prescott  Parker,  who 
was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Dunstable,  Mass., 
followed  the  occupation  of  teamster  during  his 
active  years,  and  died  at  a  good  old  age. 

George  F.  Parker,  the  father  of  Frank  M., 


BIOGKAI'HICAL    KEVIF.W 


117 


was  born  in  Dunstable.  In  his  youth  he 
worked  upon  a  farm  in  his  native  town.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  went  to  Milford,  N.H., 
where  he  followed  the  same  occupation  for  a 
time.  Later  he  was  employed  in  a  stone  quarry. 
He  afterward  opened  a  quarry  upon  his  own 
land,  and  has  been  engaged  in  that  business. 
He  is  widely  and  favorably  known  as  an  enter- 
prising and  reliable  business  man.  He  first 
married  Sarah  I^awrence,  of  Pepperell,  Mass., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years,  leav- 
ing three  children — Jones  F.,  Etta  L.,  and 
Frank  M.  Etta  L.  is  the  wife  of  Ellson  D. 
Frye,  of  Wilton,  N.  H.,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren. Frank  M.  Parker's  mother  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church.  For  his  second 
wife  George  F.  Parker  married  Ella  J.  Taylor, 
of  Amherst,  N.H.,  who  has  one  child,  Lizzie 
Bell. 

Frank  M.  Parker  was  educated  in  Milford. 
After  leaving  school  he  worked  for  three 
years  in  the  carding-room  of  the  Pine  Valley 
Mills.  He  was  ne.xt  employed  on  the  stone 
work  of  the  Wilton  town  hall.  Subse- 
quently for  a  short  time  he  worked  in  Morse, 
Kaley  &  Co. 's  yarn  factory.  He  next  entered 
the  employ  of  D.  Whiting  &  Sons.  After 
helping  upon  their  milk  train  for  some  time, 
he  had  charge  of  their  grain  house  in  Hills- 
boro  from  1888  until  February  6,  1894,  when 
he  was  appointed  Postmaster  here.  In  this 
capacity  he  has  proved  an  efficient  and  courte- 
ous official. 

On  September  5,  i88g,  Mr.  Parker  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Evangeline  M.  Grace, 
of  Hillsboro.  An  upright  and  progressive 
young  man,  Mr.  Parker  is  esteemed  by  his 
fellow-townsmen.  In  politics  he  acts  with 
the  Democratic  party.  Both  he  and  Mrs. 
Parker  attend  the  Congregational  church. 


tmc 


EORGE  E.  DOWNES,  a  successful 
\  '•)  I  business  man  of  Francestown,  N.H., 
was  born  here,  January  27,  1830,  son 
ef  Edward  and  Mary  (Dennis)  Downes.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Edward  Downes,  Sr.,  a 
farmer  of  Francestown,  married  Rhoda  Bill- 
ings, of  whose  five   children   by  him    none  are 


now  11  vine;. 


Edward  Downes,  Jr.,  boni  in  Canton, 
Mass.,  was  in  early  life  a  tanner  and  currier, 
and  also  worked  some  at  shoemaking.  After 
following  these  occupations  for  many  years 
in  Francestown,  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
about  fifty  acres,  to  which  he  retired  in  his 
later  days.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-si.x 
years.  His  wife  was  sixty-seven  when  she 
died.  Of  their  twelve  children,  all  of  whom 
grew  up,  eight  are  living;  namely,  Rhoda  B., 
Mark,  Samuel  D.,  George  E  ,  Cynthia  F., 
Amasa,  Henrietta  A.,  and  Harlan  P.  Rhoda 
B.  married  Charles  Parker,  of  Chelmsford, 
Mass.,  and  is  now  a  widow  without  children. 
Mark  married  Mary  Dyer,  of  Exeter,  N.H., 
and  has  two  children  —  Abbieand  Fred.  Sam- 
uel D.  married  Martha  Billings,  of  Deerfield, 
Mass.,  and  has  one  child,  William  E.  Cyn- 
thia F.  is  the  widow  of  Andrew  A.  Ward,  of 
Cambridgeport,  Mass.,  and  has  no  children. 
Amasa,  who  served  in  the  Civil  War  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  Thirteenth  New  Hampshire  Regi- 
ment, Company  B,  performing  also  the  duties 
of  regimental  postmaster,  now  has  entire 
charge  of  the  general  store,  in  the  manage- 
ment of  which  he  was  formerly  a  partner. 
He  married  Susie  Sawyer,  of  Francestown, 
and  has  two  children  —  Charles  and  Bertha  M. 
Harlan  P.  Downes  married  Maria  Stevens,  and 
has  seven  children;  namely,  Mabel  C, 
Charles  F.,  Grace  C,  Annie  A.,  Addie  W., 
Carrie  M.,  and  Elsie  B. 

George  E.  Downes  received  his  education  in 
the  public  school  of  his  native  place.  After 
completing  his  schooling  he  went  to  Nashua, 
and  worked  in  the  dressing-room  of  the  mill 
there  for  two  years.  He  then  returned  to 
Francestown,  and  was  for  about  four  years 
clerk  in  a  general  store.  Later  on  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  business  on  his  own  account  for 
a  short  time.  In  the  year  1856,  with  his 
brother,  Samuel  D.,  and  M.  G.  Starrett,  he 
formed  the  firm  Starrett  &  Downes,  which 
after  a  few  years  became  Downes  Brothers,  who 
conducted  the  business  until  1875.  Then  Sam- 
uel and  George  sold  their  interest  to  Amasa. 
George  continues  to  work  in  the  store.  He 
has  been  Town  Treasurer  for  many  years. 
He  was  Town  Clerk  for  a  short  time,  and  was 
legislative  Representative   in  1S81.      Both   he 


ii8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  his  wife  became  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational church  some  years  ago.  In  politics 
lie  is  a  Republican.  On  October  25,  i860,  he 
married  Harriet  F.  Carter,  of  Francestown. 
She  died  in  1883,  leaving  no  children. 


'red  J.  HARRIS,  who  is  prosperously 
engaged  in  agriculture  in  Chesterfield, 
was  born  in  that  place,  October  21, 
1870,  son  of  John  Harris.  He  is  a  descend- 
ant of  Arthur  Harris,  who,  having  come  from 
England,  settled  in  Duxbury,  Mass.,  in  1640, 
became  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of 
Bridgewater,  Mass.,  and  died  in  Boston  in 
1693. 

Abner  Harris,  probably  a  descendant  of 
Arthur  Harris,  on  April  28,  1777,  purchased 
of  Simon  Davis,  of  Chesterfield,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  land,  with  house  and  barn, 
in  the  western  part  of  Chesterfield,  N.H. 
This  property  was  long  known  as  the  Harris 
farm.  Abner  was  said  to  be  a  potter  by 
trade.  His  son  John  in  1783  married  Han- 
nah, daughter  of  Benjamin  Colburn.  She 
died  April  g,  1839,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven;  and  he  died  July  18,  1828,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two.  They  had  eleven  children, 
of  whom  John,  the  eldest,  born  February  8, 
1785,  married  Luna,  daughter  of  Abel  F". 
Fletcher.  This  John  was  Selectman  in  1830- 
32,  was  a  Representative  to  the  General 
Court  in  1849  ^^^^  1850,  and  he  died  on  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1856.  Of  his  twelve  children  John, 
the  seventh  child,  born  October  20,  1820,  first 
married  in  1844  Mary  Ann  Chamberlain,  who 
died  July  23,  1863.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Joshua  \V.  Chamberlain.  A  second  marriage 
was  contracted  June  7,  1S64,  with  Mary  J., 
daughter  of  John  Town,  of  Hardwick,  Mass. 
Mr.  Town  was  a  large  farmer,  bought  and  sold 
cattle  largely  during  war  times,  and  acquired 
a  comfortable  fortune.  In  politics  he  was  a 
stanch  Republican.  He  had  two  children. 
His  daughter,  Nellie  L.,  who  was  born  Decem- 
ber 6,  1873,  married  Herman  Shaw,  a  meat 
merchant  in  Greenfield,  Mass.  They  have  one 
child  called  Marian,  born  March  28,  1894. 

Fred  J.  Harris,  the  only  son  of  his  father 
by  his  second  wife,  has  inherited  the  business 


tact  and  energy  of  his  ancestors.  Though 
still  a  young  man,  he  is  looked  upon  as  one  of 
the  most  enterprising  and  prosperous  farmers 
of  the  community.  He  succeeded  to  the  es- 
tate of  his  forefathers,  a  farm  containing  about 
three  hundred  acres,  partly  under  cultivation. 
He  owns  his  own  separator,  running  it  with 
sheep-power,  and  disposing  of  his  cream  to  the 
Brattleboro  (Vt.)  Creamery.  He  has  dealt 
some  in  cattle  in  the  past,  and  owns  a  large 
tract  of  timber  land,  from  which  in  one  winter 
he  cut  and  hauled  twenty-five  hundred  rail- 
road ties.  In  1892  he  erected  one  of  the 
largest  and  finest  barns  in  the  town.  The  en- 
tire estate  shows  comfort  and  prosperity. 

On  July  3,  1889,  Mr.  Harris  married 
Hattie  L. ,  daughter  of  Winslow  Pattridge,  of 
Spofford,  N.H.,  by  whom  he  has  one  child, 
John  F.,  born  P^ebruary  i,  i8go.  He  is  a 
prominent  and  popular  member  of  the  Grange 
Association,  Pisterine  Lodge,  No.  145;  and 
of  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  Pokahoket 
Lodge,  No.  20. 


AMES  HARKNESS  TOLLES,  of  the 
firm  Cross  &  ToUes,  wholesale  and 
retail  dealers  in  lumber  at  Nashua, 
was  born  in  this  city,  October  TJ", 
1846,  son  of  Horace  C.  and  Sophia  A. 
(Wright)  Tolles.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Weathersfield,  Vt.,  and  his  mother  of  West- 
ford,  Mass.  Paternal  ancestors  of  his  distin- 
guished themselves  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
He  obtained  his  education  in  the  Nashua 
public  schools,  completing  his  studies  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years.  For  the  first  three  years 
of  his  business  career  he  was  employed  by  his 
brother,  H.  J.  Tolles,  in  a  general  merchan- 
dise store  in  Dunstable,  Mass.  After  return- 
ing to  Nashua  in  1869,  he  served  as  clerk  in 
the  dry-goods  house  of  Crawford  &  Anderson 
for  two  years  and  a  half.  He  became  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  John  Cross  in  1872,  under  the 
style  of  Cross  &  Tolles,  manufacturers  and 
retail  and  wholesale  dealers  in  lumber.  This 
partnership  still  continues.  In  the  quarter 
of  a  century  that  has  since  elapsed  the  business 
has  been  efficiently  managed,  and  the  plant 
very  largely  increased. 


JOHN     McLANE. 


lilOGRAl'lIICAL    RKVIEW 


In  politics  Mr.  Tolles  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party.  Mr.  Tolles  is  also  inter- 
ested in  other  enterprises.  He  is  a  director 
of  Intlian  Head  National  Bank,  of  the 
Nashua  Light,  Heat  and  Power  Company,  of 
the  Nashua  lUiiUling  and  Loan  Association, 
and  of  the  Lowell  Electric  Light  Corpora- 
tion. He  is  also  a  trustee  of  the  Nashua 
Savings  Bank,  and  he  has  been  the  president 
of  the  Nashua  Board  of  Trade  for  two  years. 
In  politics  a  Democrat,  he  was  the  Mayor  of 
Nashua  in  i8S6,  1887,  and  1888,  and  he  is 
now  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education. 

On  July  8,  1872,  Mr.  Tolles  was  married  in 
this  city  to  Mary  E.  Cross,  of  Nashua.  They 
have  one  daughter,  Marion  E.  Mr.  Tolles 
belongs  to  I'enechuck  Lodge,  No.  44,  of 
which  he  is  Past  Grand;  to  the  United  Order 
of  the  Golden  Cross,  in  which  he  has  been 
Grand  Treasurer  of  the  Grand  Commandery  of 
the  State  for  the  past  fifteen  years;  and  to  the 
Royal  Society  of  Good  Eellows,  holding  an 
office  in  the  Supreme  Assembly. 


ON.  JOHN  McLANE,  one  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Milford,  Hills- 
boro  County,  N.  H.,  is  well  known 
throughout  this  section  of  the  State 
as  a  manufacturer  of  post-office  furniture  and 
equipments,  and  as  president  of  the  Souhegan 
National  Bank  of  this  place.  He  was  born 
February  27,  1852,  in  Lennox  Town,  Scotland, 
from  which  place  in  1854  his  parents,  Ale.x- 
ander  and  Mary  (Hay)  McLane,  brought  him 
to  this  country,  locating  in  Manchester,  N.H. 
Young  Mcl^ane  was  subsecpiently  reared  in 
that  city,  obtaining  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  When  seventeen  or  eighteen 
years  old  he  turned  his  attention  to  mechani- 
cal pursuits,  for  which  he  had  a  special  apti- 
tude. Becoming  skilled  as  a  worker  in  wood, 
he  labored  as  a  journeyman  for  several  years 
in  the  manufacture  of  furniture  of  all  kinds. 
In  1S76  he  established  himself  in  business  on 
his  own  account  in  Milford,  this  county, 
where  he  has  since  remained.  He  began  as  a 
manufacturer  of  post-office  furniture  and 
equipments,  putting  to  the  best  possible  use 
the  small  capital  which  he  had  to   invest.      By 


a  wise  management  he  has  built  up  an  exten- 
sive and  lucrative  business,  and  won  for  him- 
self a  firm  position  among  the  foremost  busi- 
ness men  of  the  jjlace.  He  is  also  interested 
in  the  Souhegan  National  Bank,  of  which  he 
was  a  director  for  many  years,  and  has  been 
the  president  since  1891. 

A  man  of  ability  and  integrity,  Mr.  McLane 
is  influential  in  town  and  county  affairs.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  vigorous 
worker  for  his  party.  In  1885  and  1887  he 
was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  State 
legislature,  serving  his  constituents  for  two 
terms  in  the  capacity  of  their  Rejjresentative. 
He  subsequently  served  for  an  equal  length  of 
time  as  State  Senator,  being  elected  in  1891 
and  1893,  and  during  both  terms  he  was  the 
President  of  the  Senate.  For  many  years  he 
has  been  Moderator  at  the  annual  town  meet- 
ings. 

On  March  10,  1880,  Mr.  McLane  married 
Miss  Ellen  L.  Tuck,  daughter  of  the  late 
Eben  Tuck,  of  Milford,  N.H.  They  have 
four  children;  namely,  Clinton  A.,  Hazel  E. , 
John  R. ,  and  Charles  M.  Mr.  McLane  is 
prominently  connected  with  the  Masonic  and 
Odd  Fellows  societies  of  Milford,  and  he  con- 
tributes toward  the  support  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  of  which  he  is  an  attendant. 
Public-spirited  and  progressive,  he  has  the  es- 
teem and  confidence  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lives. 


ILLIS  E.  WHITE,  a  prominent 
(s\/  merchant  of  Greenville,  is  a  native 
of  Grafton,  Vt.,  where  he  was  born 
December  6,  1854,  son  of  Willard  L.  and 
Elizabeth  (Ross)  White.  His  grandfather, 
Stephen  White,  of  Grafton,  spent  about  the 
whole  of  his  life  in  that  town  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years.  Stephen  married  Betsy 
Conant,  of  whose  nine  children  iiy  him  four 
are  now  living.  These  are:  Willard  Wliite, 
the  eldest;  Henry  K.,  who  married  Harriet 
Moore,  of  Athol,  Mass.,  and  has  two  children; 
Charles  S.,  who  married  Carrie  Merrifield,  of 
Brookline,  Vt.,  is  the  father  of  four  children, 
and   now   resides   at   the   old    homestead;    and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Martha,  who  is  the  widow  of  Cornelius  Bar- 
nard, of  Iowa.  The  mother  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years.  Both  she  and  her  hus- 
band were  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Willard  White  was  born  February  23,  1824, 
in  Grafton,  on  the  old  homestead.  Very  early 
in  life  he  began  to  be  self-supporting.  When 
only  nine  years  of  age  he  was  employed  in  a 
hotel  at  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  where  he  contin- 
ued to  work  for  several  years.  When  twenty- 
one  years  old  he  purchased  a  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  ten  acres  within  a  mile  and  a  half 
of  his  father's  estate.  Here  he  lived  for 
many  years,  and  all  his  children  were  born 
here.  After  improving  and  enlarging  the 
property  he  sold  it  in  1895,  and  moved  into 
the  village  of  Grafton,  where  he  now  resides. 
Besides  looking  after  his  personal  interests 
with  commendable  care,  he  served  the  public 
in  various  capacities.  For  sixteen  years  in 
succession  he  was  Overseer  of  the  Poor  at 
Grafton,  and  for  many  years  was  Selectman. 
He  has  also  been  prominent  in  promoting 
measures  for  the  welfare  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lives.  Of  his  four  children  three 
are  living.  His  eldest  son,  Elbridge  W., 
who  graduated  from  Madison  University  of 
Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  and  is  now  a  clergyman  of  the 
Baptist  denomination,  having  a  pastorate  in 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  married  Edna  Converse,  of 
Grafton,  and  has  two  children — -Leon  and 
Ethel.  William  E.  White,  who  died  July 
10,  1894,  was  twin  brother  of  Mr.  Willis 
White.  Stella  E.,  now  Mrs.  Eugene  Wilbur, 
of  Hartford,  Conn.,  has  five  children  —  Earl, 
Daisy,  Grace,  Jay,  and  Helen. 

Taken  severely  ill  when  quite  young,  Willis 
White  was  unable  to  do  any  active  work  for 
many  years.  He  went  West,  hoping  that  the 
change  of  climate  would  be  beneficial.  Upon 
his  return,  finding  it  necessary  to  be  in  the 
open  air,  he  established  an  itinerary  for  the 
sale  of  tinware  through  the  State  of  Vermont. 
In  the  two  years  during  which  he  was  engaged 
in  that  business  he  made  many  acquaintances. 
Going  then  to  Wales,  Mass.,  he  worked  as  a 
weaver  in  the  woollen-mill  there  for  three 
years  and  subsequently  as  a  clerk  in  a  store 
of  that  town.  In  1883,  coming  to  Greenville, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  John   B.  Martin, 


under  the  firm  name  of  Martin  &  White,  and 
engaged  in  a  general  merchandise  business. 
After  working  together  for  two  years,  Mr. 
White  managed  the  business  alone  for  four 
years.  Then  he  took  his  brother  William  into 
partnership,  forming  the  firm  of  White 
Brothers.  At  the  death  of  his  brother  he 
again  became  the  sole  manager. 

On  September  25,  1884,  Mr.  White  married 
Flora  J.  Blood,  daughter  of  George  L.  Blood, 
of  Greenville.  Mr.  White  is  an  attendant  of 
the  Congregational  church,  of  which  his  wife 
is  a  member.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
A  member  of  Souhegan  Lodge  of  Masons, 
he  is  one  of  the  stewards  of  the  fraternity, 
and  has  held  various  offices  therein.  He  is 
also  connected  with  Dinister  Hill  Lodge, 
I.    O.    O.   F.,    of  Greenville. 


HOMAS  CORNELIUS  RAND,  son 
of  Deacon  Elisha  and  Betsey  (Hall) 
Rand,  born  in  Alstead,  resided  there 
until  nearly  ten  years  of  age.  In  the  spring 
of  1840  his  family  removed  to  Keene,  where 
he  was  educated  by  parts  in  the  common 
schools,  in  the  old  Keene  Academy,  and  in 
the  printing-office.  He  entered  the  ofifice  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Sciiiiiiel,  November  13, 
1843,  as  an  apprentice.  From  that  date  to 
the  present  time  he  has  been  connected  with 
that  establishment  in  the  various  capacities  of 
paper  carrier,  compositor,  mailing  clerk,  fore- 
man, proof-reader,  reporter,  editor,  and  pro- 
prietor. Beginning  editorial  work  on  July  i, 
1865,  he  continued  it  without  interruption 
until  November  13,  1893,  when  he  had  com- 
pleted fifty  years'  service  in  the  Sentinel 
office.  Then  he  resigned  the  position  of 
editor,  and  has  since  served  in  the  capacity 
of  president  of  the  Sentinel  Printing  Company. 
He  served  as  Town  Clerk  of  Keene  from  1855 
to  1 86 1  and  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Se- 
lectmen during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  He 
has  been  identified  with  the  Republican  party 
from  its  organization.  Since  1852  he  has 
voted  at  every  State  and  municipal  'election, 
and  taken  part  in  every  caucus  of  his  party  in 
his  town  or  ward.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National    Republican    Convention   at   Cincin- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


123 


nati  ill  1S76,  ami  he  served  as  alternate  in  the 
St.  Louis  Convention  that  nominated  William 
McKinley  for  President.  On  January  28, 
1852,  he  married  Mary  A.  Smith.  His  only 
son  died  in  1872,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years. 


EDWARD  UPTON  is  the  proprietor 
of  a  well-managed  farm  of  eighty  acres 
in  the  town  of  Amherst.  He  was  born 
November  5,  1855,  in  Concord,  this 
His  father,  Jeremiah  Upton,  a  native 
of  Tyngsboro,  Mass.,  went  with  his  parents  to 
Dunstable,  IVLass. ,  where  he  completed  his 
schooling.  Beginning  in  the  first  mill  of 
Lowell,  he  was  employed  there  and  later  at 
Concord,  N.H.,  as  foreman  in  the  coloring  de- 
partment. Coming  to  Amherst  in  1856,  he 
bought  with  his  savings  the  farm  on  which 
his  son  now  lives.  Here  he  labored  with  un- 
ceasing energy,  carrying  on  the  usual  work  of 
the  thorough  farmer  until  his  demise  in  1891. 
In  politics  he  affiliated  with  the  Republican 
party.  He  was  often  importuned  to  accept 
public  office,  but,  although  few  men  had  a 
better  knowledge  of  political  matters,  he  pre- 
ferred the  quiet  of  domestic  life.  He  was  a 
man  of  liberal  views  and  of  deep  thought. 
While  a  resident  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  he  united 
with  the  Congregational  church.  Later  he 
became  an  earnest  Universalist.  He  was  an 
authority  on  Biblical  matters,  having  read  the 
book  many  times,  and  his  wonderful  memory 
placing  its  truths  at  his  disposal.  His  wife, 
born  in  Amherst,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Elmira  Howard,  survived  him  two  years,  pass- 
ing away  in  1893.  At  her  cleath  she  was  the 
last  surviving  Daughter  of  the  Revolution  in 
this  part  of  New  Hampshire.  Her  father,  Jo- 
siah  Howard,  after  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  in  which  he  served,  settled  in 
Amherst  while  yet  a  young  man.  Of  her 
nine  children  four  are  yet  living,  namely: 
Elmira  E. ,  the  wife  of  H.  L  LIpham,  of  Leom- 
inster, Mass.;  Harriet  V.,  the  wife  of  H.  PL 
Parkhurst,  of  Amherst,  N.H.;  J.  Edward,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Addie  E.,  the  wife 
of  C.  E.  Wilkins,  of  Amherst.  The  mother, 
who  was  reared  in  this  town,  was  a  school- 
mate of  Horace  Greeley. 


J.  P^ilward  UiHon  was  reared  and  eilucated 
in  Amherst,  attending  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  the  town.  For  several  years  he 
was  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  schools  of  this 
town  and  in  Wilton.  In  recent  years  he  has 
given  his  attention  to  fruit  farming.  He 
keeps  his  land  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation, 
and  he  has  met  with  a  fair  share  of  success. 
Taking  a  warm  interest  in  educational  mat- 
ters, he  has  been  a  member  of  the  School 
Board.  P'raternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Sou- 
hegan  Grange  of  Amherst  and  to  the  Golden 
Cross. 

On  October  17,  1882,  Mr.  Upton  married 
Miss  I^tta  L.  Mace.  She  was  l3orn  in  Bed- 
ford, N.H.,  daughter  of  the  late  John  Mace, 
who  gave  his  life  for  the  Union  in  the  late 
Civil  War,  having  enlisted  in  a  company  from 
Amherst.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Upton  have  four 
children;  namely,  Linda  P.,  Chester  W., 
Wealtha  M.,  and  George  Ray. 


/^TkORGE  W.  AVER  ill,  an  esteemed 
\   '•)  I       resident  of  Mont  Vernon,  well  known 

—  as  a  farmer  throughout  Hillsboro 
County,  is  a  native  of  this  town,  born  Marcli 
10,  1829,  and  a  son  of  John  and  Hannah 
(l^'rench)  Averill.  John  Averill,  Sr.,  the 
grandfather  of  George  W.,  was  the  first  of  the 
family  to  establish  a  home  in  Mont  Vernon. 
He  was  an  early  settler  of  this  place,  and 
a  prominent  and  influential  citizen.  John 
Averill,  Jr.,  who  was  born  here,  spent  his  life 
in  the  place.  He,  too,  was  prominent  in 
affairs.  He  served  as  Selectman  for  a  niuu- 
ber  of  years,  and  was  the  town's  Representa- 
tive in  the  New  Hampshire  legislature  for  one 
term.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat. 
His  wife,  Hannah,  who  was  born  in  the  part 
of  Mont  Vernon  formerly  called  Lyndeboro, 
had  four  children,  of  whom  Harriet  F.  is  de- 
ceased. The  others  are:  Charles  F. ,  who 
went  to  California  in  the  early  fifties,  and  has 
resided  there  since;  George  W. ,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  and  Carrie  S.,  the  wife  of  Ben- 
jamin F.  Davis. 

George  W.  Averill  received  such  educa- 
tional advantages  as  were  afforded  by  the  dis- 
trict   schools    of    Mont    Vernon,    which    after 


124 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


the  first  few  years  he  attended  mainly  in  the 
winter  season.  His  chief  occupation  has 
been  farming,  for  which  he  has  gained  a  high 
reputation.  Some  years  ago,  during  the 
winter  seasons,  in  company  with  Clark  Camp- 
bell, the  present  United  States  Marshal  for 
New  Hampshire,  who  lives  in  Mont  Vernon, 
he  was  engaged  in  lumbering  under  the  firm 
name  of  Averill  &  Campbell. 

In  1857  Mr.  Averill  married  Miss  Nancy 
Lamson.  She  was  born  in  Mont  Vernon, 
daughter  of  Captain  William  Lamson,  now  de- 
ceased, who  was  a  Captain  in  the  State  mi- 
litia. Three  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
namely:  Ella  A.,  the  wife  of  Henry  Robin- 
son, of  Hancock  Junction,  N.H.  ;  Carrie  F., 
the  wife  of  Charles  Trow,  of  Mont  Vernon; 
and  George  F.,  of  the  firm  Hutchinson  & 
Averill,  grocers  of  Milford.  Mrs.  Robinson 
is  a  graduate  of  McColloni  Institute  here  in 
Mont  Vernon,  and  was  a  student  at  Wellesley 
College  for  three  years.  Subsequently  she 
went  as  a  teacher  to  South  Africa,  in  the 
school  established  by  Juliet  Gilson,  a  South 
African  missionary,  and  taught  there  for  five 
years,  ^he  Democratic  party  has  in  Mr. 
Averill  a  loyal  supporter.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  served  as  Selectman.  He  was  Town 
Clerk  for  several  years,  and  he  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  When 
Prospect  Grange  was  organized,  he  was  a  char- 
ter member,  but  is  not  now  connected  with 
the  organization.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church. 


-AMES  B.  WHIPPLE,  a  successful 
hotel  proprietor  of  New  Boston,  was 
born  February  20,  183S,  son  of  John 
and  Philantha  (Reed)  Whipple.  His 
great-grandfather,  also  named  John,  who  was 
born  in  Ipswich,  Mass.,  December  30,  1747, 
and  was  one  of  the  very  early  settlers  of  New 
Boston,  married  Deliverance  Dodge,  who  was 
born  February  15,  1746.  The  grandparents 
were  sturdy,  industrious  farming  people,  and 
prosperous  for  those  times.  The  grandfather 
died  in  New  Boston  in  1820,  and  his  wife  six- 
teen years  later.  Their  nine  children  were 
born  as  follows:  Jerusha,    October   17,   1768; 


Stephen,  December  16,  1770;  Paul,  July  11, 
1773;  John,  April  29,  1776;  Salome,  April 
2,  1778;  Salome  (second),  June  21,  1780; 
Aaron,  September  11,  1782;  Aaron  (second), 
January  13,  1787;  and  Robert,  March  13, 
1790.  John,  Stephen,  and  Robert  were  all 
physicians.  John  built  the  present  hotel 
at  New  Boston,  and  gave  the  land  where  the 
Baptist  church  now  stands. 

Paul  Whipple,  grandfather  of  James  B., 
was  one  of  the  well-known  farmers  of  New 
Boston.  He  spent  most  of  his  active  life  in 
that  town.  His  last  years  were  passed  in 
Barrc,  Vt.,  where  he  died.  He  married  Betsy 
Woodbury,  who  was  born  at  Mont  Vernon, 
August  17,  1777,  daughter  of  James  and  Han- 
nah (Trask)  Woodbury.  His  death  occurred 
February  8,  1830,  and  that  of  his  wife  on 
June  29,  1839.  They  had  fourteen  children, 
born  as  follows:  Betsy,  May  26,  1796;  Lucy, 
April  12,  1798;  Stephen,  March  4,  iSoo; 
Hannah,  January  27,  1802;  Salome,  February 
26,  1804;  John,  August  31,  1806;  William 
B.,  May  3,  1808;  Aaron,  March  i,  18 10; 
Woodbury  M.,  November  11,  iSii;  Robert, 
May  17,  1 81 3;  James  R.,  April  8,  181 5; 
Isaac  A.,  June  9,  1818;  Maria,  December  7, 
1820;  and  Fidelia,  August  17,  1823.  John, 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  after 
being  brought  up  under  the  care  of  his  uncle 
John,  the  physician,  followed  the  occupations 
of  farmer  and  stone  mason,  and  kept  a  hotel 
for  a  short  time  in  New  Boston.  He  served 
his  town  as  Selectman,  and  was  a  Captain  in 
the  old  militia.  In  religious  belief  he  was  a 
Baptist.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  until 
the  formation  of  the  Republican  party, 
which  he  thereafter  supported.  His  wife, 
Philantha  (Reed)  Whipple,  was  born  in 
Barre,  Vt.,  September  23,  1808,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Eager)  Reed.  He 
died  in  New  Boston,  March  28,  1887,  and  she 
on  May  25,  1890.  Of  their  eight  children 
six  are  living.  They  were:  Hannah  E.,  Phi- 
lantha R.,  John,  James  B.,  Paul,  Joseph  Reed, 
Mary  A.,  and  William  H.  Hannah,  born 
June  6,  183 1,  is  now  the  widow  of  John  Mc- 
Lane,  late  of  New  Boston,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren—  Bessie  M.,  James  N.,  and  Reed  W. 
Philantha,    born   July    3,    1833,   married    Dr. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


William  Sellers,  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  and  has 
two  children  —  Maud  B.  and  William  Henry. 
John,  born  September  3,  18.35,  fought  in  the 
Civil  War  w^ith  the  Eleventh  Regiment,  Com- 
pany C,  New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  and  was 
one  of  the  victims  of  Southern  cruelty  who 
died  at  Andersonville  Prison  in  1864.  James 
B.,  born  February  20,  1838,  is  the  proprietor 
of  the  Tavern  at  New  Boston.  Paul,  born 
April  30,  1840,  was  also  in  the  Civil  War 
with  the  Seventh  New  Hampshire  Volun- 
teers, and  was  wounded  at  Fort  Wagner.  He 
is  unmarried,  and  at  present  resides  in  South 
Carolina,  where  he  is  a  large  planter.  Joseph 
Reed,  born  September  S,  1842,  is  the  well- 
known  proprietor  of  Young's  Hotel,  the 
Parker  House,  and  the  new  Hotel  Touraine, 
all  of  Boston,  Mass.  He  has  been  a  most 
generous  patron  of  his  native  town.  Its  rail- 
road was  obtained  through  his  influence,  and 
he  has  been  the  means  of  securing  the  erec- 
tion of  many  of  the  important  buildings.  In 
addition  to  giving  the  town  the  use  of  a  fine 
library  he  has  been  a  liberal  contributor  to 
the  town  house,  the  churches,  and  schools. 
He  owns  the  New  Boston  Creamery,  and  is 
interested  in  farming.  The  people  of  New 
Boston  are  fortunate  in  counting  among  their 
number  one  who  is  so  eminently  successful 
and  able,  and  who  is  so  willing  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  the  community.  Mary  Whip- 
ple, born  December  11,  1845,  is  the  wife  of 
Henry  C.  Sherwin,  of  Ayer,  Mass.,  and  has 
one  son,  Paul.  William  H.,  born  September 
29,   1849,  ditJcl  at  the  age  of  six  years. 

After  growing  up  as  a  farm  boy  in  New 
Boston,  James  B.  Whipple  went  to  Boston, 
Mass.  Here  he  gradually  worked  his  way 
upward,  meeting  with  an  unusual  degree  of 
success.  To-day,  in  the  capacity  of  landlord 
of  the  Tavern,  he  extends  a  genial  welcome  to 
all  visitors  of  New  Boston.  His  house  has 
all  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  a  city 
hotel.  In  his  hands  the  original  building  has 
been  remodelled  and  enlarged,  so  that  it  has 
now  thirty  rooms,  and  accommodates  fifty 
guests.  All  the  appointments  are  of  the  best 
and  up-to-date.  Attached  is  a  first-class  liv- 
ery. In  association  with  his  brother,  J.  Reed 
Whipple,  he  has  been   interested  for  a  number 


of  years  in  Young's  Hotel,  the  Parker  House, 
and  the  Adams  House  of  Boston.  His  popu- 
larity in  his  own  town  was  agreeably  e.\- 
[iresHcd  in  1895  by  a  complimentary  dinner 
tendered  him  on  his  fifty-seventh  birthday, 
when  some  excellent  verses  by  "J.  M.  G." 
were  read. 


REN  ALBERT  SHERWIN,  the 
Postmaster  of  Chcsham,  Harrisville, 
and  a  dealer  in  flour,  grain,  groceries, 
and  general  merchandise,  was  born  in 
Charlestown,  N.H.,  June  14,  1862,  son  of 
Benjamin  A.  and  Clara  F.  (Towne)  Sherwin. 
The  grandfather,  Eben  Sherwin,  one  of  trip- 
lets, resided  at  Grafton,  V't. ,  and  was  father 
of  four  children  —  Benjamin  A.,  George  E., 
Melissa,  and  Malona. 

Benjamin  A.  Sherwin,  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  was  born  May  11,  1837.  When  very 
young  he  removed  to  Vermont,  where  he  Ii\ed 
until  the  time  came  for  him  to  take  charge  of 
his  own  fortunes.  Then  he  went  to  Dublin, 
where  he  married  and  resided  most  of  the  time 
for  a  number  of  years.  Subsequently  he  went 
to  Charlestown,  N.H.,  but  shortly  after  re- 
turned to  Dublin.  For  the  last  twenty-eight 
years  he  has  been  in  Harrisville,  occupied  in 
farming  and  milling.  He  is  also  interested 
with  his  son  in  a  large  general  merchandise 
store  at  Chesham.  His  wife,  Clara,  was  born 
at  Nelson,  N.H.,  March  8,  1839,  daughter  of 
Cornelius  K.  Towne,  of  Dublin.  Her  only 
child  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Oren  A.  Sherwin  was  educated  at  Chesham, 
Harrisville,  and  at  Walpole.  After  leaving 
school  he  went  into  business  on  a  small  scale. 
With  the  increase  of  business  he  increased  his 
facilities,  so  that  he  has  now  a  large  and  pros- 
perous business.  His  heaviest  work  is  during 
the  summer,  when  he  caters  to  a  large  popula- 
tion of  summer  residents  at  Silver  Lake.  Mr. 
Sherwin  has  recently  been  appointed  Post- 
master, and  in  that  position  is  giving  entire 
satisfaction.  Being  a  man  of  ability  and  of 
irreproachable  habits,  he  commands  the  re- 
spect of  his  townsmen.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  he  is  an  attendant  of  the  Baji- 
tist  church. 


iuographical  review 


Mr.  Sherwin  married  Lenora  J.  Stevens, 
who  was  born  April  20,  1870,  daughter  of 
John  Stevens,  of  Nelson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sher- 
win  have  two  children:  Eva  Beatrice,  who  was 
born  at  Chesham  on  April  12,  1893;  and  Mil- 
dred Lenora,  who  was  born  at  Chesham  on 
June  25,   1896. 


RRIN  D.  PRESCOTT,  a  leading  busi- 
ness man  of  Greenville,  is  a  native  of 
Mason,  this  State,  where  he  was  born 
September  9,  1846,  son  of  Charles  and 
Lucy  Ann  (Flagg)  Prescott.  He  is  a  de- 
scendant of  the  hero  of  Bunker  Hill,  who, 
wearing  a  silk  dressing-gown,  walked  around 
the  defences  inspiring  his  men  with  courage, 
at  the  same  time  that  he  surprised  the  Red- 
coats by  his  audacious  boldness.  Another  of 
his  ancestors  was  William  Prescott,  the  his- 
torian. Benjamin  Prescott,  the  grandfather 
of  Orrin  D.,  was  born  in  1774,  about  the  time 
the  Revolutionary  War  began.  He  was  a 
blacksmith  by  trade,  and  lived  in  Westford, 
Mass.,  where  he  worked  in  a  forge.  He  was 
married  in  1799  to  Polly  Reed,  of  Westford, 
and  subsequently  became  the  father  of  two 
children,  neither  of  whom  is  now  living. 

Charles  Prescott  taught  school  for  a  num- 
ber of  terms  when  a  young  man.  Afterward 
he  learned  the  mason's  trade,  which  he  worked 
at  for  many  years.  He  lived  for  a  short  time 
in  New  Ipswich,  but  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  was  passed  in  Mason,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  fifty-eight  years.  His  wife,  who 
survived  him  many  years,  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-one.  Both  were  highly  esteemed 
members  of  the  Christian  Church  of  Mason. 
He  was  a  thorough-going  Republican,  and  was 
actively  interested  in  all  the  affairs  of  the 
town.  For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Selectmen,  and  at  one  time  he 
represented  the  town  in  the  State  legislature. 
His  children  were:  Mary  A.,  who  is  the 
widow  of  James  L.  Chamberlin,  and  has  one 
child,  Ida  F.  (see  sketch  of  H.  J.  Taft)  ; 
Elmmeline,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  L.  Pea- 
body,  of  Greenville;  Nellie,  who  married  Dr. 
E.  J.  Donnell,  of  Topeka,  Kan.;  Charles  and 
Frederick,    who   are    deceased;    Eva    F.,    now 


Mrs.  E.  F.  Pierce,  of  Leominster,  Mass.;  and 
Orrin  D.,  the  subject  of  this  biography.  The 
father  was  successful  in  business,  and  left  a 
goodly  property  to  be  divided  among  his  chil- 
dren. 

Orrin  D.  Prescott,  the  seventh  child  of  his 
parents,  received  his  early  education  in  his 
native  town.  Afterward  he  attended  Wil- 
braham  Academy  in  Massachusetts  and  Apple- 
ton  Academy  in  New  Ipswich.  After  his 
school  days  were  over  he  worked  for  James  L. 
Chamberlin  for  three  years  as  book-keeper. 
In  June,  1869,  in  company  with  his  brother, 
Charles  B.,  he  purchased  a  general  merchan- 
dise store,  and  carried  it  on  under  the  firm 
name  of  Prescott  Brothers.  Charles,  besides 
serving  acceptably  as  Representative  in  the 
State  legislature,  was  a  Selectman  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  At  his  death  in  the  following 
year,  Orrin  D.  took  entire  charge  of  the  store, 
and  has  since  carried  it  on  alone.  In  1883  he 
leased  the  grist-mill  formerly  owned  by  James 
L.  Chamberlin,  and  he  has  since  done  a  con- 
siderable business  in  grain. 

On  December  16,  1886,  Mr.  Prescott  mar- 
ried Abbie  L.  Robbins,  of  Littleton,  Mass. 
A  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  been  promi- 
nent in  the  town  affairs  of  Greenville,  and 
was  Tovi^n  Treasurer  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  is  a  Mason  of  Souhegan  Lodge  and  a 
member  of  Jerusalem  Commandery  at  Fitch- 
burg,  Mass.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Green- 
ville Lodge,  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 


PAYSON  BURGE,  who  owns  and 
occupies  the  old  Burge  homestead 
in  Brookline,  Hillsboro  County,  was 
born  in  this  town,  November  15, 
1844,  son  of  John  and  Philomela  (Bennett) 
Burge.  David  Burge,  his  grandfather,  who 
was  born  July  16,  1761,  was  an  industrious 
farmer  of  Hollis,  N.  H.  He  died  March  i, 
1 8 16.  His  wife,  Betsey  Mcintosh  Burge, 
who  was  born  February  16,  1769,  became  the 
mother  of  six  children,  of  whom  John,  J.  Pay- 
son  Purge's  father,  was  the  third-born.  Mrs. 
David  Burge  died  December  16,   1857. 

John  Burge  was  born    in    Hollis,  March    22, 
1S06.      When    a    young    man     he     settled     in 


BIOGRAI'IIICAL    REV'IKW 


127 


Ikookline,  and  purchased  the  farm  upon  which 
his  son,  J.  Payson,  now  resides.  He  was  an 
energetic  and  successful  farmer  and  a  useful 
citizen;  and  his  death,  which  occurred  Decem- 
ber 24,  1876,  was  much  regrettetl.  His  wife, 
Philomela,  whom  he  married  April  13,  1832, 
was  a  daughter  of  Deacon  Thomas  Bennett, 
of  Brookline,  N.  H.  She  became  the  mother 
of  three  children,  namely:  Catherine  A., 
widow  of  Raymond  J.  Pierce,  late  of  Brook- 
line;  Minerva  E,  who  was  born  May  15,  1841, 
and  died  November  14,  1842;  and  J.  Payson, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  John  Burge 
died  September  22,  1871.  She  and  her  hus- 
band attended  the  Congregational  church,  of 
which  Mr.  Burge  became  a  member  in  1S42. 

J.  Payson  Burge  was  educated  in  his  native 
town,  and  since  leaving  school  has  given  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  has 
hitherto  resided  at  the  homestead,  and  as  a 
general  farmer  he  is  both  practical  and  suc- 
cessful. 

On  June  i,  1870,  Mr.  Burge  married  Lucy 
C.  Wriglit,  daughter  of  Ozias  Wright,  of 
Brookline.  Politically  he  supports  the  Re- 
publican party.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burge  are 
members  of  the  Congregational  church. 


-OHN  H.  FARVVELL,  an  enterprising 
merchant  of  Harrisville  and  formerly 
a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
House  of  Representatives,  was  born  in 
this  town,  March  17,  1868,  son  of  Henry  and 
Angeline  M.  (Hardy)  Farwell.  His  grand- 
father, Samuel  Farwell,  who  was  a  lumber 
manufacturer  in  Harrisville,  married  Lucinda 
Scripture,  who  bore  him  ten  children;  namely, 
Henry,  Caroline,  Mary,  Josephine,  Charles, 
Augusta,  John,  Frances,  and  two  who  died  in 
infancy. 

Henry  Farwell,  the  father  of  John  H.,  born 
in  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  and  educated  in  Nelson, 
N.H.,  was  for  some  years  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  clothes-pins  and  lumber  with 
his  brother  Charles.  He  is  now  living  with 
his  son.  His  wife,  Angeline,  who  was  born 
in  Hollis,  N.H.,  is  a  daughter  of  Page  Hardy, 
also  a  native  of  Hollis.  John  H.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  is  their  only  child. 


John  H.  Farwell  acquired  his  education  in 
Harrisville.  l''or  several  years  he  was  station 
agent  at  East  Harrisville.  Since  retiring 
from  that  position  he  has  been  engaged  in 
keeping  a  general  country  store  in  the  village. 
He  is  meeting  with  good  success  as  a  mer- 
chant, and  is  popular  with  his  patrons  and 
the  community  in  general.  He  represented 
Harrisville  in  the  legislature  of  1895-96, 
serving  upon  the  Committee  on  Fish  and 
'Game.  At  present  he  is  Supervisor,  and  has 
been  a  trustee  of  the  town  library  for  two 
years.  He  is  connected  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  F"ellows,  and  attends  the  Con- 
gregational church. 

Mr.  Farwell  married  Nellie  V.  Cooper,  a 
native  of  Greensboro,  Vt.,  born  in  October, 
1872,  daughter  of  John  J.  Cooper.  Mrs.  Far- 
well  is  the  mother  of  two  children:  Berdia 
M.,  born  March  21,  1892;  and  Adra  E. ,  born 
May  7,  1893. 


(^"^ 


HARLES  VV.  GOWING,  formerly  Se- 
lectman of  the  town  of  Dublin,  and 
^Hs  extensively  engaged   in   farming  and 

dairying,  was  born  in  this  town, 
December  21,  18 19,  son  of  Joseph  and  Hep- 
zibah  (Fairbanks)  Gowing.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  James  Gowing,  who  was  born  at 
Lynnfield,  Mass.,  January  18,  1736,  and  died 
in  Jaffrey,  June  6,  1805,  came  to  New  Hamp- 
shire in  1777.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. His  wife,  who  was  Lydia  Wellman  be- 
fore her  marriage,  had  a  family  of  tvi^elve 
children;  namely,  Lydia,  Samuel,  James, 
Benjamin,  William,  Aziel,  Levi,  Rosanna, 
Simeon,  Thirza,  Joseph,  and  Esther. 

Joseph  Gowing,  born  December  12,  1777, 
died  October  13,  1838.  In  1806  he  settled  in 
Dublin,  where  he  became  a  highly  successful 
farmer.  He  was  much  interested  in  military 
affairs,  and  was  Captain  in  the  State  militia. 
He  attended  the  Unitarian  church.  His  wife, 
Hepzibah,  who  was  born  March  31,  17S5,  died 
October  13,  1843.  She  was  the  mother  of 
eight  children  —  Asa  F.,  Joseph  M.,  Zaman 
A.,  Loui-sa  H.,  Amna  A.,  Charles  W.,  Lavatcr 
L.,  and  Lydia  R. 

Havintr    attended     school     at     Dublin     and 


128 


BIOGRAPHICAL    KEVIEW 


Peterboro,  Charles  W.  Gowing  worked  out  at 
farming  until  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age. 
Then  he  bought  the  farm  that  has  since  been 
his  home.  He  does  a  large  business  in  poul- 
try, hogs,  and  cattle,  antl  carries  on  general 
farming.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  producing 
fine  dairy  products,  which  find  a  ready  market 
on  account  of  their  superior  quality.  He  is 
active  in  town  affairs,  and  has  been  Selectman 
for  four  years.  In  1879  and  18S0  he  was  Rep- 
resentative to  the  legislature,  and  while  there 
he  served  on  the  Committee  on  Division  of 
Towns.  He  is  a  member  of  the  grange,  and 
attends  the  Unitarian  church. 

Mr.  Gowing  married  Julia  Foster,  who  was 
born  September  5,  1826,  at  VValpole,  N.  H., 
daughter  of  Ephraim  Foster,  of  Dublin. 
They  have  had  three  children  —  Fred  C,  Mary 
A.,  and  George  F.  Fred  C. ,  born  in  Dublin 
on  October  23,  1855,  since  he  left  school  has 
been  associated  with  his  father  in  farming. 
He  is  prominent  in  town  affairs,  has  been  Se- 
lectman for  three  years,  and  the  Representa- 
tive to  the  legislature  for  four  years.  In 
1893-95  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  Legis- 
lative Committee  on  Industrial  Schools.  Dur- 
ing his  second  term  in  the  legislature  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Appropria- 
tions. He  is  a  prominent  Granger.  He  mar- 
ried Jennie  Newton,  of  Troy,  N.  H.,  who  was 
born  in  Marlboro,  N.H.,  September  3,  1855, 
daughter  of  Martin  Newton.  They  have  three 
children  —  Alice  M.,  Henry  N.,  and  Albert 
C. —  all  born  in  Dui:)lin.  Mary  A.  Gowing  is 
now  Mrs.  James  H.  Hamill,  and  resides  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  where  Mr.  Hamill  is  a 
book-keeper.  They  have  one  child,  Charles 
B.  George  F.  Gowing  died  in  1881,  seven 
teen  years  of  age,  having  resided  with  his  par- 
ents up  to  that  time. 


PLE,    a   wealthy 
farmer  of  Goffstown, 


WILLIAM  S.  WHIP 
and  influential  farn 
was  born  here,  December  2,  1836, 
son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Annis)  Whipple, 
the  former  a  native  of  Bow,  N.  H.,  and  the 
latter  of  Goffstown.  Charles  Whipple, 
grandfather  of  William  S.,  served  in  the 
War  of    1812.      He  settled   in  Goffstown  about 


1830  or  183s,  and  was  a  sturdy,  industrious 
farmer  there  for  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
He  was  a  Baptist  in  his  religious  preferences 
and  a  Whig  in  politics.  At  his  death,  when 
seventy  years  old,  he  left  a  name  higiily 
respected  by  his  townspeople. 

John  Whipple,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  also  owned  and  conducted  a  farm  in 
Goffstown,  and  was  also  characterized  by 
steady  integrity  and  application  to  business. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  identified  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-eight,  and  his  wife  lived  to  be  over 
seventy.  They  had  eight  children,  of  whom 
there  are  now  living:  William  S.,  Charles 
A.,  Amos  W. ,  and  John  L.,  all  residents  of 
Goffstown.  Charles  is  in  the  west  village, 
and  Amos  is  on  Pattee's  Hill.  The  others 
were:  Thomas  L. ,  Henry  L. ,  Mary  F. ,  and 
Andrew. 

William  S.  Whipple  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  town.  As  he 
grew  to  young  manhood,  he  became  anxious  to 
start  out  for  himself.  This  he  did  at  the  age 
of  nineteen,  working  on  a  farm  by  the  month, 
receiving  for  his  first  month's  wages  fourteen 
dollars.  Thrifty  and  persevering,  he  was 
able  to  buy  his  first  land,  a  lot  which 
covered  two  hundred  acres,  in  1S71.  While 
improving  this  property,  he  kept  adding  to  it, 
so  that  to-day  he  owns  about  five  hundred 
acres,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  land-owners  of 
this  section.  His  residence  is  comfortable 
and  substantia],  and  his  farm  buildings  are 
good  ones. 

He  has  always  been  a  busy,  energetic 
worker,  and  has  risen  to  his  present  ]3osition 
by  his  own  efforts.  His  creed  in  religion  is 
an  independent  one,  and  in  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat.  He  was  Selectman  for  three 
terms,  and  has  been  Collector  of  Taxes,  and 
held  various  other  minor  offices.  At  present 
he  is  Road  Agent  of  the  town.  He  belongs 
to  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  and  the  New 
England  Benefit  Order. 

Mr.  Whipple  was  married  August  30,  1856, 
to  Lydia  Richards,  who  was  born  in  Goffs- 
town, June  29,  1837,  daughter  of  True  and 
Sophia  (Wright)  Richards.      Her  parents,  na- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


1 29 


lives  respectively  of  Goffstown  and  VVestfield, 
Mass.,  successively  died  at  the  ap;es  of  sixty- 
three  and  seventy-six.  Mr.  Whipi)le  anil  his 
wife  have  had  seven  children,  one  of  whom  is 
deceased.  The  others  were  born  as  follows: 
Willie  E.,  in  Manchester,  April  13,  1861  ; 
Charles  H.,  September  5,  1S63;  Fred  S., 
June  2,  1S66;  Warren  H.,  October  4,  1868; 
Dora  K.,  in  Goffstown,  January  28,  1875; 
and  Herman  M.,  in  Goffstown,  October  10, 
1877.  lunma  J.,  who  was  born  March  13, 
1 858,  died  July  23,   i860. 


LHKRT  A.  JUNKINS,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Merrimac,  N.H.,  was  born 
in  Bedford,  this  State,  November 
19,  1832,  son  of  Henry  and  Hannah 
(Miller)  Junkins.  The  Junkins  family  in 
America  is  of  Scotch  origin,  and  the  branch 
in  Merrimac  came  here  from  York,  Me. 
Henry  Junkins,  son  of  Joseph  Junkins,  worked 
in  South  ]5oston  at  the  trade  of  ship-carpenter 
in  his  earlier  years.  When  about  twenty-one 
years  of  age  he  came  to  New  Hampshire,  lo- 
cating in  this  town,  and  there  carried  on  gen- 
eral farming  and  some  milling.  He  has  been 
described  as  a  "handy"  and  industrious  man. 
He  owned  the  farm  where  his  son  now  resides, 
and  died  here,  November  13,  1881,  regretted 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  His  religious 
views  were  broad  and  charitable.  He  believed 
in  the  beneficent  agency  of  a  liberal  Chris- 
tianity, and  was  not  allied  with  any  church 
organization.  His  political  principles  during 
the  last  part  of  his  life,  after  the  breaking  up 
of  the  Whig  party,  were  Democratic.  He 
was  twice  married,  his  wives  being  sisters. 
There  were  three  children  by  the  first  mar- 
riage, and  five  by  the  last.  Of  these  Char- 
lotte, Increase,  Jesse,  Albert  A.,  and  Mary 
are  living. 

Albert  A.  Junkins  has  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  Merrimac.  He  has  kept 
his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres 
in  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  he  has  made 
many  improvements  upon  it.  On  May  21, 
1856,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Eleanor  M.  Holt,  a  Vermont  lady,  who  died 
in  i88o.     In  1881  Mr.  Junkins  married   Miss 


Clara  P.  Hill,  of  Merrimac,  who  was  born 
May  20,  1857,  daughter  of  Franklin  E.  and 
Nancy  E.  (Tidd)  Hill.  Mr.  Junkins  is  the 
father  of  ten  chiklren,  five  by  the  first  mar- 
riage and  five  by  the  second.  They  are: 
Mary,  James,  Henry,  Hattie,  Alvah,  I{rnest, 
Clair,  Morris,  Hannah,  and  Jennie.  Mr. 
Junkins  is  a  Congregationalist  in  religious 
belief,  while  his  wife  is  a  believer  in  the 
tenets  of  Christian  Science.  In  politics  Mr. 
Junkins  is  a  Democrat.  He  takes  a  loyal 
interest  in  town  affairs.  In  the  ofTice  of 
Town  Treasurer  he  acceptably  served  the 
community  for  a  period.  A  self-made  man, 
he  has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  has 
made  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  is 
highly  esteemed  in  Merrimac. 


Youngman.  Mr.  Youngman  traces  his  ances- 
try in  this  country  back  through  a  number  of 
generations  represented  by  sturdy  and  up- 
right men.  His  paternal  ancestor  five  gener- 
ations back  was  Francis  Youngman,  who 
married  Anna  F"isher  Heath,  of  Dedham, 
Mass.  He  died  in  July,  171 2,  at  Roxbury, 
Mass.  His  son  Ebenezer,  born  November  2, 
1690,  who  married  Mercy  Jones,  died   before 

1734- 

Nicholas  Youngman,  son  of  Ebenezer  and 
great-grandfather  of  Alden  Youngman,  was 
born  in  1732  in  the  city  of  Boston,  and  was 
living  in  Dunstable  (Pine  Hill  in  Hollis)  in 
the  year  1756.  At  first  he  was  a  weaver  by 
trade.  In  later  years,  after  moving  to  Hollis, 
he  was  engaged  in  farming.  He  joined  the 
Con tinental  army  in  July,  1776,  and  subsc - 
quently    fought     for     independence     toijether 


with  his  sons  in  Colonel  Wingate's  re}j;iment. 
He  also  had  sons-in-law  in  the  war. 
Mary  Wright  Youngman,  his  first  wife,  be- 
longed to  the  early  Wright  family  of  Hamji- 
den  County  and  Springfield,  Mass.  The 
Wrights  suffered  much  from  the  Indian  dep- 
redations on  the  frontier.  Some  of  the  fam- 
ily   were    carried    off    by    the    red    men,    and 


130 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


others  died  from  injuries  and  exposure. 
About  twelve  years  after  Mary's  death  in 
Mollis,  in  1802,  Nicholas  Youngman,  then 
eighty-two  years  old,  married  Lydia  Hobart. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-one  years,  hon- 
ored for  his  devotion  to  his  country  and  for 
his  noble  life  and  character.  The  four  sons 
who  fought  in  the  war  were:  Ebenezer,  John, 
Thomas,  and  Jabez.  Ebenezer  was  killed  at 
Bunker  Hill.  Jabez  Youngman,  the  sixth  of 
Nicholas's  sons  and  the  grandfather  of  Alden 
Youngman,  was  born  in  Hollis,  March  4, 
1764.  He  married  Susannah  Powers,  and  had 
a  family  of  twelve  children;  namely,  Jabez, 
Jr.,  Noah,  David,  Susanna,  Hannah,  Lucy, 
Stephen,  Nathan,  Willard,  Hannah  (second), 
Alden,  and  Mary.  Jabez  Youngman,  Jr., 
who  was  born  in  Hollis,  June  26,  1786,  be- 
came a  prominent  man  in  Merrimack  and 
Grafton  Counties  and  a  successful  farmer. 
He  was  in  the  State  legislature  for  eleven 
years  in  succession,  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  in  1850,  and  held 
various  other  offices  of  trust  and  responsibil- 
ity. In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  in  re- 
ligion a  Universalist.  His  wife,  Emma 
Baldwin  Youngman,  who  died  in  1877,  was 
the  mother  of  twelve  children.  Of  these 
Emma  B.,  Harriet  B. ,  and  Alden  are  living. 

Alden  Youngman  has  spent  his  time  chiefly 
in  New  Boston,  Wilmot,  Dorchester,  and 
Merrimac.  His  early  life  was  passed  in 
Dorchester,  and  he  was  sent  to  the  public 
schools  of  that  town.  His  chief  occupations 
have  been  farming  and  carpentering  and 
other  mechanical  work.  In  1884  he  came  to 
Merrimac,  where  he  has  a  nice  home  and  a 
well-cultivated  farm  of  some  thirty  acres. 
He  married  in  1856  Miss  Maria  S.  Smith,  of 
New  Boston,  daughter  of  Sandy  and  Susan 
(Eayrs)  Smith.  She  died  in  1892,  leaving 
one  son,  Charles  F.  Youngman,  who,  born  in 
1858,  married  Miss  Jennie  H.  Hill.  While 
in  Dorchester  Mr.  Youngman  was  Selectman 
during  three  successive  years,  and  since  com- 
ing here  he  has  served  the  town  for  the  same 
length  of  time.  He  is  also  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  In  religion  he  is  a  Christian  Scien- 
tist and  in  politics  a  stanch  Republican. 
He   has    always    been    an    energetic,    stirring 


man,  and  has  made  many  friends  by  his  affable 
manners  and  obliging  disposition. 


SA  H.  BULLOCK,  one  of  Richmond's 
most  stirring  farmers  and  an  ex-mem- 
ber of  the  New  Hampshire  legislat- 
ure, was  born  in  this  town,  June  9, 
1833,  son  of  Asa  and  Tamason  (Cass)  Bullock. 
The  father  settled  upon  a  farm  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  township,  and  resided  there  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  August  ig,  1874. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  His  first 
wife,  Tamason  Cass  Bullock,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Cass,  died  August  28, 
1839,  leaving  one  son,  Asa  H.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  His  second  wife,  Amy,  daughter 
of  Robert  Swan,  died  in  1887.  She  was  the 
mother  of  two  children  —  Henry  and  Eliza- 
beth. 

Asa  H.  Bullock  was  educated  in  Richmond, 
and  assisted  his  father  on  the  homestead  until 
he  was  twenty  years  old.  He  then  bought  the 
Major  John  Cass  farm,  upon  which  he  lo- 
cated; and  later  he  acquired  the  John  Starkcy 
place,  which  gave  him  all  together  an  estate 
of  two  hundred  acres.  He  conducts  general 
farming,  dairying,  and  stock-raising,  keeps  a 
number  of  excellent  cows,  and  sells  a  large 
amount  of  cream.  Politically,  he  supports  the 
Democratic  party,  and  he  has  devoted  much 
time  to  public  affairs.  He  served  as  Select- 
man five  years,  a  part  of  the  time  being  chair- 
man of  the  Board,  has  been  three  times  elected 
to  the  legislature,  served  upon  the  School 
Board,  has  been  Moderator  at  town  meetings  a 
number  of  years,  has  presided  over  the  Demo- 
cratic Town  Committee,  is  now  Supervisor  of 
the  Check  List,  and  has  been  chosen  a  dele- 
gate to  many  party  conventions.  He  has  been 
a  trustee  of  the  library  since  its  establish- 
ment, was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Richmond 
Grange,  No.  147,  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  in 
which  he  has  served  as  Master  and  Overseer. 
In  his  religious  belief  he  is  a  Universalist. 

Mr.  Bullock  married  Mary  Randall,  daugh- 
ter of  Stephen  Randall,  of  this  town,  who 
bore  him  five  children,  as  follows:  Stephen 
A.,  born  February  9,  1857;  Luther  C,  born 
December  26,  1858,  and  died  March  11,  1859; 


JAMES     B.    MERRILL. 


1!K)(;RA1'HICA1.    rkview 


'3i 


Mary  D.,  hoiii  June  25,  i  S60,  and  died  De- 
cember 20,  1864;  l"'rank  R.,  l)nrn  October 
23,  1861,  and  died  September  S,  1865;  and 
Myron  E.,  born  November  28,  1866,  and  died 
March  30,  1869.'  The  mother  died  October 
2,   1884.^ 

Stephen  A.  lUillock  is  now  associated  with 
his  father  in  managing  tiic  farm.  He  occu- 
pies a  prominent  place  in  political  affairs, 
being  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Town  Com- 
mittee; and  he  has  been  a  Selectman  six 
years,  three  of  which  he  was  chairman  of  the 
Board.  He  is  a  member  of  Beaver  Brook 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Keene;  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  United  Order  of  the  Golden 
Cross,  of  which  he  has  been  Worthy  Com- 
mander; and  is  also  connected  with  the 
grange.  He  married  Emma  A.  Thayer,  and 
has  three  children  —  I'^rank  S.,  Mary  A.,  and 
Lizzie. 


LBRIDGE  GERRY  WOODMAN,  a  re- 
tired manufacturer  of  Wilton,  was  born 
in'Laconia,  N.H.,  May  12,  1814, 
son  of  Daniel  and  Eunice  (Crockett)  Wood- 
man. His  grandfather,  Andrew  Woodman, 
who  was  a  native  of  Durham,  N.H.,  is  said  to 
have  opened  the  first  store  in  what  is  now  La- 
conia.  After  remaining  in  business  for  a 
few  years,  Andrew  engaged  in  farming.  He 
moved  to  Boscawen,  where  he  resided  for  a 
time,  and  his  last  days  were  passed  with  his 
son  in  Laconia.  He  married  Mary  Woodman, 
and  reared  a  family  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  none  are  now  living.  Both  parents 
lived  to  a  good  old  age.  They  were  Congre- 
gationalists  in  religion. 

Daniel  Woodman,  the  eldest  of  Andrew's 
children,  was  born  in  the  jiart  of  Meredith 
which  is  now  included  in  I^aconia.  He 
learned  the  trades  of  blacksmith,  machinist, 
and  carpenter,  becoming  a  skilful  mechanic. 
He  was  afterward  employed  as  a  machinist  in 
building  the  first  cotton  factory  in  Dover, 
N.H.  Naturally  energetic  and  possessing 
more  than  the  ordinary  ability  in  his  line  of 
work,  his  services  were  always  in  demand. 
His  wife,  Eunice,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Joshua     Crockett,    of     Laconia,    became    the 


mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom  there  are 
living:  Elbridgc  G.,  Asa  D.,  and  Harriet  N. 
Asa  D.  married  Sarah  Miles,  and  his  children 
are:  George,  Charles,  and  Sarah.  Harriet  N. 
is  the  widow  of  IClihu  Merritt,  late  of  Ando- 
ver,  N.H.  Daniel  Woodman  dietl  at  the  age 
of  sixty-seven,  and  his  wife  lived  to  be  ninety 
years  old.  They  attended  the  Congregational 
church. 

Elbridge  Gerry  Woodman  was  educated  in 
Meredith.  When  a  young  man  he  l)egan  work 
in  the  repair  shop  of  a  cotton  factory  in  La- 
conia. After  finishing  his  apprenticeship  at 
the  machinist's  trade  in  Chelmsford,  Mass., 
he  was  for  eight  years  overseer  of  a  part  of 
the  men  employed.  He  then  worked  in 
New  York  for  a  year,  after  which  he  came  to 
Wilton,  and  formed  the  corporation  known  as 
the  Wilton  Manufacturing  Company,  of  which 
he  was  superintendent  for  twenty-two  years. 
This  concern  manufactured  carpet  yarns.  He 
owned  several  shares  of  the  capital  stock.  In 
1874  he  retired,  having  by  his  industry  ac- 
quired a  comfortable  fortune;  and  he  has  since 
resided  here,  being  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Wilton  Savings  Bank  for  many  years. 

On  September  3,  1839,  Mr.  Woodman  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mary  A.  Blanchard, 
daughter  of  Luther  and  Mary  (Kenson) 
Blanchard,  of  Milford,  N.H.  He  is  highly 
respected  for  his  business  and  social  promi- 
nence, and  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  indus- 
trial interests  of  Wilton.  Politically,  he  acts 
with  the  Republican  party.  Both  he  and  Mrs. 
Woodman  are  members  of  the  Unitarian 
church. 


AMES  B.  MERRH.L,  a  retired  farmer 
and  influential  citizen  of  Hudson, 
fiillsboro  County,  N.H.,  was  born  in 
this  town.  May  6,  1824,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Sarah  (Plummer)  Merrill.  His 
ancestry  in  this  country  is  traced  back  to 
1634,  when  Nathaniel  Merrill  came  from  Eng- 
land to  America,  and  settled  in  Newbury, 
Mass.  Here  he  remained  until  his  death 
twenty  years  later,  a  progressive  pioneer  and 
universally  esteemed.  His  wife  was  Susannah 
Jourdaine. 


134 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


The  next  in  the  male  line  of  descent  was 
Abel  Merrill,  born  at  Newbury,  1646.  He 
married  Priscilla  Chase,  and  lived  to  the  age 
of  forty -three  years,  dying  October  28,  1689. 
His  eldest  son,  Abel,  Jr.,  born  December  28, 
1 67 1,  moved  to  West  Newbury  after  he  grew 
to  maturity,  and  married  January  ig,  1694, 
Abigail  Stevens.  He  became  a  very  promi- 
nent citizen  in  his  new  home,  and  acquired  a 
large  property.  He  was  active  in  church 
affairs  and  for  many  years  a  Deacon.  His 
death  occurred  February  6,   1759. 

Abel  Merrill's  son  Nathaniel,  born  at  West 
Newbury,  March  i,  17 12,  was  graduated  at 
Harvard  in  1732,  and  became  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  at  Rye,  N.H.  Upon 
the  organization  of  the  Congregational  church 
at  Hudson,  then  known  as  Nottingham  West, 
he  accepted  a  call  to  that  new  field  of  labor, 
his  installation  taking  place  November  30, 
1737.  He  remained  in  this  charge  until  his 
death  in  1796.  The  Rev.  Nathaniel  Merrill's 
wife  was  Elizabeth  Sargent.  They  were  the 
parents  of  twelve  children. 

Nathaniel,  Jr.,  born  September  25,  1739, 
grew  to  manhood  in  Hudson;  and  on  February 
25,  1767,  he  married  Olive  Lund,  of  Dun- 
stable (now  Nashua).  Prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  he  held  a  commission  as  En- 
sign under  His  Majesty,  King  George  HI. 
of  England;  but  upon  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war  he  threw  up  his  commission  in  the 
king's  army,  and   loyally  suppoi^d   the   cause 


of  his  native  land.  It  is  said  that  he  sold 
a  part  of  his  farm,  taking  his  pay  in  Con- 
tinental money,  which  later  depreciated  in 
value  to  such  an  extent  as  to  become  prac- 
tically a  total  loss.  Nathaniel  Merrill,  Jr., 
died  in  1785,  leaving  a  wife  and  a  son  Ben- 
jamin, then  only  seventeen  years  of  age,  born 
in  1768,  to  care  for  her  in  these  reduced 
circumstances. 

Benjamin  Merrill  worked  early  and  late, 
and  succeeded  in  providing  a  good  home  for 
his  mother  in  her  last  days.  On  July  25, 
1820,  he  married  Mrs.  Sarah  Plummer  P^aton, 
and  began  housekeeping  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  township  of  Hudson,  on  the  farm  that 
is  now  owned  by  his  descendants.  He  was  a 
very   prominent    figure    in    the    religious    and 


public  affairs  of  Hudson,  and  was  for  many 
years  a  Deacon  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
A  man  of  keen  discrimination  and  unfailing 
good  judgment,  he  was  often  appointed  referee ; 
and  his  advice  was  often  sought  upon  impor- 
tant cjuestions  and  in  the  settlement  of  dis- 
puted points.  Politically,  he  was  a  member 
of  the  old  Whig  party.  His  death  took  place 
April  25,  1849,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one 
years.  His  wife  died  October  25,  1853,  aged 
seventy -one  years.  Their  four  children  were: 
IkMijamin  A.,  Ebenezer  B.,  James  B.,  and 
William  T.  Merrill. 

James  B.  Merrill  spent  his  boyhood  days 
upon  his  father's  farm,  attending  the  public 
schools  and  making  the  most  of  all  educa- 
tional opportunities  which  were  offered  him. 
Early  in  life  he  worked  at  carpentering,  and 
he  continued  to  follow  that  occupation  for 
many  years.  He  has  also  done  a  large  amount 
of  general  farming.  Of  amiable  disposition 
and  generous  qualities  of  heart  and  mind,  he 
has  made  many  warm  and  appreciative  friends 
in  the  course  of  his  long  and  useful  life,  and 
has  established  a  reputation  for  integrity  and 
good  citizenship  such  as  all  men  respect. 
Mr.  Merrill  has  now  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness. 

On  January  22,  1857,  Mr.  Merrill  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Persis  A.  Winn,  a  lady  born  in 
Hudson  and  daughter  of  William  and  Persis 
(Moore)  Winn.  Two  sons  and  a  daughter 
have  blessed  this  union,  namely:  Annie  Ger- 
trude Merrill;  James  P>crett  Merrill,  a  car- 
penter of  Hudson,  who  married  Miss  Etta  S. 
Marble,  and  is  the  father  of  Karl  E.  and  Ethel 
G.  Merrill;  and  George  Anderson  Merrill, 
who  married  Emma  B.  Winn,  and  has  one 
son,  Winn  Merrill. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  B.  Merrill  are  faithful 
and  valued  members  of  the  Congregational 
church.  In  politics  Mr.  Merrill  is  a  loyal 
Republican,  and  has  held  many  offices  of  trust 
and  responsibility  in  his  native  town.  He 
has  been  Town  Clerk  and  Treasurer  for  several 
terms,  has  served  as  Selectman,  and  he  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  State  legislature  in 
1876.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Merrill  is  a  member 
of  Hudson  Grange,  P.  of  H.  ;  and  also  of  the 
United  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross. 


BIOGRAI'UICAL    REVIKW 


'3S 


SRA  JOSLIN  PROUTY,  M.U.,  a  prom- 
inent physician  and  surgeon  of  Keene, 
was  born  in  Ogdensliurg,  N.Y.,  August 
15,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Ira  I"'rench 
I'niuty,  late  of  this  town.  The  latter,  a  son 
ui  W'illard  ;inil  Sally  I'routy,  of  Langdon, 
N.H.,  was  born  November  g,  18 12.  In  his 
boyhood  he  attended  the  academies  at  Bellows 
F"alls  and  at  Chester,  Vt. ,  and  later  read 
medicine  with  Dr.  Lowell,  of  Chester,  and 
with  Dr.  Lawrence,  of  Saxton's  River.  lie 
graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  1837, 
and  he  practised  successively  in  Illinois,  New 
Hampshire,  and  New  York  before  coming  to 
Keene  in  1863.  A  popular  man  in  the  com- 
munity, he  was  elected  to  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion for  eight  years,  and  was  sent  to  represent 
the  town  in  the  State  legislature,  and  was  on 
the  Board  of  Aldermen  of  the  city  of  Keene. 
In  the  legislature  he  was  active  in  securing 
State  aid  for  Dartmouth  College.  He  married 
for  his  first  wife  Emily  F.  Babcock.  His  sec- 
ond wife,  Elsie,  a  daughter  of  Deacon  Luke  and 
Lydia  Joslin,  of  Stoddard,  is  now  living  with 
her  son,  Dr.  Ira  J.  Prouty.  Deacon  Joslin, 
who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Stoddard, 
came  to  Keene  in  1856. 

Ira  J.  Prouty  graduated  from  the  Keene 
High  School  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and 
then  to(jk  a  special  course  at  the  Massachu- 
setts Institute  of  Technology,  preparatory  to 
studying  medicine.  He  took  his  medical 
course  in  the  University  of  New  York,  gradu- 
ating in  18S2,  and  immediately  settled  in 
practice  at  Keene.  Since  his  graduation  from 
the  medical  school  he  has  done  special  post- 
graduate work  in  various  hospitals  in  the 
States,  and  during  the  winter  of  1893-94  in 
hosjjitals  of  Great  Britain  and  other  countries 
of  Europe.  He  is  especially  devoted  to  sur- 
gical practice,  and  physicians  send  from  long 
distances  to  consult  with  him  on  important 
cases  in  surgery.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Society  and  of  the  New 
Hami^shire  Medical  Society;  also  of  the  Con- 
necticut River  Valley  Medical  Society,  of 
which  he  has  been  president.  He  is  often 
sent  as  delegate  to  other  societies  outside  the 
State.  Many  of  the  papers  read  before  these 
societies  by  him  have  been  published    in   vari- 


ous medical  and  scientific  journals.  He  was 
one  of  the  original  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Elliott  City  Hospital  and  on  its  first  staff  of 
physicians.  He  is  also  secretary  of  llie  New 
Hampshire  Surgical  Club.  Dr.  Prouty  has 
been  city  physician  of  Keene  and  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Health,  and  he  has  served  on 
the  Board  of  Education  for  si.x  years.  He  is 
a  member  of  Beaver  Brook  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. 
On  July  19,  1882,  Dr.  Prouty  was  first  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Marietta  Humphrey,  of  Keene. 
She  became  the  mother  of  his  son,  Ira  Hum- 
phrey Prouty,  who  was  born  April  25,  1885. 
Mrs.  Prouty  died  in  1894.  A  second  mar- 
riage on  June  23,  1896,  united  the  Doctor 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  F.  Howe,  of  Dublin, 
N.H.,    who    lived   only   a   short   time   after. 


ON.  JOHN  McGAW  PARKER,  of 
Parker's  Station,  Goffstown,  is  one 
of  the  most  widely  known  business 
men  of  Hillsboro  County.  He  and 
his  brother,  David  A.  Parker,  were  known  as 
the  "lumber  kings  of  Southern  New  Hamp- 
shire.~  Born  in  Goftstown,  September  17, 
1822,  son  of  William  and  Hannah  (Adams) 
Parker,  he  is  a  descendant  of  Josiah  Parker, 
who  came  trom  England  to  this  country  prior 
to  the  year  1700,  and  settled  in  Cambridge, 
Mass.  Josiah's  son  Thomas  was  a  preacher 
and  the  first  settled  minister  at  Dracut, 
Mass.,  where  he  died  in  1765.  John  Parker, 
son  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  and  the  grandfather 
of  the  Hon.  John  McGaw  Parker,  was  an  early 
settler  and  farmer  of  Litchfield,  N.  IL  He 
afterward  came  to  Goffstown,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1822.  He  served  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War. 

William  Parker,  the  second  son  of  John, 
born  in  1775,  spent  the  active  years  of  his  life 
in  Goffstown,  extensively  engageil  in  farming, 
lumbering,  and  storekeeping.  He  died  in 
Goffstown  in  1839,  aged  about  sixty-four 
years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig,  in  re- 
ligion a  Congregational ist,  anil  a  member  of 
the  church  of  that  denomination  in  Goffstown. 
P"or  his  first  wife  he  married  Hannah  Aiken, 
who  died  September  30,  1818.  His  second 
and     last     marriage    was    with    Mrs.    Hannah 


136 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


McGaw,  whose  maiden  name  was  Hannah 
Adams.  She  was  born  August  22,  1788,  in 
Derry,  N.H.,  and  died  l-'ebruary  26,  1869,  in 
Goffstown,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  her  age. 
The  children  of  the  first  marriage  were: 
Rodney,  George  W.,  Caroline,  and  Margaret 
Ann.  Those  of  the  second  were:  Hannah  A., 
born  November  13,  1819;  John  McGaw,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  David  Adams,  born 
October  5,  1824;  and  William  Henry,  born 
August  6,   1 83 1. 

John  McGaw  Parker,  the  only  surviving 
child  of  William  Parker,  was  educated  at  the 
Goffstown  common  school,  at  Hopkinton  and 
Derry  Academies,  and  at  the  school  at  Con- 
cord, N.H.  When  seventeen  years  old  he  be- 
came a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Concord  and  later 
at  Goffstown.  Beginning  in  1843,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  he  had  been  engaged  in 
business  for  himself  at  Goffstown  for  thirty- 
three  years  when  in  1876  he  was  succeeded 
by  his  sons.  In  1848,  with  his  brother, 
David  A.  Parker,  he  formed  a  copartnership 
in  the  lumber  business,  which  was  continued 
until  the  death  of  his  brother  in  1895.  Their 
extensive  and  successful  enterprises  in  this 
direction  caused  them  to  be  called  the  "lum- 
ber kings  of  Southern  New  Hampshire." 
Since  the  death  of  his  brother  John  McGaw 
Parker  has  been  busily  engaged  in  settling  the 
large  estate  left  by  the  latter  and  in  selling 
the  lumber  in  which  they  had  a  mutual  inter- 
est. One  of  the  largest  individual  land- 
owners in  Hillsboro  County,  he  continues  to 
carry  on  a  large  business  in  farming  and  lum- 
bering. 

In  1854  Mr.  Parker  married  Miss  Letitia 
Stintson,  daughter  of  Charles  Stintson. 
Their  three  sons  —  Charles  S..  Henry  W., 
and  Frank  A.  —  are  bright,  wide-awake  busi- 
ness men.  Charles  S.  and  Frank  A.,  the 
eldest  and  youngest,  succeeded  their  father  in 
the  store  which  he  established  in  Goffstown 
in  1843,  and  which  is  to-day  the  leading  store 
in  the  place.  Henry  W.  conducts  a  success- 
ful wholesale  grocery  business  in  Manchester, 
N.H.  Parker's  Station,  where  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Parker  reside,  derives  its  name  from  the  fam- 
ily. Mr.  Parker  is  a  stanch  Republican. 
He  served  as  State   Senator  in    1859-60,  and 


has  been  successively  a  member  of  the  Council 
of  Governor  Prescott  and  Governor  Cheney. 
For  twenty  years  Mr.  Parker  has  been  on  the 
State  Board  of  Equalization.  He  holds  lib- 
eral views  regarding  religion. 


AMUP:L  C.  FOLLANSBEE,  who 
owns  and  occupies  a  desirable  farm 
situated  in  the  suburbs  of  Nashua, 
was  born  in  Merrimac,  N.  H.,  Au- 
gust 28,  18 16,  son  of  Samuel  and  Mehitable 
(Clifford)  F"ollansbee.  His  grandfather,  also 
named  Samuel,  a  native  of  England,  who  was 
an  early  settler  of  Hillsboro  County,  and  re- 
sided in  Merrimac,  joined  the  Continental 
army,  and  was  killed  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  The  father,  who  was  born  in  Hillsboro 
County,  learned  the  cooper's  trade,  and  fol- 
lowed it  for  several  years.  He  later  became  a 
miller,  and  was  also  the  owner  of  a  good  farm 
in  Merrimac.  He  was  an  able  business  man 
and  a  tireless  worker,  and  was  highly  re- 
spected for  his  i"ndustry  and  integrity.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  His  last  days 
were  spent  upon  his  farm,  and  he  lived  to  be 
eighty-three  years  old.  His  wife,  who  was  a 
native  of  Loudon,  N.H.,  became  the  mother 
of  eleven  children,  four  of  whom  are  living, 
namely:  Samuel  C,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Washington  W.,  a  resident  of  Merri- 
mac; Franklin  \V.,  who  resides  in  Manches- 
ter, N.H.;  and  Lucinda  Page,  who  lives  in 
Boston.  The  others  were:  Charles,  Arminda, 
Clifton,  James,  Elsie,  and  two  who  died 
young.  Mrs.  Samuel  Follansbee  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty-one  years. 

Samuel  C.  Follansbee  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Merrimac.  After  completing  his 
studies  he  resided  for  a  time  in  Nashua.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  went  to  Boston,  and 
there  resided  for  more  than  forty  years,  follow- 
ing various  lines  of  business.  He  finally  re- 
turned to  Nashua,  and  since  1881  has  given 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
owns  a  farm  of  thirty  acres,  which  he  has 
greatly  improved,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to 
find  in  New  England  a  more  pleasantly  located 
rural  residence. 

Mr.  Follansbee   is   unmarried.      He  has   by 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


■37 


his  own  industry  and  perseverance  obtained  a 
comfortable  competency,  and  is  passing  his 
declining  years  in  comparative  ease.  He  en- 
tertains liberal  views  in  regard  to  religion, 
and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


^^■^» 


EVANS,  M.D.,  of  Winchester, 
one  of  the  busiest  medical  practitioners 
in  this  part  of  the  county,  was  born 
in  Brookline,  Vt.,  November  30,  183S,  son 
of  Charles  and  Philena  (Fuller)  Evans. 
Charles  Evans,  who  was  a  native  and  well-to- 
do  farmer  of  Royalton,  Vt.,  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  active  life  in  that  State.  He  was 
a  man  of  much  natural  intelligence  and  execu- 
tive ability,  and  was  a  leading  spirit  among 
the  Democrats  of  his  locality  during  the  Re- 
bellion, availing  himself  of  every  opportunity 
to  discuss  the  political  issues  of  the  day.  He 
was  the  father  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
Earl,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  first- 
born. 

Earl  Evans,  after  completing  an  academic 
course,  taught  school  for  a  season,  and  then 
began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Edwin 
C.  Cross.  He  studied  at  the  Harvard  Medical 
School  for  a  time,  but  got  the  greater  portion 
of  his  professional  training  at  the  Berkshire 
Medical  College,  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  where  he 
was  a  pupil  of  Professor  H.  H.  Childs,  and 
was  graduated  with  high  honors.  He  first 
began  practice  at  West  Swanzey,  then  he  fol- 
lowed his  profession  in  Winchester  and  after- 
ward in  Boston;  but,  finding  that  the  climate 
of  the  New  England  metropolis  was  undermin- 
ing his  health,  he  decided  to  settle  in  the 
country,  and  came  to  Winchester,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  His  practice  embraces  not 
only  this  but  most  of  the  adjoining  towns,  and 
he  therefore  spends  much  time  in  driving. 
He  has  acquired  a  high  place  in  his  profes- 
sion, and  his  reputation  extends  beyond  the 
limits  of  this  county  and  State.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  New  Hampshire  Medical  So- 
ciety, the  Cheshire  County  Medical  Society, 
and  the  Connecticut  River  Valley  Medical  So- 
ciety; has  been  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  for  the  past  twenty  years; 
belongs  to  the  International  Association ;  and 


in  1890  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  from  the 
American  Association  to  the  International 
Medical  Congress  at  Berlin.  He  is  the  projiri- 
etor  of  a  well-equipped  drug  store  in  Winches- 
ter, which  is  managed  by  an  experienced 
pharmacist,  and  contains  a  full  line  of  medi- 
cines, chemicals,  and  kindreil  articles. 

Dr.  Evans  married  Helen  E.  Buffum,  only 
daughter  of  Captain  David  Buffum,  late  of 
Swanzey.  Mrs.  Evans's  father,  who  was  a 
prominent  business  man,  assisted  in  raising 
Company  I,  Si.xteenth  Regiment,  New  Hamp- 
shire Volunteers,  and  died  while  serving  in 
the  Civil  War.  Dr.  Evans  occupies  a  hand- 
some residence,  which  he  erected  in  1876. 


^.HARLES     F.     MELENDY,     a    well- 
^-^      known    farmer    and    manufacturer    of 


the  town  of  Temple,  N.H..  Hills- 
boro  County,  is  a  native  of  Brook- 
line,  this  State,  where  he  was  born  December 
31,  1S44,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Badger) 
Melendy.  Thomas  Melendy,  his  father,  also 
a  native  of  Brookline,  was  a  lumberman  and 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  was  an  industrious 
and  worthy  citizen.  Keenly  alive  to  his  pub- 
lic duties,  he  took  an  active  interest  in  both 
town  and  county  affairs,  and  represented 
Ward  Eight  of  Nashua  in  the  State  legislat- 
ure. His  death  occurred  in  1888.  Of  the 
five  children  born  to  him  only  two  are  now 
living:  Charles  F.,  of  Temple:  and  Hervey 
D.  Melendy,  of  Nashua. 

Charles  F.  Melendy  grew  to  manhood  in 
Milford,  and  received  his  early  education  in 
the  district  schools  and  in  the  high  school  of 
that  town.  Later  he  attended  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege with  the  intention  of  fitting  himself  to 
be  a  civil  engineer.  Owing,  however,  to  poor 
health  he  was  obliged  to  change  his  plans; 
and  he  engaged  in  lumbering  in  his  native 
town  and  in  Lowell,  owning  lands  also  in  the 
West,  principally  in  Wisconsin.  He  has 
done  considerable  lumbering  in  Canada,  and 
he  also  carries  on  general  farming  in  Temple. 
His  most  recent  enterprise  is  the  wooden  bo.\ 
manufactory  at  Hudson,  where  he  is  at  pres- 
ent doing  a  prosperous  business,  working  up 
half  a  million  feet  of  lumber  per  month.      lie 


"38 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


cuts  annually  about  four  million  feet  of  stand- 
ing timber,  and  employs  a  force  of  from 
seventy-five  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
men.  The  box  factory  has  the  latest  improved 
machinery,  and  his  [jortable  saw-mill  located 
at  Wilton  is  a  first-class  mill  of  its  kind. 

On  January  3,  1S89,  Mr.  Melendy  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eva  D.  Hutch- 
inson, a  native  of  Milford  and  daughter  of 
N.  C.  Hutchinson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Melendy 
have  two  living  children  —  Adelia  R.  and 
Marion  1'.  A  son,  Charles  F. ,  is  now  de- 
ceased. 

Although  a  believer  in  the  beneficent  effects 
of  a  broad  Christianity,  Mr.  Melendy  is  not 
connected  with  any  church.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  Benevo- 
lent Lodge,  No.  7,  F.  &  A.  M.  Mr.  Me- 
lendy's  business  career  may  well  be  taken  as 
an  illustration  of  what  may  be  accomplished 
by  thrift  and  industry,  associated  with  enter- 
prise and  honesty.  He  is  sole  proprietor  of 
his  box-making  business,  which  is  the  leading 
industry  in  Hudson,  and  has  the  satisfaction 
of  feeling  that  his  success  in  life  has  been 
won  and  merited  by  his  own  unaided  effort. 


-OHN  TROW  McCOLLOM,  a  carpen- 
ter and  highly  respected  citizen  of 
Mont  Vernon,  HiHsboro  County,  N .H., 
was  born  in  this  town,  July  28,  1835, 
son  of  Milton  and  Sophronia  (Trow)  Mc- 
Collom.  His  father  was  a  descendant  of 
early  Scotch-Irish  settlers  of  Londonderry, 
N.H.,  the  records  showing  that  Alexander 
McCollom  and  his  wife  immigrated  to  that 
place  about  1730. 

From  the  History  of  New  Boston  we 
learn  that  his  son  Alexander,  second,  married 
Elizabeth  McMurphy  (who  was  of  another 
Scottish  family  that  came  to  this  country  after 
having  lived  for  a  time  in  the  north  of  Ire- 
land), and  in  1758  settled  at  New  Boston, 
whereat  the  time  of  the  incorporation  of  the 
town  he  was  chosen  Town  Clerk.  His  son 
Alexander,  third,  the  ne.xt  to  occupy  the  home- 
stead, was  for  several  years  a  Selectman  of 
New  Boston.  Later  he  removed  to  Mont 
Vernon,     where     his    declining     years     were 


passed,  and  where  he  died  somewhat  more  than 
fifty  years  ago.  He  and  his  wife,  Mary  Pat- 
terson, reared  a  large  family  of  children,  one 
of  their  sons  being  Milton,  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  Another  son  was  George 
W.  McCollom,  late  of  New  York  City,  who, 
a  few  years  before  his  death,  gave,  in  memory 
of  his  wife,  a  number  of  thousand  dollars  as 
an  endowment  fund  to  the  school  at  Mont 
Vernon,  then  known  as  the  Appleton  Acad- 
emy, and  since  flourishing  under  the  name  of 
the  McCollom  Institute. 

Milton  McCollom  was  born  in  New  Boston, 
but  came  a  few  years  later  to  Mont  Vernon. 
In  early  manhood  he  worked  at  carpentry,  and 
subsequently  for  a  score  of  years  he  kept  an 
inn  on  the  Henniker  road.  He  died  in  1851. 
Four  of  the  children  born  to  him  and  So- 
phronia, his  wife,  are  living,  namely:  Mary 
E.,  widow  of  Daniel  Baker,  residing  in 
Mont  Vernon;  Charles  R.,  of  Goffstown, 
N.H.  ;  John  T.,  of  Mont  Vernon;  and  Fannie 
E.,  wife  of  W.  S.  A.  Starrett,  of  Mont 
Vernon. 

John  Trow,  the  younger  son,  received  a  fair 
common-school  education.  He  was  si.xteen 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  and 
since  then  has  been  practically  dependent 
upon  his  own  resources.  After  being  em- 
ployed for  four  years  at  a  variety  of  occupa- 
tions, at  the  age  of  twenty  he  began  learning 
the  carpenter's  trade;  and  for  about  thirty- 
five  years  he  worked  summers  at  his  trade, 
and  winters  he  did  lumbering.  He  has  lived 
in  Mont  Vernon  village  since  1S57,  or  nearly 
forty  years. 

In  1865,  at  the  age  of  thirty,  Mr.  McCollom 
married  Miss  Emily  J.  Starrett,  daughter  of 
Deacon  Joseph  A.  Starrett,  late  of  Mont 
Vernon.  She  died  April  20,  1867,  leaving 
one  daughter,  Mary  B. ,  who  lives  in  Nashua, 
N.H.  In  1877  Mr.  McCollom  married  Mrs. 
Theresa  M.  Cristy,  who  is  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Isaac  Smith,  of  Deering,  N.H.  There 
are  no  children  by  this  union. 

In  politics  Mr.  McCollom  is  a  Democratic 
partisan.  He  has  served  four  years  as  Select- 
man, one  of  which  he  was  chairman  of  the 
Board,  and  he  has  frequently  been  solicited  to 
accept    other    positions   of    trust.      He   was    a 


BIOf.RAl'lIKAL    Rl'.VIKW 


'39 


charter  member  of  Prospect  Grange,  but  is 
not  at  present  connected  therewith.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
cliurch,  and  she  is  an  active  worlccr  in  the 
Ladies'  Home  Circle  of  Mont  Vernon. 


,p>  |ARSHALL    E.    DANA,    an    enter- 
prising   farmer    of    Westmorelanci, 

H3  \  was  born  in  Weston,  Vt.,  No- 
vember 17,  185 1,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Chilson)  Dana.  The  father  died 
in  April,  1891,  and  the  mother  in  1877. 
Their  children  were:  Marian,  Wallace,  Edgar, 
Marshal!  E.,  Edna,  Stella,  Allston  W.,  and 
Fenalla.  Marian  resides  at  Mount  Holly. 
Wallace  is  married,  and  lives  in  the  same 
place.  Edgar  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-two. 
lulna  lives  in  Topeka,  Kan.,  and  is  the  wife 
of  Frank  Parkhurst.  Stella,  who  married 
John  Robinson,  is  no  longer  living.  Allston 
W.,  who  is  a  lawyer  of  Topeka,  Kan.,  was  ed- 
ucated at  Barre,  Vt.,  and  at  Tufts  College. 
During  his  Junior  year  at  college  the  town  of 
Barre,  Vt.,  tendered  him  the  position  of  prin- 
cipal of  Barre  Academy,  an  offer  signifying 
the  value  set  upon  his  abilities  and  services. 
Mr.  Dana  accepted,  and  taught  at  the  academy 
for  several  years.  He  then  took  up  the  study 
of  law,  and  removed  to  Topeka.  In  due  time 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  he  has  since 
acquired  an  extensive  practice  in  that  place. 
His  sister  P^enalla,  who  also  resides  in  Topeka, 
is  principal  of  the  grammar  school.  She  grad- 
uated from  Goddard  Seminary  at  15arre. 

Marshall  E.  Dana  received  his  education  at 
Mount  Holly,  the  home  of  his  boyhood. 
After  assisting  for  a  time  on  his  father's  farm 
he  spent  three  years  employed  in  the  chair 
factory  owned  by  ex-Governor  Washl^urn,  of 
Erving,  Mass.  Subsequently  he  returned  to 
Mount  Holly,  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm 
for  about  six  years.  Afterward  he  went  to 
Keene,  where  in  1886  he  worked  in  a  furni- 
ture factory.  In  the  spring  of  this  year  Mr. 
Dana  bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
six  acres  in  Westmoreland,  formerly  owned 
by  Abijah  French.  He  has  since  become  an 
extensive  farmer,  keeping  about  fifty  head  of 
cattle,    with   about   thirty   cows.      In    partner- 


ship vvitii  others  he  has  also  been  profitably 
engaged  in  lumbering.  He  has  been  a  Select- 
man for  tiie  past  two  years,  and  during  the 
year  of  1896  he  was  chairman  of  the  Board. 
He  was  formerly  a  Republican,  but,  not  be- 
lieving in  a  high  tariff,  he  has  changed  to  the 
Democratic  party.  He  is  a  member  of  Great 
Meadow  Lodge  of  the  Grange  Association, 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Order  of  the  Golden 
Cross. 

On  December  8,  1884,  Mr.  Dana  married 
Dora,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Hannah  T. 
(Cary)  Giffin.  Her  father,  who  was  for- 
merly in  the  grocery  and  provision  business, 
now  follows  the  trade  of  mason.  His  only 
other  child,  Fred  W.,  died  at  the  age  of  fif- 
teen years.  Mr.  Dana  and  his  wife  have  had 
four  children  —  Marian  Giffin,  Charles  Giffin, 
Burton  Giffin,  and  Floyd  Giffin  Dana. 


DDY  B.  SWETT,  M.D.,  a  physician 
of  Goffstown,  was  born  in  Nashua, 
N.H.,  November  3,  1867,  son  of 
Newell  S.  and  Lucy  F.  (Abbott)  Swett. 
Newell  S.  Swett  was  born  in  Gilmanton, 
N.H.,  and  his  wife  came  from  Belvidcre, 
Mass.  He  is  now  a  busy  tobacco  merchant 
in  Boston,  Mass.  In  the  late  war  he  served 
as  a  sharpshooter  with  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac for  three  years,  was  wounded  at  the  battle 
of  the  Wilderness,  and  was  discharged  in  1864. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  attends  the  Baptist 
church.  He  and  his  wife  reside  in  Boston. 
They  have  two  children;  namely,  Eddy  B.  and 
Arthur  N.  Arthur  has  just  graduated  from 
the  Medford  (Mass.)  High  School. 

Eddy  H.  Swett  grew  up  in  the  city  of  Bos- 
ton, where  he  attended  the  public  schools. 
He  was  also  for  some  time  in  Medford,  Mass. 
In  1886  he  entered  Harvard  Medical  School, 
and,  after  completing  the  full  course,  gradu- 
ated in  1889.  He  then  locatetl  in  Marlboro, 
Mass.,  where  he  remained  two  years.  F'roin 
there  he  went  to  Goffstown  Centre,  now  called 
Grasmere,  where  he  has  since  followed  his 
profession.  He  is  liberal  in  his  religious 
views,  and  in  politics  is  an  Independent. 
The  community  has  the  advantage  of    his   ser- 


I40 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


vices  on  the  Board  of  Health.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  both  the  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire  Medical  Societies,  and  also  of  the 
Manchester  Medical  Association  and  Centre 
District  Medical  Society  of  Concord.  He  is 
also  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  of  Goffs- 
tovvn,  Knights  of  Pythias  of  Grasmere,  Sons 
of  Veterans  and  P.  of  H.  at  Grasmere. 

On  June  2,  1892,  he  married  Ettie  E.  Bal- 
lard, who  was  born  in  Yonkers,  N.Y.,  August 
8,  1S69,  daughter  of  Edward  O.  Ballard,  now 
of  New  York  City.  They  have  two  children: 
a  little  daughter  born  January  i,  1895;  and  a 
son,  born  February  12,  1897.  The  large  and 
successful  practice  already  acquired  by  Dr. 
Swett  furnishes  ample  justification  to  predict 
a  bright  future  for  him.  It  is  entirely  of  the 
character  always  to  be  obtained  by  skill,  tact, 
and  energy.  An  enthusiast  in  his  profession, 
he  has  the  support  of  the  best  people  in  the 
district. 


'TEPHEN  P.  RANDALL,  for  many 
years  a  prominent  and  highly  re- 
spected resident  of  Winchester,  was 
born  in  this  town,  July  4,  18 10,  son 
of  Stephen  and  Esther  (Hammond)  Randall. 
His  grandfather,  Abram  Randall,  who  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Richmond,  came  here 
from  Rhode  Island,  settling  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  town.  Stephen,  one  of  Abram's 
ten  children,  settled  on  Roaring  Brook,  Win- 
chester, where  he  carried  on  the  business  of 
cloth-dresser,  and  managed  a  large  farm  until 
his  death  in  1839,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four 
years.  He  was  an  active  politician,  but  did 
not  care  to  hold  office  himself.  He  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Esther  Hammond,  had  seven  children. 
The  second  wife,  Ascenyth  Smith  Randall, 
bore  him  five  children. 

Stephen  P.  Randall  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town.  His  early  advan- 
tages for  acquiring  knowledge  were  not  ex- 
tended; but,  such  as  they  were,  he  made  the 
most  of  them,  and  gained  a  practical  working 
knowledge,  which  served  as  a  basis  for  what 
he  acquired  later  in  life  through  observation 
and  experience.      He  remained  with  his  father 


until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  then 
set  out  for  Boston,  determined  to  win  for  him- 
self success,  even  if  he  had  to  begin  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ladder.  He  secured  work  at 
first  in  an  express  office.  Here  he  worked 
faithfully,  carefully  observing  how  the  busi- 
ness was  conducted.  At  the  end  of  a  year  he 
started  an  express  business  for  himself.  In 
this  he  was  very  successful,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  but  that  he  would  have  continued  in  it 
for  many  years  had  not  failing  health  made  it 
necessary  for  him  to  return  to  country  life. 
He  came  back  to  his  native  town,  which  he 
had  left  as  a  poor  boy  nine  years  before, 
bought  the  Judge  Weeks  place,  and  settled 
upon  it  as  a  farmer.  He  did  considerable 
cattle-raising,  and  in  all  the  departments  of 
his  business  he  met  with  uniform  success. 
At  one  time  he  was  a  director  of  the  National 
Bank.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  he 
never  cared  to  take  an  official  part  in  public 
life,  although  he  was  an  active  politician. 

Mr.  Randall  married  for  his  first  wife 
Laura,  daughter  of  Oliver  Ward.  She  was 
the  mother  of  his  four  children  —  Sarah, 
Laura,  Augusta,  and  Adelaide.  The  last 
named  is  the  only  child  now  living.  Sarah 
died,  aged  twenty-one  years ;  Laura,  aged  two; 
and  Augusta,  aged  thirty.  The  mother  died 
September  29,  1868.  For  his  second  wife 
Mr.  Randall  married  Mrs.  Martha  A.  Smith, 
daughter  of  Zenas  Fairbanks.  There  were  no 
children  by  this  marriage.  Mr.  Randall  at- 
tended the  Universalist  church,  and  gener- 
ously contributed  to  its  support.  While  not 
fond  of  going  into  society,  he  delighted  in  the 
companionship  of  his  family  and  of  his 
friends.  His  daughter  cherishes  many  pleas- 
ant memories  of  his  affectionate  and  thought- 
ful bearing  toward  those  of  his  own  household, 
and  of  his  kindness  toward  all  who  might  be 
in  need  of  sympathy  or  counsel.  He  died  on 
November  23,  1895. 


ILLIAM  STEVENS,  for  many  years 
one  of  the  most  influential  citizens 
of  Mont  Vernon,  was  born  here, 
July  28,  1816,  son  of  Asa  and  Mary  Ann  (Ap- 
pleton)  Stevens.      The  traditions   and   geneal- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


141 


ogy  iif  the  family  have  been  preserved  since 
the  time  when  Colonel  Thomas  Stevens,  of 
London,  was  one  of  the  stockholders  in  the 
Massachusetts  Bay  Company.  Colonel  Ste- 
vens, who  belonged  to  an  old  Devonshire  fam- 
ily, and  was  an  armorer  by  trade,  assisted  in 
seiuling  out  the  party  of  settlers  that  came 
to  Salem  in  1628  under  John  Endicott;  and 
his  was  one  of  the  signatures  on  the  paper  of 
instructions  given  to  the  e?nigrants.  The 
necessary  weapons  were  furnished  by  him. 
His  subscription  to  the  company's  capital  was 
fifty  pounds  sterling. 

In  1660  Colonel  Stevens  sent  three  sons 
and  one  daughter  to  the  colony.  Cyprian,  the 
youngest,  then  only  fourteen  years  of  age, 
finally  settled  in  Lancaster,  Mass.,  and  mar- 
ried there  a  Miss  Mary  Willard.  The  young- 
est of  their  five  children,  Joseph,  born  in 
16S2,  moved  to  Salisbury,  where  he  married 
Prudence  Rice,  of  that  town.  Later  he  took 
up  land  in  Rutland,  where  he  was  one  of  the 
first  five  settlers.  At  that  time  the  depreda- 
tions of  Indians  were  constantly  occurring. 
One  day,  in  Rutland,  as  Joseph  Stevens  and 
his  four  sons  were  making  hay,  they  were  sur- 
prised by  the  savages,  and  two  of  the  boys 
were  killed.  The  red  men  were  preparing  to 
kill  the  youngest  also,  Isaac,  who  was  only 
four  years  old,  when  Fhineas,  the  eldest  boy, 
who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  made  his  cap- 
tors understand  that  he  would  carry  the  little 
fellow  on  his  back.  Although  only  sixteen 
years  old,  he  carried  his  brother  through  the 
wilds  as  far  as  Canada,  where  they  were  held 
prisoners  for  nearly  a  year.  At  the  end  of 
that  time,  with  great  difficulty  and  only  after 
the  father,  who  had  fortunately  escaped  at  the 
time  of  the  raid,  had  made  two  journeys  to 
Canada,  they  were  ransomed.  Phineas  lived 
to  become  the  famous  Captain  Phineas  Ste- 
vens, of  Charlestown,  N.H.,  who  gave  his 
life  for  his  country  in  1756.  Isaac,  whose 
life  had  been  so  wonderfully  preserved,  grew 
to  manhood,  and  married  in  1743  Mary  Hub- 
bard, of  Rutland.  She  died  three  years  after 
her  marriage,  leaving  a  son  and  a  daughter. 
In  1748  Isaac  entered  a  second  marriage  with 
Abigail  Parling,  who  bore  him  three  sons 
and  a  daughter. 


Calvin  Stevens,  the  youngest  son  of  Isaac 
by  his  second  wife,  born  in  Rutland,  January 
27i  1753.  marrietl  ICsthcr  VVilkins,  and  in 
1776  went  to  liillsboro,  N.H.,  where  he  lived 
for  nearly  a  half-century.  In  1821,  four  of 
his  children  having  settled  in  Mont  Vernon, 
he  came  to  this  town,  and  died  some  years 
later.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Continental 
army  in  the  Revolution,  and  was  one  of  the 
heroes  of"13unker  Hill.  In  Hillsboro,  where 
he  spent  the  best  part  of  his  life,  he  was  very 
prominent  in  public  life.  He  had  a  family 
of  thirteen  chiklren;  and  among  his  descend- 
ants is  the  Hon.  George  A.  Marden,  late 
Speaker  of  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, and  since  a  Senator  in  that  State. 
Asa,  the  father  of  William  .Stevens,  was  the 
seventh  child  of  Calvin,  and  was  born  at 
Hillsboro,  February  5,  17S7.  His  wife,  to 
whom  he  was  married  in  181 1,  was  a  daughter 
of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Appleton,  of  Boston,  and 
a  sister  of  the  late  Hon.  William  Appleton, 
of  that  city.  After  their  marriage  they  set- 
tled in  Mont  Vernon,  where  seven  children 
were  born  to  them. 

William  Stevens  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  the  in- 
stitution in  Hancock,  N.H.  In  183S  he  went 
to  Illinois.  After  remaining  there  for  a 
time,  he  came  P3ast  to  Manchester,  N.H., 
and  worked  in  the  Stark  Mills,  then  managed 
by  his  cousin,  John  A.  Burnham,  Esq.,  late 
of  Boston.  After  working  in  Manchester  for 
a  few  weeks,  he  went  to  Boston,  and  was  for  a 
time  a  salesman  in  a  clothing  store.  In  1841 
he  went  to  New  York  City,  having  been 
offered  employment  there  by  his  brother,  who 
was  carrying  on  an  extensive  business  in 
smoked  provisions.  In  his  brother's  employ 
he  had  spent  a  year  antl  a  half,  when  he 
bought  stock  and  started  business  for  himself. 
He  located  successively  in  Wall  Street,  Lud- 
low Street,  and  Wooster  .Street.  At  this  store 
in  Wooster  Street,  to  which  he  moved  in  1846, 
he  and  his  brother  Asa,  under  the  firm  name 
of  William  &  Asa  Stevens,  carried  on  an  ex- 
tensive and  prosperous  business  until  June, 
1865,  when  he  retired  from  active  business 
life,  and  came  to  Mont  Vernon.  Here  he 
purchased  the  Stevens  homestead,   where  his 


142 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


father  had  lived,  and  where  he  had  spent  the 
early  part  of  his  own  life,  and  thereafter  made 
it  his  home.  In  his  hands  the  property  was 
much  improved.  A  very  popular  man,  he  was 
rc|3catedly  a  candidate  for  the  legislature. 
On  one  of  these  occasions,  for  the  first  time 
in  the  history  of  the  town,  he  defeated  his 
Democratic  opponent. 

Mr.  Stevens  married  for  his  first  wife 
Louisa  W.  Dye,  of  Newarl<,  N.J.,  who  be- 
came the  mother  of  four  daughters  —  Mary 
Ann,  Ella,  Catherine,  and  Frances  E.  Mary 
Ann  is  now  the  wife  of  Charles  F.  Wilkins, 
of  Omaha,  Neb. ;  and  Catherine  is  the  wife  of 
C.  Henry  Hobbie,  of  Omaha.  On  January  4, 
1876,  Mr.  Stevens  married  Mrs.  Helen  L. 
Ober  Whipple,  the  widow  of  John  Whipple, 
late  of  New  Boston,  N.  H  ,  who  was  taken 
prisoner  in  the  late  war,  and  died  in  a 
Southern  prison.  By  this  marriage  Mr. 
Stevens  has  one  daughter,  Helen  Willette, 
born  September  3,  1880.  Mr.  Stevens  died 
January  5,  1887,  sincerely  regretted  by  the 
townspeople,  as  well  as  by  his  family  and 
friends. 


^OLONEL  CHARLES  SCOTT,  Dep- 
uty Sheriff  of  Hillsboro  County  and 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most 
popular  residents  of  Peterboro,  is  a 
native  of  the  town,  and  was  born  April  14, 
1S29,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Phylinda 
(Crossfield)  Scott.  Colonel  .Scott  comes  of  a 
family  that  has  produced  gallant  soldiers. 
His  great-grandfather  was  Major  William 
Scott,  an  officer  in  the  Revolution.  Major 
Scott  was  born  in  Townsend,  Mass.,  and 
moved  from  there  to  Dublin,  N.  H.,  at  an 
early  age.  On  January  i,  1717,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Captain  of  Company  8,  in  recognition 
of  his  bravery.  He  served  with  honorable  dis- 
tinction throughout  the  great  conflict,  and  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  in  1789.  Later 
he  attained  the  rank  of  Major.  After  the 
war  he  retired  to  Peterboro,  and  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1796  he  died  in  Litchfield, 
N.Y.  His  father,  Alexander  Scott,  who  was 
one  of  the  first  five  settlers  of  Peterboro, 
coming    from    the    north    of    Ireland,     was    of 


Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  remained  in  Peter- 
boro only  a  short  time,  and  then  went  to  Dub- 
lin, N.H.  About  1749  or  1750,  however,  he 
came  back  to  Peterboro,  cleared  a  large  tract 
of  land,  and  kept  a  tavern  there  for  some 
time.  No  record  of  his  death  or  of  his  mar- 
riage has  been  found. 

Major  William  Scott  had  a  son,  John,  who 
joined  the  Continental  army  when  only  thir- 
teen years  of  age  as  a  drummer  boy,  and 
served  throughout  the  war.  After  its  close 
John  returned  to  Peterboro,  cleared  a  farm, 
and  resided  thereon  during  the  rest  of  his  life, 
dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years  and  nine 
months.  He  was  Selectman  for  ten  years, 
and  in  1840  was  one  of  the  Presidential 
Electors.  In  politics  a  Democrat,  he  took  a 
lively  interest  in  town  affairs,  and  was  a  very 
prominent  man.  He  married  Bethia  Ames, 
of  Groton,  who  was  a  member  of  the  L^nita- 
rian  church.  She  had  nine  children,  all  now 
deceased.  William,  father  of  Colonel  Scott, 
was  the  seventh  child  of  John.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Peterboro,  February  19,  iSoi. 
He  was  a  farmer,  and  lived  on  the  old  home- 
stead. In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and 
he  was  Selectman  of  the  town  for  many  years 
and  its  Representative  in  the  legislature  for 
some  time.  At  his  death  he  was  only  forty- 
five  years  of  age.  The  first  of  his  two  mar- 
riages was  contracted  with  Phylinda  Cross- 
field,  who  bore  him  nine  children;  and  the 
second,  with  Malinda  Ward,  who  had  two 
children.  The  six  children  of  the  first  mar- 
riage now  living  are  as  follows:  Susan  A., 
born  July  4,  1825,  now  the  widow  of  Robert 
Orr,  of  Corinth,  Vt.  ;  William  H.,  born  July 
30,  1826,  who  married  Maria  D.  Farnham,  of 
Peterboro;  Sophronia  D.,  born  June  25,  1827, 
now  the  wife  of  Dr.  John  Allyn,  of  Califor- 
nia; Charles  Scott,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Phylinda  C,  born  April  26,  1830,  now  Mrs. 
Willey;  and  Walter,  born  September  23, 
1835,  who  married  Laura  M.  Day,  of  Peter- 
boro, now  the  mother  of  Fred  and  Charles 
Scott.  The  children  of  William  Scott's  sec- 
ond marriage  are  Mary  and  John.  Mary,  born 
November  11,  1841,  married  George  H. 
Clarke,  of  Peterboro,  and  has  si.x  children  — 
George    H.,    Lucinda,    Willie,    Lotta,    Ellen, 


BlOGRAPlilCAL    REVIEW 


143 


ami  Sophionia.  Albert  S.  Scott,  the  eldest 
brother  of  Colonel  Scott,  born  May  S,  1S24, 
(lied  August  14,  1.S77.  Me  was  in  the 
State  legislature  in  1855-57  anil  in  1866-67, 
and  he  was  Councillor  for  his  district  in 
1875-76.  In  1877  he  was  trustee  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Agricultural  College  at  Durham. 
He  married  Annie  Sawyer,  whose  son  by  him, 
William  A.  Scott,  born  December  8,  1856,  is 
living.  Colonel  Scott's  other  brother,  Ken- 
dall C,  born  April  26,  1830,  who  died  Janu- 
ary 3,  1875,  married  Lucy  Ann  Clarke,  of 
Sharon,  N.H.  She  now  makes  her  home  in 
Keene,  N.H. 

Colonel  Scott  received  his  early  training  in 
the  schools  of  Peterboro,  and  then  began  to 
work  as  clerk  in  a  store  of  the  town,  residing 
on  the  home  farm.  After  being  here  for  a 
few  years  he  spent  two  years  more  in  a  cabinet 
factory,  employed  in  veneering.  Later  he 
purchased  the  Peterboro  Transcript,  which  he 
published  for  three  years  and  a  half,  and  then 
sold  it  to  his  brother.  He  was  then  ap- 
pointed Deputy  Sheriff  and  subsequently 
Sheriff  of  the  county  of  Hillsboro,  which 
office  he  held  for  eighteen  years.  In  politics 
Colonel  Scott  is  a  Republican.  He  has  been 
Moderator  for  over  twenty  years,  and  he  rep- 
resented the  town  in  the  legislature  of  1874, 
1 89 1,  and  1893.  During  the  Civil  War  Colo- 
nel Scott  enlisted  in  the  Si.xth  New  Hamp- 
shire Regiment,  went  out  as  Major,  and  was 
appointed  as  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment. He  had  been  in  the  service  for  a  year 
and  a  half,  when  on  account  of  sickness  he 
became  disabled  and  was  obliged  to  resign. 
After  coming  back  to  Peterboro,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Deputy  Sheriff,  and  has  been  in  that 
position  to  the  present  time.  He  has  also 
done  considerable  business  as  an  auctioneer. 
Colonel  Scott  was  influential  in  securing  the 
introduction  of  the  Peterboro  water-works. 
In  1896  he  was  a  candidate  for  State  Senator 
for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  was  elected  for 
the  ensuing  session.  He  has  been  Judge  of 
the  Police  Court  since  its  establishment,  a 
period  of  five  years.  Colonel  Scott  is  a  di- 
rector of  the  Bell  Factory  Corporation,  and  he 
has  been  the  president  of  the  Contoocook  Sav- 
ings l?ank  for  the  last  two  years. 


Colonel  Scott  has  been  twice  married.  The 
first  marriage  was  contracted  with  Mary  S. 
Fuller,  of  Peterboro,  daughter  of  Charles 
Fuller.  Their  two  children  died  in  infancy. 
Colonel  Scott's  second  marriage  was  with 
Charlotte  \V.  Wilkins,  daughter  of  Moses 
Wilkins.  She  is  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Mary  E. ,  born  May  13,  1865, 
now  Mrs.  Harry  W.  Ram.sdell,  of  Nashua, 
N.H.  ;  Kate  S.,  born  July  2,  1870,  now  the 
wife  of  Professor  L.  G.  Smith,  of  Pawtucket, 
R.I.;  and  Emma  C,  born  September  26, 
1877- 


'"f'cVr^OSES    CASS,    one   of   the    foremost 
In  I  ^#      citizens  and  real   estate  owners   of 
J  Jlis  (  Richmond,  Cheshire  County,  was 

^~^  born  in  this  town,  February  27, 
1850,  son  of  Nahuni  and  Lucina  (Cook)  Cass. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  Daniel  Cass,  a  Quaker, 
who  was  born  in  Smithfiekl,  R.I.,  November 
29,  1724,  and  removed  to  Richmond  as  a  pio- 
neer, bringing  his  family  with  him.  He 
became  a  large  land-owner,  and  was  Selectman 
and  Town  Clerk  in  1765.  He  died  in  Octo- 
ber, 1798.  His  children  were:  Lemuel, 
Joseph,  Hannah,  Mary,  Daniel,  Jonathan,  Jo- 
siah,  Sarah  B. ,  John,  and  Mordecai,  all  of 
whom  were  born  in  Smithfiekl  except  the 
youngest  two. 

Jonathan  Cass,  the  fourth  son  as  here 
named,  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  March  31,  1756.  He  resided 
for  some  time  on  the  farm  formerly  occupied 
by  the  late  Joseph  Swan  ;  and  a  part  of  his  last 
years  were  spent  in  Fitzwilliam,  N.  H.,  but  he 
died  May  11,  1838,  in  Richmond,  aged  eighty- 
two  years.  He  married  for  his  first  wife  Zil- 
pha,  daughter  of  John  Martin,  and  for  his  sec- 
ond wife  Lydia  Sargent.  By  his  first  marriage 
he  had  nine  children;  namely,  Sarah,  Martin, 
Provided,  Daniel,  Mary,  Jonathan,  Hannah, 
Zilpha,  and  Otis. 

Martin  Cass,  son  of  Jonathan  and  Ziljiha, 
and  grandfather  of  Moses  Cass,  was  born  in 
Richmond,  December  3,  1781.  He  settled 
upon  a  farm  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  and 
by  his  industry  became  the  owner  of  consider- 
able real  estate.      He  died   October  20,    1837. 


144 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


His  wife,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Moses  Allen, 
died  May  2,  1S65,  aged  eighty-one  years. 
Martin  and  Margaret  (Allen)  Cass  were  the 
parents  of  fifteen  children;  namely,  Alvin, 
Martin  and  Margaret  (twins),  Grace,  Sylves- 
ter, Josiah  B.,  Augustus,  Sarah,  Edwin,  Wil- 
lard,  Ahaz,  Zephaniah  A.,  Nahum,  Moses  A., 
and  Mary.  Of  these  the  only  survivor  is 
ZephaniaJi. 

Nahum  Cass,  one  of  the  younger  sons,  father 
of  Moses,  was  born  in  Richmond,  September 
7,  1823.  In  early  life  he  was  engaged  in 
teaming  and  general  farming,  and  he  followed 
the  latter  occupation  -throughout  his  active 
period.  He  acquired  possession  of  a  large 
tract  of  timber  land,  from  which  he  cut  and 
hauled  the  lumber,  and  was  for  many  years 
closely  identified  with  the  business  interests  of 
Richmond.  He  took  a  leading  part  in  public 
affairs,  serving  as  Tax  Collector,  Constable, 
and  Moderator  at  town  meetings,  and  as  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  attending  to  a  great  deal  of 
legal  business.  He  cast  his  first  Presidential 
vote  for  James  K.  Polk  and  his  last  for  Grover 
Cleveland,  having  voted  the  Democratic  ticket 
at  every  State  election  for  fifty-one  years.  In 
his  religious  views  a  Universalist,  he  was  a 
man  of  strong  convictions  and  of  high  moral 
principles,  thoroughly  honest  and  fair-deal- 
ing. Nahum  Cass  died  September  30,  1895. 
His  first  wife,  Lucina,  daughter  of  Nicholas 
Cook,  died  June  13,  1853;  and  on  November 
23  of  the  same  year  he  married  for  his  second 
wife  Martha  J.,  daughter  of  Luke  Aldrich. 
He  had  two  children  by  his  first  marriage  and 
three  by  the  second,  the  record  being  as  fol- 
lows: Edmund,  who  died  in  infancy;  Moses, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Martin,  born  Au- 
gust 16,  1854;  Almon,  born  January  19,  1861  ; 
and  Carlon  E.,  born  August  4,   1869. 

Moses  Cass  lives  at  the  homestead  with  his 
step-mother,  Mrs.  Martha  J.  Aldrich  Cass,  and 
has  charge  of  the  estate.  He  possesses  the 
untiring  energy  and  industry  for  which  the 
family  are  noted,  and  does  not  allow  the  prop- 
erty to  deteriorate  in  value.  Conscientious 
and  upright,  a  man  of  progress,  especially 
interested  in  educational  matters,  he  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board  for 
fourteen    years,    and   was  re-elected  for    three 


years  in  1897,  has  been  Tax  Collector  eight 
years,  has  served  upon  the  Democratic  Town 
Committee,  and  has  attended  many  conven- 
tions as  a  delegate.  He  is  Past  Chaplain  of 
Richmond  Grange,  No.  147,  and  has  been 
Worthy  Herald  and  Prelate  in  the  United 
Order  of  the  Golden  Cross. 


OHN  P.  FLETCHER,  a  well-known 
agriculturist  of  Amherst,  was  born 
here.  May  28,  1849,  son  of  Robert  and 
Mary  (Cochran)  Fletcher.  The  founder 
of  the  F"letcher  family  is  supposed  to  have 
come  from  England.  The  grandfather  of  John 
P.  P'letcher  was  an  early  settler  of  Amherst. 
Robert  Fletcher  was  born  in  Phillipston,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
During  the  active  years  of  his  life  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  lumbering.  A  cooper  by 
trade,  he  also  followed  that  calling  as  the  occa- 
sion offered.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republi- 
can. He  died  September  18,  1863.  His 
wife's  death  occuired  P'ebruary  32,  1879. 
They  had  four  children,  of  whom  George  died 
September  16,  1893.  Those  living  are:  Har- 
riet, the  wife  of  Solomon  Prince,  of  Amherst; 
Lizzie  M.,  the  wife  of  George  I*".  Stevens,  of 
Ashburnham,  Mass.  ;  and  John  P.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch. 

John  P.  Fletcher,  the  youngest  child,  re- 
ceived a  fair  common-school  education.  Re- 
maining with  his  parents  on  the  farm,  he 
became  familiar  with  the  routine  of  farm  life. 
His  principal  occupation  has  been  farming. 
The  home  farm,  of  which  he  is  the  proprie- 
tor, contains  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres. 
At  one  time  for  a  number  of  years  he  manu- 
factured and  bottled  cider.  Lately  he  has 
confined  his  attention  to  general  farming,  in 
which  he  has  been  quite  successful.  He  has 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  business  com- 
munity. 


Yp)UTHER    W.    read,  a  prominent  resi- 

Ijj       dent  of   Merrimac,  was  born  in   Rlason, 

XJ;      ^  N.H.,"^IarcF  8,    1812,    son   of  Asa 

and     Polly     (Wright)     Read.       Mr. 

Read's    grandfather,     William      Read,       com- 


BIOGRAl'lIlCAL    REVIEW 


'45 


iiiaiulcd  a  company  of  soldiers  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary  War,  composed  of  men  enlisted  from 
Hollis,  Amherst,  and  the  adjacent  towns. 
Captain  Read  rendered  gallant  service  through- 
out the  great  conflict,  and  had  the  satisfaction 
of  being  present  at  the  surrender  of  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  at  Yorktown.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
he  came  back  to  his  home  in  Hollis  covered 
with  glory,  and  lived  there  for  the  rest  of  his 
life,  dying  at  a  good  old  age.  He  was  twice 
married.  His  second  wife,  Hannah,  had  a 
number  of  children,  of  whom  Samuel  was  in 
the  Revolution  with  his  father.  Asa  Read, 
father  of  Luther,  was  a  farmer,  who  lived  in 
Mason  and  died  there  at  middle  age,  leaving 
a  family  of  seven  children.  His  wife,  a 
woman  of  strong  character,  nobly  filled  her 
dual  role  of  wife  and  mother.  The  children 
were:  Lucinda,  born  November  <S,  1800;  J. 
Gilman,  born  March  6,  1802;  Abigail,  born 
May  8,  1803;  Julia,  born  November  23,  1804; 
Asa,  born  March  16,  1807;  and  John  L.,  born 
February  25,  1810.  Luther  is  the  only  one 
now  living. 

Obliged  to  earn  his  living  from  an  early  age, 
Luther  Read  had  little  opportunity  to  acquire 
an  education.  When  eleven  years  of  age,  he 
went  to  work  on  the  farm  of  Dr.  Eastman,  of 
Hollis,  to  earn  his  board  and  clothes,  being 
allowed  a  short  time  in  the  year  to  attend 
school.  He  remained  with  Dr.  Eastman  for 
about  four  years,  working  as  a  farmer  lad, 
growing  rugged  and  strong  in  the  open  air  and 
gaining  valuable  knowledge  of  all  kinds  of 
farm  work,  which  afterward  served  him  in 
good  stead.  Leaving  Hollis,  he  came  to 
Merrimac  and  secured  a  position  on  a  farm 
of  one  Luther  Woods,  agreeing  to  work  for 
fifty  dollars  a  year  and  a  short  allowance  of 
time  to  attend  school.  Upon  the  death  of  his 
employer  two  years  later,  he  took  a  note  for 
eighty  dollars  in  payment  of  the  wages  due  to 
him  ;  but  he  was  later  compelled  to  close  the 
account  on  receiving  forty  cents  on  the  dollar. 
At  this  rate  he  was  not  making  much  headway 
in  the  world,  so  he  decided  to  learn  the 
cooper's  trade,  which  was  then  a  well-paying 
business.  Having  done  so  he  followed  it  with 
great  success  for  many  years.  As  business 
was  dull   during   the   summer   months,    he   was 


able  to  spend  a  great  deal  of  time  in  catching 
wild  pigeons;  and  in  one  season  he  and  another 
man,  named  Jerry  Woods,  caught  over  one 
thousand  and  si.xtecn  dozen,  which  they  sold 
at  from  seventy-five  to  eighty  cents  a  dozen. 
Mr.  Read  continued  in  this  business  for  nearly 
twenty  years.  His  largest  single  day's  record 
was  a  catch  of  twenty-two  and   one-half   dozen. 

In  1839  Mr.  Read  made  his  first  land  invest- 
ment in  Merrimac.  This  property,  which  he 
has  enlarged  and  improved,  has  been  his  place 
of  residence  since  that  time.  At  present  the 
farm  contains  about  one  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  and  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
As  he  gives  personal  supervision  to  everything, 
he  is  sure  that  nothing  suffers  for  lack  of  at- 
tention, and  knows  at  any  moment  his  exact 
resources  in  any  line  of  marketable  goods. 

On  June  16,  1835,  he  was  united  in  mar 
riage  with  Miss  Martha  Kittredge,  of  Merri- 
mac, daughter  of  Eri  and  Lucretia  (Woods) 
Kittredge.  After  a  married  life  lasting  si.xty- 
two  years  Mrs.  Read  died  June  29,  1897. 
Three  of  their  four  children  are  living.  They 
are:  Adelaide,  who  lives  in  Fitchburg,  Mass.  ; 
Clara,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  L.  Foster,  and 
resides  in  Merrimac;  and  Luther  Read,  the 
only  son,  who  lives  at  Thornton's  Ferry. 
Mrs.  Read,  like  her  husband,  was  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  church.  In  piditics 
Mr.    Read   is  a  Democrat. 


EORGE  SHELDON  WILDER,  gen- 
*)l  eral  manager  of  the  Merrill  &  Wil- 
der Chisel  Manufactory,  Hinsdale, 
Cheshire  County,  N.H.,  was  born  in  Shel- 
burne,  Mass.,  March  i,  1828.  Son  of  Samuel 
and  Sally  (Merrill)  Wilder,  he  comes  from 
long  lines  of  Colonial  ancestry. 

The  early  history  of  the  Wilder  family  dates 
from  the  ascension  of  the  House  of  Tudor  to 
the  throne  of  England.  Its  origin  is  supposed 
to  be  German  ;  and  the  first  [irogenitor  of  whom 
authentic  information  has  been  obtained  was 
Nicholas  Wilder,  a  military  chieftain,  who  at 
the  battle  of  Bosworth  Field  in  1485  rendered 
valuable  aid  to  Henry,  Earl  of  Richmond,  and 
after  his  coronation  as  Henry  VII.  received 
from  that   monarch  a  large  estate  and  a  coat  of 


146 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


arms.      This   royal   grant   was   made  April    15, 
1497. 

Thomas  Wilder,  the  fourth  in  line  from 
Nicholas,  died  in  1634,  at  his  estate  in  Eng- 
land, which  was  known  as  Shiplake.  Mrs. 
Martha  Wilder,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been 
the  widow  of  Thomas,  above  named,  came  to 
New  England  with  her  daughter  Mary  in  the 
ship  "Confidence"  in  1638.  It  is  thought 
that  she  disposed  of  the  estate  Shiplake,  in 
order  to  join  her  children  —  Thomas,  second, 
Elizabeth,  and  Edward  —  who,  the  family 
being  Non-conformists,  had  previously  taken 
refuge  in  Massachusetts.  The  town  of  Hing- 
ham,  Mass.,  made  grants  of  land  to  Edward 
and   Martha   Wilder. 

Thomas  Wilder,  second,  of  whom  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  is  a  direct  descendant,  was 
born  in  1618.  He  united  with  the  church  in 
1640,  and  was  married  the  same  year.  In 
165 1  he  was  made  a  freeman  in  Charlestown, 
Mass.  ;  and  in  1659  he  acquired  a  tract  of  five 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Lancaster,  Mass., 
where  he  settled.  He  was  a  leading  spirit  in 
the  town,  and  held  various  positions  of  trust. 
He  died  in  1667.  He  was  the  father  of  sev- 
eral children;  and  his  third  son,  Nathaniel, 
the  next  in  line,  was  born  in  1650. 

Nathaniel  Wilder  was  Captain  of  the  militia 
company,  and  was  killed  while  defending  the 
town  during  an  attack  by  Indians  in  1704.  He 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
Sawyer,  in  1673,  and  had  a  family  of  four 
sons  and  three  daughters.  His  son,  Nathaniel 
Wilder,  second,  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Mass., 
in  1673.  He  resided  until  1743  in  that  part 
of  Lancaster  which  is  now  Sterling,  and 
then  moved  to  Petersham,  Mass.,  where  he 
passed  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  possessed  a 
strongly  defined  character,  and  was  never 
known  to  fail  in  anything  he  undertook.  He 
was  married  about  the  year  1706,  and  reared  a 
family  of  twelve  children. 

His  son,  Aholiab,  great-grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Sterling, 
February  5,  1717,  and  when  a  young  man  he 
settled  in  Shutesbury,  Mass.  The  Christian 
name  of  his  wife  was  Catharine,  but  her  family 
name  is  unknown.  Aholiab  and  Catharine 
Wilder    had    five    children.      Samuel    Wilder, 


one  of  the  five,  grandfather  of  George  S.,  was 
born  May  20,  1752.  In  1772  he  married 
Rebecca  Nims,  by  whom  he  bad  thirteen  chil- 
dren. 

Samuel  Wilder,  second,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Rebecca,  and  the  father  of  George  .S.,  was  born 
in  Conway,  Mass.,  July  25,  1797.  He  resided 
in  his  native  town  until  his  marriage,  when  he 
settled  in  Shelburne,  Mass.,  residing  there 
until  1837,  when  he  removed  to  Greenfield, 
Mass.  His  wife,  Sally  Merrill,  whom  he 
married  June  22,  1823,  was  born  in  Shelburne, 
Mass.,  October  20,  1796.  She  became  the 
mother  of  three  children,  namely:  Sarah  Jane, 
born  August  20,  1824;  George  S.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  ;  and  Sereno  Merrill,  born  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1832.  Sereno  Merrill  married  for 
his  first  wife  Helen  M.  Thompson  and  for 
his  second  wife  Harriet  N.    Taylor. 

George  Sheldon  Wilder  began  his  edLication 
in  the  district  schools  of  Greenfield,  and  com- 
pleted bis  studies  at  Williston  Seminary, 
Eastbampton,  Mass.  In  1844  he  entered  the 
employ  of  his  uncle,  Pliny  Merrill,  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  who  founded  the  present  fac- 
tory in  Plinsdale.  Young  Wilder  kept  the 
books  and  also  worked  in  the  factory,  thus 
obtaining  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  manu- 
facture of  chisels  and  other  tools.  He  made 
himself  so  useful  to  his  uncle  that  in  1853  he 
was  given  an  interest  in  the  business  as  an 
inducement  for  him  to  remain.  In  1866  fail- 
ing health  caused  him  to  take  a  rest,  and  he 
spent  a  year  in  travelling  through  the  Western 
States.  Upon  his  return  he  associated  him- 
self with  Francis  M.  Thompson,  and  purchased 
the  factory  of  his  uncle,  who  then  retired 
from  business.  In  1868  Mr.  Wilder  bought 
Thompson's  interest,  and  carried  on  the  enter- 
prise alone  until  1S70,  when  he  admitted  R. 
Henry  Hopkins  as  a  partner.  Two  years  later 
he  again  succeeded  to  the  entire  control  of  the 
enterprise,  and  conducted  it  until  1883,  at 
which  time  he  sold  out  to  some  New  York 
parties,  who  retained  him  as  superintendent 
and  genera]  manager.  This  concern  employ 
an  average  of  twenty  hands,  and  produce  as  a 
specialty  the  well-known  Merrill  &  Wilder 
standard  chisel,  which  has  long  enjoyed  a  high 
reputation  in  the  trade. 


ii 


n^f 


c-^^hr%^.-€yL    ^-r-ty7tCt-,^n.,^^ifri_^ 


B 1 OG  R A 1 '  H I C A  L    R  K \'  1 KVV 


149 


Mr.  WiUlcr  cast  his  first  vote  for  the  Free 
Soil  candidates,  and  has  Ijeen  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican since  the  formation  of  the  party.  He 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Select- 
men, and  he  represented  Hinsdale  in  the  legis- 
lature during  the  years  1S69  and  1S70.  For 
twenty  years  he  acted  as  secretary  of  the  Hins- 
dale Savings  Bank,  which  was  organized  in 
1874,  and  he  is  at  the  present  time  a  trustee. 
Mr.  Wilder  is  an  active  member  of  the  Con- 
srrerrational  church,  and  has  been  treasurer  for 
twelve  years.  He  was  one  of  the  prime 
movers  in-  founding  the  Hinsdale  Public  Li- 
brary, and  is  now  its  secretary.  He  has 
served  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Quorum, 
also  as  Notary  Public  for  twenty-three  years 
past. 

Mr.  Wilder  married  for  his  first  wife  Eliza 
Ann  Clark,  daughter  of  Joseph  Clark,  of  Ches- 
terfield, N.H.  ;  and  his  present  wife  was 
before  marriage  Eunice  A.  Wellman,  daugh- 
ter of  Alonzo  Wellman,  of  Hinsdale.  By  his 
first  union  there  are  two  children  :  George 
Fred;  and  Herbert  M.,  who  is  employed  on 
the  staff  of  artists  of  Harper  Brothers,  New 
York  City. 


rmc 


EORGE  A.  AVERY,  of  Milford,  a 
V  3 1  well-known  dealer  in  stoves  and 
ranges,  and  a  plumber  and  tin- 
roofer,  is  a  native  of  Temple,  N.H.  Born 
December  ig,  1853,  he  is  a  son  of  Nathan 
Avery,  late  of  Temple.  The  Avery  family  is 
an  old  one  in  Hillsboro.  Nathan  Avery,  who 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  died  about  ten 
years  ago. 

George  A.  Avery  was  brought  up  in  his 
native  town.  When  he  was  fourteen  years  of 
age,  he  went  to  Ayer  Junction,  Mass.,  and 
there  learned  the  trade  of  tinsmith,  steam- 
fitter,  and  plumber.  After  working  at  his 
trade  as  a  journeyman  in  Nashua,  N.  H.,  for 
ten  years,  he  was  in  business  on  his  own 
account  at  Manchester,  N.  H.,  for  a  short  time. 
He  has  been  in  Milford  since  March,  1884, 
prosperously  engaged  in  plumbing  and  tin- 
roofing,  and  dealing  in  stoves,  ranges,  tin, 
copper,  water-piping,  and  household  furniture. 
Making  a  specialty  of  tin-roofing,  he  employs 


in  that  work  from  two  to  five  men  the  year 
around.  His  business  stand,  which  he  built 
in  1890,  is  located  on  Nashua  Street.  Jk-- 
neath  his  store  is  his  workshop. 

Mr.  Avery  has  made  a  success  in  life,  and 
is  carrying  on  a  very  lucrative  business.  He 
has  risen  almost  solely  by  his  own  efforts. 
Public-spirited,  as  men  of  his  intelligence  al- 
ways are,  he  favors  every  project  for  the  im- 
provement of  his  town.  He  is  married,  and 
has  one  son,  Charles  G.  In  both  the  Masonic 
and  Odd  PYdlows  societies  he  is  an  esteemed 
member. 


NSEL     DICKINSON,     who     will     be 
remembered    in    Manchester  as   a   suc- 


cessful woodenware  manufacturer, 
was  born  in  Swanzey,  N.  H.,  Febru- 
ary 22,  1822,  son  of  William  and  Lucinda 
(Gardner)  Dickinson.  His  great-grandfather, 
Nathaniel  Dickinson,  who  emigrated  from 
lingland  early  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
settled  upon  a  farm  in  Deei field,  Mass.  Na- 
thaniel served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Indian  War, 
and  was  killed  on  April  15,  1747,  while  de- 
fending the  town  of  Northfield.  His  two  sons, 
Nathaniel  and  Joseph,  left  Deerfield  after  their 
father's  death,  and,  penetrating  northward 
through  the  wilderness,  located  upon  a  tract  of 
four  hundred  acres  situated  in  the  southern 
part  of  Swanzey,  N.H.  Dividing  the  land 
ec[ually,  they  resided  there  for  the  rest  of  their 
lives. 

Nathaniel  Dickinson  (second),  the  granil- 
father  of  Ansel  Dickinson,  was  twice  married. 
By  his  union  with  Caroline  Cummings,  of 
Swanzey,  there  were  seven  children,  one  of 
whom,  a  daughter,  died  in  infancy.  The  sons 
were:  William,  Asa,  Abel,  Uriah,  Aaron, 
and  Nathaniel.  William  Dickinson  tilled  the 
soil  in  Swanzey  during  his  active  years.  He 
married  Lucinda  Gardner,  who  bore  him 
eleven  children,  seven  of  whom  lived  to  ma- 
turity; namely,  Erastus,  Caroline,  Nathaniel, 
Arvilla,   David  S.,  Ansel,  and  Rollins. 

Ansel  Dickinson  acquired  a  common-school 
education.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business  with  liis  brother 
Erastus     in     Winchester.       That     partnership 


'5° 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RFA'IEVV 


existed  until  tlie  dentli  of  Erastiis,  after  whicli 
Ansel  conducted  the  business  during  the  rest 
of  his  life.  Mr.  Dickinson  owned  a  large 
amount  of  timber  land,  which  served  as  a  field 
for  lumbering  operations;  and  for  some  years 
he  was  profitably  engaged  in  making  large 
quantities  of  railroad  ties.  He  was  the  origi- 
nal promoter  and  a  stockholder  of  the  Ashuelot 
Warp  Company,  a  director  of  the  Winchester 
National  Bank,  also  the  president  of  the  Se- 
curity Savings  Bank,  a  stockholder  in  the 
West  Swanzey  Woollen  Mills;  and  he  founded 
the  woodenware  business  in  Winchester,  which 
is  still  carried  on  in  his  name.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat;  and,  although  the  town 
of  Winchester  is  strongly  Republican,  it  sent 
him  four  times  to  the  legislature,  and  chose 
him  a  member  of  the  School  Board  for  some 
years.  In  his  religious  belief  be  was  a  Meth- 
odist. 

The  first  of  Mr.  Dickinson's  two  marriages 
was  contracted  in  1852  with  Jane  S.  Boelyn, 
of  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  who  lived  but  a  short  time 
after.  The  second  was  made  with  Mary 
Theresa  Felch,  who  has  had  five  sons;  namely, 
La  Fell,  Milan  A.,  John  H.,  William  Eu- 
gene, and  Andrew  F.  La  Fell  Dickinson  is 
now  managing  the  manufacturing  business  in 
Winchester,  assisted  by  his  brother,  John  H. 
Milan  A.  has  charge  of  the  woollen-mills. 
Andrew  F.  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
months.  William  Eugene  is  a  student  at 
Bryant  &  Stratton's  Commercial  College  in 
Boston.  The  father  died  at  his  home  in  Win- 
chester, July  31,  1889.  He  is  remembered 
for  the  generosity,  without  ostentation,  with 
which  he  used  his  large  fortune  in  aiding  re- 
ligious and  charitable  societies. 

The  business  now  carried  on  by  the  Dickin- 
son estate  has  greatly  e.xpanded  since  the  death 
of  its  founder.  When  running  on  full  time, 
it  employs  a  force  of  two  hundred  men.  The 
concern  owns  large  tracts  of  wild  land,  which 
supplies  its  factories  with  lumber  sawed  by 
portable  mills;  and  their  estimated  cut  during 
the  past  year  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  five 
million  feet.  They  manufacture  packing 
boxes,  tubs,  buckets,  and  several  kinds  of 
pails,  which  are  considered  standard  goods 
throughout    the    United    States,    and   command 


a  ready  sale.  They  operate  three  factories, 
ecpiipped  with  improved  machinery  and  lighted 
by  electric  plants,  and  pay  taxes  on  property 
in  ten  different  towns.  They  carry  on  three 
mills  devoted  to  the  woodenware  industry,  two 
in  Winchester  and  one  in  Ashuelot,  where  the 
main  office  of  the  concern  is  located  ;  and  they 
own  excellent  water  privileges.  After  the 
death  of  Mr.  Dickinson  the  Ashuelot  Warp 
Manufactory  was  disposed  of;  but  all  the 
stock  in  the  West  Swanzey  Woollen  Manu- 
factory was  purchased,  and  that  enterprise  has 
been  managed  for  the  estate  by  Milan  A. 
Dickinson   since    1892. 

The  Dickinson  brothers  are  all  capable  and 
alert  young  business  men,  inheriting  from 
their  father  those  sterling  qualities  which  con- 
stituted the  principal  elements  of  his  success- 
ful career;  and  it  is  safe  to  predict  that  the 
enterprises  conducted  under  the  style  of  Ansel 
Dickinson  &  Sons  will  long  continue  to  hold  a 
prominent  place  among  the  profitable  indus- 
tries of  Winchester  and  Swanzey.  In  politics 
the  Dickinson  brothers  are  earnest  sujjporters 
of  the  Democratic  party. 


HARLES  H.  RAYMOND,  the  chair- 
man of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  in 
Mont  Vernon,  was  born  here  on  the 
old  Raymond  homestead,  his  present 
resilience,  February  21,  1846,  son  of  Andrew 
W.  and  Abby  (Stevens)  Raymond.  George 
Raymond,  the  father  of  Andrew  W. ,  born  in 
Hamilton,  Mass.,  came  to  this  place  when  ten 
years  old,  his  parents  settling  on  the  farm 
which  has  since  been  known  as  the  Raymond 
homestead.  George  became  a  prominent  citi- 
zen, and  served  this  town  as  Selectman,  also 
as  Representative  to  the  State  legislature. 
Andrew  W.  Raymond  succeeded  his  father  as 
owner  of  the  homestead.  He,  too,  became  an 
influential  citizen.  He  served  as  Selectman, 
and  was  for  two  terms  a  member  of  the  lower 
house  of  the  New  Hampshire  legislature.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  died  July  5, 
1895.  He  had  survived  his  wife,  who  died 
on  February  23,  1883.  Of  his  six  children 
Mary  V.,  Charles  H.,  George  A.,  Abbiel^., 
and  John  W.  are  living. 


BIOGRA  I'H  ICAI.    R  EX  1  E\V 


'SI 


Charles  H.  Ra^'iiioiul  was  educated  in  the 
district  school  and  at  Appletoii  Academy. 
With  the  exception  of  a  short  time,  when  a 
young  man,  spent  at  shoemaking  in  Stoneham, 
Mass.,  he  has  always  resided  in  Mont  Vernon. 
He  is  engaged  in  farming  on  the  homestead, 
of  which  he  is  the  owner.  On  October  8, 
1868,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Matilda  B.  Pillsbiiry,  of  Springfield,  N.H. 
Four  children  have  been  born  of  their  union; 
namely,  Dana  C. ,  Wallace  A.,  Ora  M.,  and 
Milan  H.  All  are  living,  and  belong  to  the 
fifth  generation  of  Raymonds  who  have  occu- 
pied the  homestead. 

Mr.  Raymond  is  an  Independent  in  poli- 
tics. He  has  served  his  town  as  Collector. 
He  has  been  Selectman  for  several  terms,  and 
is  the  present  chairman  of  the  Board.  For 
several  years  he  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Mc- 
Collom  Institute.  Both  he  and  Andrew  W., 
his  father,  were  charter  members  of  Prospect 
Grange,  of  which  the  father  was  the  first  Mas- 
ter and  the  son  the  first  treasurer.  The  son 
has  also  served  as  Master.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ravmond  are   liberal    in   their   religious  views. 


ILLIAM  L.  CLEAVES,  born  in 
Mont  Vernon,  April  ir,  1821,  was 
a  lifelong  resident  of  this  place. 
His  father,  Joshua  Cleaves,  who,  it  is  be- 
lieved, was  also  a  native  of  Mont  Vernon, 
descended  from  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
that  part  of  Hillsboro  County.  Joshua  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Lincoln,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Leominster,  Mass.  William  L.  was 
educated  in  his  native  town,  first  attending 
the  public  schools  and  later  Appleton's  Acad- 
emy. He  was  subsequently  engaged  for  the 
rest  of  his  life  in  farming  and  lumbering,  in 
which  he  had  accjuired  a  large  business.  On 
December  8,  1859,  he  married  Miss  Harriet 
L.  Crosby,  who  was  Ijorn  in  Milford,  this 
county,  March  3,  1832,  daughter  of  the  late 
Rufus  Crosby.  Mrs.  Cleaves  was  a  school 
teacher  before  her  marriage.  She  was  edu- 
cated in  her  native  town  and  at  New  Ipswich 
and  Francestown  Academies. 

Rufus   Crosby  was  born   and   reared    in    Bil- 
lerica,  Mass.,  son  of   Ephraim  Crosby.      When 


eighteen  years  of  age,  he  came  with  his  par- 
ents from  Billerica  to  Hillsboro  County,  set- 
tling in  Milford,  his  father  buying  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Cajitain  K.  P.  Hutchinson.  He 
subsequently  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  after  his  marriage  with  Miss  Ann  Blan- 
chard,  who  was  born  in  Lyndeboro,  N.H.,  he 
settled  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Cleaves.  He  was  a  skilful  farmer,  a 
valued  citizen,  and  a  kind  neighbor  and  friend, 
and  as  such  was  highly  esteemed  throughout 
the  community.  In  politics  he  was  a  consist- 
ent Democrat,  and  in  religion  he  was  a  faith- 
ful member -of  the  Congregational  church.  Of 
the  children  born  to  him  and  his  wife  the 
following  survive:  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of 
W.  W.  Howard,  of  Milford;  Rufus  P.,  of 
Woburn,  Mass.;  Mrs.  Cleaves;  and  George. 
The  father  had  reached  an  advanced  age  when 
he  died,  October  21,  1878.  His  wife  outlived 
him  a  short  time,  passing  away  March  ig, 
1879. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cleaves  had  one  child — Will- 
iam Crosby  Cleaves,  born  January  12,  1861, 
who  resides  with  his  widowed  mother.  The 
father  died  at  his  home  in  Mont  Vernon,  Sep- 
tember 26,  i860.  On  November  2,  1860,  a 
few  weeks  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs. 
Cleaves  returned  to  her  old  home  in  Milford, 
where  she  has  since  resided.  She  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Congregational  church  ;  and  she 
and  her  son,  William  Crosby  Cleaves,  are 
identified  with  the  Granite  Grange. 


ILLIAM  A.  WHEELER,  a  pros- 
perous farmer  and  a  highly  es- 
teemed resident  of  Hancock,  was 
born  in  Ashby,  Mass.,  February  20,  1848, 
son  of  John  A.  and  Elmira  (Pritchard) 
Wheeler.  John  Wheeler,  his  grandfather, 
cultivated  a  farm  in  Ashby,  and  previous  to 
the  advent  of  railroads  he  carted  his  produce 
to  the  Boston  market.  Though  a  busy  man  all 
his  life,  John  reached  a  good  old  age.  Ho 
was  the  father  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Cal- 
vin, William,  Alfred,  Newton,  Cyrus,  and 
P'rank  are   living. 

John   A.    Wheeler,    William    A.    Wheeler's 
father,  was  born    in  Ashby.      He  continued  to 


'52 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RFA'IEW 


reside  in  liis  native  town  until  after  liis  mar- 
riage, when  lie  moved  to  Dublin,  N.H.,  where 
he  followed  agriculture  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  forty  years.  His  wife, 
Elmira,  who  was  a  native  of  New  Ipswich, 
N.  H.,  became  the  mother  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  six  are  living;  namely,  Mary,  Will- 
iam A.,  Nancy,  Nellie,  Abbie,  and  George. 
Mrs.  John  A.  Wheeler  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-nine  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Universalist  church. 

William  A.  Wheeler  acquired  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Dublin,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  after  reaching  his  majority  he  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  that  town. 
In  1884  he  came  to  Hancock,  and  purchased  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  five  acres.  To  this 
property  he  has  since  added  eighty-five  acres. 
He  carries  on  general  farming,  and  raises 
large  and  superior  crops. 

On  May  13,  1879,  Mr.  Wheeler  married  for 
his  first  wife  Mary  Emerson,  of  Lowell, 
Mass.  She  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-three 
years,  leaving  one  daughter,  Nellie  L.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  church.  Mr. 
Wheeler's  present  wife,  whom  he  wedded 
December  13,  1892,  was  formerly  Lavinia  John- 
son, of  Truro,  N.S.  The  children  of  this  mar- 
riage are:  James  P.,  born  September  iS,  1893; 
and  Augustus  Herbert,  born  June  19,  1897.  In 
politics  Mr.  Wheeler  is  a  Republican.  He  is 
actively  interested  in  the  local  grange  of  the 
P^itrons  of  Husbandry,  and  both  he  and  Mrs. 
Wheeler  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 


SA  A.  WHITMAN,  su]ierintendent  of 
the  Cheshire  County  Farm  at  West- 
moreland, N.H.,  was  born  in  Lon- 
donderry, Vt.,  February  21,  1853, 
son  of  Ara  and  Alvira  (Wheeler)  Whitman. 
His  father  is  a  native  of  Windham,  Vt.  By 
occupation  a  farmer,  he  has  been  for  many 
years  one  of  the  most  respected  and  honored 
citizens  of  Londonderry  in  that  State,  where 
he  is  now  (1897)  living,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-three  years.  A  man  of  exemplary 
habits,  he  is  still  active,  well  preserved,  and 
possessed  of  all  his  faculties   to  a   remarkable 


degree.  Well  informed  and  capable,  one  who 
has  ever  manifested  a  deeji  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  his  town,  he  has  at  different  times  ably 
filled  all  the  more  important  local  offices, 
among  them  that  of  Selectman,  and  has  repre- 
sented his  town  in  General  Court  three  differ- 
ent terms.  He  was  prominent  in  the  militia 
in  the  days  when  military  duty  was  required 
by  the  law  of  the  State,  and  has  held  every 
office  up  to  that  of  Major.  Never  a  pompous 
man,  but  always  of  modest  bearing,  faithful 
to  every  trust,  his  neighbors  all  have  the  ut- 
most confidence  in  his  integrity  and  judgment, 
and  in  times  past  have  frequently  asked  him 
for  advice.  He  has  been  twice  married,  and 
by  his  second  wife  has  had  eight  children,  six 
of  whom  are  now  living. 

Asa  A.  Whitman  attended  the  district  and 
graded  schools  of  Londonderry,  and  assisted 
his  father  on  the  farm  until  he  had  reached  his 
majority.  Not  caring  for  a  farmer's  life,  he 
went  to  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  and  secured  a  posi- 
tion in  the  asylum  known  as  the  "Retreat." 
There  he  remained  for  some  years,  thoroughly 
acquainting  himself  with  the  work,  which  he 
found  congenial,  and  making  rapid  progress, 
finally  accepting  the  superintendency  of  the 
kitchen  department,  and  creditably  filling  the 
position  until  1883.  In  that  year  he  was 
made  superintendent  of  the  Cheshire  County 
Farm,  which  he  managed  for  a  period  of  five 
years  to  the  general  satisfaction  of  the  County 
Commissioners  and  the  inmates.  He  resigned 
to  make  a  trip  West,  where  he  had  some  out- 
side interests,  and  was  reappointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  farm  in  1893.  He  spares  no 
]iains  to  make  the  institution  comfortable  for 
the  inmates,  and  has  always  looked  carefully 
to  the  interests  of  the  county.  He  has  taken 
a  decided  interest  in  produce-raising  at  the 
farm,  the  gardens  furnishing  supplies  for  the 
table;  and  he  has  also  kept  a  large  poultry 
yard,  exhibiting  the  results  of  his  industry  at 
the  county  fairs,  where  his  poultry  has  taken 
first  and  second  prizes.  In  the  fair  of  i8g6 
his  produce  was  a  feature,  and  he  has  estab- 
lished an  enviable  reputation  as  a  gardener. 

No  superintendent  has  given  more  perfect 
satisfaction  than  has  Mr.  Whitman.  He 
believes   that  discipline   is  necessary  to  a  sue- 


BIOGRAl'HICAL    REVIEW 


'53 


cessful  management  of  the  place,  but  under- 
stands the  needs  of  the  inmates,  and  encour- 
ages the  healthy  ones  to  work.  We  quote 
from  the  report  of  the  Rev.  C.  A.  Tenney,  the 
farm  cha[)lain,  in  saying  that  "from  first  to 
the  last  the  superintendent  and  matron  and 
their  assistants  have  shown  a  most  kindly  and 
frieniily  interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
the  people.  The  cordial  relations  that  have 
existed  between  them  and  the  Christian 
workers,  added  to  the  interest  that  people 
have  evinced,  have  made  the  work  a  labor  of 
love.  The  efficiency  and  thoroughness  of  the 
management  in  providing  for  the  physical  and 
spiritual  comfort  of  the  people  accounts  for 
the  general  feeling  of  content  that  pervades 
the  institution." 

Mr.  Whitman  married  Stella  A.  Goodell, 
daughter  of  Wesson  S.  Goodell,  of  Marlboro, 
Vt.-  They  have  one  child,  a  daughter  named 
Beatrice  S.  Mr.  Whitman  is  a  member  of 
the  Grange  of  Brattleboro  and  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  has  been  a  member  of  Fuller's 
Light  Battery.  At  the  time  of  his  appoint- 
ment to  the  superintendency  he  had  been  made 
Corporal  in  the  Battery,  but  upon  his  removal 
from  Brattleboro  he  was  unable  to  continue  hi.s 
connection  with  the  organization. 


«i¥i»  ■jOSES    CLARK,     one    of    the    best 
known     residents     of     Wilton    and 


the  oldest  Deputy  Sheriff  in 
point  of  service  in  Millsboro 
County,  was  born  in  Acworth,  N.H.,  October 
17,  1820,  son  of  Samuel  and  Abigail  (Howe) 
Clark.  He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Deacon 
James  Clark,  of  Dedham,  Mass.,  and  a  cousin 
of  Major  Eustace  S.  Clark,  who  served  in  the 
Sixth  Regiment,  Massachusetts  Volunteers, 
under  General  B.  F.  Butler,  and  was  wounded 
in  one  of  the  battles  of  the  Civil  War.  The 
grandfather,  John  Clark,  was  born  in  London- 
derry, N.M.,  and  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
was  spent  upon  a  farm  in  Acworth.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  Gray,  and  his  children  were:  Rob- 
ert, Polly,  Samuel,  Martha,  John,  George, 
Bradley,  Sally,  James,  Sophia,  and  Thomas. 
Of  these  the  only  survivor  is  Sophia,  who  is 
the     widow     of     Sincere     Hutchings,    late    of 


Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  has  two  children  — 
James  and  Georgia.  John  Clark  died  when 
about  fifty  years  old,  and  his  wife  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four. 

Samuel  Clark,  born  in  Acwortli,  April  26, 
1795,  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
spent  the  most  of  his  life  in  his  native  town. 
He  died  in  Unity,  N.  H.,  October  19,  1S70, 
aged  seventy-five  years,  and  was  buried  in 
Wilton.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat.  His 
wife,  Abigail,  who  was  born  in  Acworth,  May 
9i  '797'  daughter  of  Asa  Howe,  became  the 
mother  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Moses  and 
Elizabeth  are  living.  Elizabeth  married  for 
her  first  husband  Frank  N.  Case,  and  for  her 
second  Mason  Guiliow.  Her  daughter, 
Emma,  by  her  first  husband,  was  successively 
married  to  Leroy  Gates  and  Irving  Moses,  anil 
had  one  daughter,  Stella  Gates.  Mrs.  Samuel 
Clark  died  December  8,  1862,  aged  sixty- 
seven   years. 

After  receiving  his  elementary  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  his  native  town, 
Moses  Clark  was  a  student  of  the  Military 
and  Scientific  School  in  Unity,  under  the 
Rev.  A.  A.  Miner,  and  of  the  academy  in 
Marlow,  N.  H.  Then  for  several  winter  terms 
he  taught  school  in  Marlow,  Acworth,  and 
Unity,  devoting  his  summers  to  farm  work. 
After  forsaking  the  teacher's  profession,  he 
had  ijecn  for  over  two  years  the  ])roprietor  of 
what  was  known  as  the  Depot  Store,  when 
failing  health  compelled  him  to  take  a  rest. 
After  his  recovery,  as  a  member  of  the  firm 
Jones  &  Clark  he  manufactured  boots  and 
shoes  for  about  three  years.  Upon  withdraw- 
ing from  that  he  became  a  salesman  for  the 
Acworth  Boot  and  Shoe  Company,  with  which 
he  was  afterward  connected  for  fifteen  years, 
making  his  headquarters  in  Wilton.  In  1861 
he  was  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff,  and  with  the 
exception  of  two  years  has  served  in  that  ca- 
pacity ever  since,  having  been  commissioned 
longer  than  any  other  dc[Hity  in  this  county. 
P'or  eighteen  years  he  was  the  treasurer  and  a 
director  of  the  Wilton  Savings  Bank.  In  ]iol- 
itics  he  acts  with  the  Republican  party.  He 
has  served  as  Tax  Collector  for  several  years. 
When  it  was  decided  to  jniblish  a  history  of 
Wilton,  he  was  made  chairman  of  the  commit- 


'54 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIFAV 


tee  having  the  matter  in  charge.  He  was  also 
chairman  of  the  committee  appointed  to  pro- 
vide for  the  celebrations  of  Wilton's  one  hun- 
dred and  fiftieth  anniversary.  He  is  still  vig- 
orous and  active,  and  attends  to  his  official 
duties  with  the  sjiiril  and  alacrity  of  a  much 
younger  man. 

On  May  7,  1846,  Mr.  Clark  contracted  his 
first  marriage  with  Julia  L.  Gay,  of  Acworth, 
who  was  born  in  Washington,  N.H.,  F"ebruary 
18,  1 82 1,  daughter  of  Abner  Gay,  of  that 
town.  She  became  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren, born  as  follows:  Josephine  L. ,  February 
7,  1847;  Frank  G.,  September  10,  1850;  and 
Ada  M  ,  May  8,  1S62.  Josephine  L.  is  now 
the  widow  of  Dr.  Willard  D.  Chase,  late  of 
I'eterboro,  N.H.  Her  only  daughter,  Blanche 
M.,  married  Herbert  S.  Pearie,  of  New  York 
City,  and  has  one  son,  Willard  C.  Frank  G. 
Clarke,  who  is  a  successful  lawyer  of  Peter- 
boro,  N.H.,  and  a  member  of  Congress,  mar- 
ried F"anny  Brooks,  and  has  one  daughter, 
Mabel.  Ada  M.  is  the  wife  of  R.  M.  Nicker- 
son,  of  Boston.  The  mother  died  February  3, 
1 891.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  On  February  11,  1892,  Mr. 
Clark  married  for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Han- 
nah L.  Martin  Cram.  She  was  born  in 
Wilton,  July  10,  1844,  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Caroline  F.  (McOuesten)  Martin.  Mr. 
Clark  is  a  member  of  Clinton  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  was  its  secretary  for  some  years. 
Both  he  and  Mrs.  Clark  are  connected  with 
Advance  Grange,  No.  20,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry of  Wilton,  and  Mrs.  Clark  is  also  a 
member. 


RTHUR  A.  PRATTK,  M.D.,  throat, 
ear,  and  eye  specialist,  and  successor 
at  Hinsdale,  N.H.,  to  the  general 
medical  practice  of  Dr.  Beland,  was 
born  in  Louiseville,  Canada,  Maskinonge 
County,  April  27,  1871,  son  of  Louis  and 
Philomene  (Voisard)  Pratte.  The  earliest 
ancestor  of  the  family  in  Canada  went  there 
from  the  city  of  Port,  France,  between  1750 
and  1760,  being  a  Caj^tain  in  the  army  sent  by 
the  French  government  to  fight  against  the 
English.      His    three    sons  —  Ernest,     Louis, 


and  F^erdinand  —  followed  him,  and  also  took 
up  arms  at  Quebec.  One  was  killed  outside 
the  citadel  in  the  engagement  on  the  Plains 
of  Abraham,  which  proved  fatal  to  both  com- 
manders, General  Wolfe  and  General  Mont- 
calm. The  Pratte  family  became  prominent 
in  Louiseville.  Louis  Pratte,  the  Doctor's 
father,  was  not  the  immigrant  of  that  name, 
but  a  later  descendant  of  Captain  Pratte. 
His  wife,  the  Doctor's  mother,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  P'rancjois  Voisard,  who  emigrated  from 
Switzerland  to  Canada,  and  was  appointed 
Sergeant  in  the  English  army  in  the  War 
of  18  I  2.  Mr.  Voisard  was  a  prominent  man 
in  Maskinonge  County,  was  Mayor  of  the 
county  one  year,  was  Selectman,  and  held  all 
the  important  offices  in  the  gift  of  the  town. 
He  owned  a  tannery  which  yielded  a  hand- 
some income.  During  the  early  part  of  his 
life  he  belonged  to  the  Liberal  party,  but 
afterward  became  a  Conservative. 

Louis  Pratte  carried  on  a  large  market  in 
his  native  town,  and  became  one  of  the  pros- 
perous citizens  of  Louisville.  He  had  twelve 
children,  three  of  them  sons.  Five  of  the 
daughters  are  now  dead.  The  eldest  son  suc- 
ceeded his  father  in  business.  The  second 
son.  Dr.  Louis  Irene  Pratte,  a  graduate  of 
the  Trois  Rivieres  College  and  of  Laval  Uni- 
versity Medical  College,  is  in  Norwich, 
Conn.,  where  he  has  been  settled  for  seven- 
teen years,  and  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive practice. 

Arthur  A.  Pratte  completed  his  preparatory 
course  at  the  high  school  in  his  native  town, 
and,  entering  the  Trois  Rivieres  College,  was 
graduated,  after  a  four  years'  course,  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  at  once  en- 
tered the  Laval  University  Medical  College 
for  the  four  years'  course  in  medicine,  and 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three  received  "with 
great  distinction"  his  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  attesting  the  thorough  course  he 
had  taken  and  his  high  standing  in  the 
classes.  During  these  years  of  study  he  was 
in  constant  attendance  at  the  Victoria  Hos- 
pital, one  of  the  best  in  Canada,  and  also  at 
the  Hotel  Dien  Notre  Dame  Hospital,  which 
is  almost  as  old  as  the  city  of  Montreal.  He 
began  the    practice  of   his   profession  at   Marl- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIKVV 


'55 


boro,  N.H.,  where  he  remained  one  year,  re- 
moving then  to  Hinsdale,  to  succeed  to  the 
practice  of  Dr.  Heland,  wlio  left  the  town  at 
that  time  to  remove  to  Canada.  Dr.  Pratte 
came  here  in  December,  1S95,  not  only  fully 
equipped  for  general  practice,  but  also  thor- 
oughly conversant  with  diseases  of  the  throat, 
the  ear,  and  the  eye,  and  is  already  well  es- 
tablished. Dr.  Pratte  is  unmarried.  He  is 
connected  with  THe  Society  ofTM)resters  of 
America  and  with  the  St.  John  Baptiste. 


Y^TON.     ORREN     C.    MOORE,    late    of 
l-^-l       Nashua,  N.H.,   founder  of  the  Daily 

I  [9  I  Telegraph    and    a     member    of    the 

— '  Fifty-first  Congress,  was  born  in 
New  Hampton,  N.H.,  August  10,  1839,  son  of 
Jonathan  H.  and  Hannah  Van  (Sleeper)  Moore. 
On  the  paternal  side  he  was  of  Scotch -Irish 
stock,  being  a  lineal  descendant  of  John 
Moor,  who  with  his  wife  Janet  came  over  in 
1721,  and,  settling  at  Londonderry,  N.H., 
bought  a  farm  in  the  English  Range.  Their 
children  were:  Deacon  William,  of  Bedford, 
N.  H.  ;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Nathaniel 
Holmes;  Colonel  Robert,  of  Londonderry; 
and  Colonel  Daniel,  of  Bedford,  N.  H. 

Jonathan  Holmes  Moore,  father  of  Orren 
C. ,  was  a  son  of  C.iptain  Robert  Moore,  of 
Bristol,  N.  H.,  grandson  of  Colonel  Robert 
Moore,  of  Londonderry,  and  great-grandson  of 
"John  of  the  English  Range,"  so  called  to 
distinguish  him  from  another  settler  in  the 
town  of  the  same  name.  Colonel  Robert 
Moore,  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  in  1726,  and  died  in 
1778.  His  gravestone  and  that  of  his  father 
and  mother  may  be  seen  in  the  old  burial- 
ground  at  Derry,  N.  H.  The  records  show 
(see  "New  Hampshire  Provincial  Papers," 
vol.  vii.  p.  60S)  that  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress of  New  Hampshire  on  September  i, 
1775,  voted  Samuel  Hobart,  Esq.,  to  be  First 
Colonel  of  the  5?econd  Regiment  of  Minute- 
men,  Robert  Moore  to  be  Lieutenant  Colonel. 
^ne  line  of  Orren  C.  Moore's  ancestors  on 
the  paternal  side  traces  directly  back  to  the 
Rev.  Benjamin  Rolfe,  an  early  settled  minis- 
ter of   Haverhill,    Mass.,    who,    with   his   wife 


and  youngest  child,  was  killed   by   the   Indians 
in  1708. 

Orren  Cheney  Moore  was  one  of  a  family 
of  eleven  children,  and  was  early  obliged  to 
become  self-supporting.  When  only  eleven 
years  old  he  moved  with  his  parents  to  Man- 
chester, where,  his  father  having  met  financial 
reverses,  he  went  to  work  in  the  cotton-mills 
as  a  mule-boy,  the  working  day  then  being 
fourteen  hours  long.  The  circumstances  of 
the  family  improving,  he  left  the  mills  after 
a  brief  period  of  toil,  and  entered  the  North 
Grammar  School  on  Spring  Street,  where  he 
studied  diligently  for  three  years  under  the 
famous  teacher  Moses  T.  Brown  and  one  year 
under  William  H.  Ward.  After  that  young 
Moore  spent  a  year  in  Holderness,  now  Ash- 
land, where  he  worked  in  a  paper-mill,  manag- 
ing to  attend  the  village  high  school,  which 
was  then  under  the  principalship  of  the  Rev. 
D.  C.  Frost,  for  a  few  hours  in  every  day. 
Here  he  met  as  a  schoolmate  Miss  Nancy  W. 
Thompson,  who  subsequently  became  his  wife. 
When  sixteen  years  old,  I\Ir.  Moore  went  to 
La  Crosse,  Wis.,  to  work  at  the  printer's  trade 
for  his  brother,  Frederick  A.  Moore,  who  was 
publishing  the  La  Crosse  Deiiioerat.  He 
remained  there  for  nearly  three  years,  and  he 
subsequently  worked  as  a  printer  in  Madison, 
Wis.,  and  at  Jefferson  City,  Mo. 

Returning  to  Manchester,  he  was  foreman 
in  the  office  of  the  Daily  Avieriean  until  the 
paper  was  merged  into  the  Mirror.  During 
this  time  he  was  in  the  Common  Council  of 
the  city  of  Manchester,  and  was  in  the  .State 
legislature  during  two  sessions.  Leaving 
Manchester  Mr.  Moore  went  to  Boston,  and, 
after  being  there  for  a  short  time,  he  received 
a  call  to  the  editorship  of  the  Nashua  Weekly 
Telegraph.  This  paper  had  been  founded  in 
1832  by  Alfred  Beard,  and  was  first  issued 
from  a  building  that  stood  where  the  Watana- 
nock  House  now  stands.  Albin  l^eard,  twin 
brother  of  Alfred,  bought  an  interest  in  the 
paper,  and  from  1839,  when  the  founder  died, 
till  his  own  death,  in  1862,  was  sole  proprie- 
tor. Mr.  Rfoore  became  editor  in  April, 
1864,  and  continued  to  conduct  the  pa]3er 
until  the  establishment  changed  hands,  being 
l)urchased    in  March,   1S65,  by  Wiiite  &  Berry, 


'S6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Dearborn  &  Berry  shortly  becoming  the 
owners  and  Mr.  Dearborn  the  editor. 

Mr.  Moore  about  this  time,  being  made 
Register  of  Probate  for  Iliiisboro  Comity, 
took  up  his  residence  in  .Amherst,  where  the 
county  records  were  then  kept;  and  when  the 
office  was  moved  to  Nashua  he  again  made  his 
home  ill  this  city.  In  November,  1867,  Mr. 
Moore  bought  out  Mr.  Dearborn,  and  was  re- 
instated as  editor-in-chief  of  the  Wfckly  Tele- 
graph, the  publishing  firm  being  Moore  & 
jierry  till  February,  i  S6g,  when  Clark  M. 
Langley  bought  Mr.  Berry's  interest.  The 
first  number  of  the  Daily  Telegrapli  was  is- 
sued on  March  i  of  that  year.  I3y  purchase 
of  Mr.  Langley's  share  in  1878  Mr.  Moore 
became  sole  proprietor  of  the  paper.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1887,  the  business  was  incorporated  as 
the  Telegraph  Publishing  Company,  with  Mr. 
Moore  as  manager  and  treasurer.  After  a  few 
more  years  of  useful  activity  as  journalist, 
representative  in  the  Legislature,  and  member 
of  Congress,  followed  by  a  lingering  illness 
of  two  years,  he  died  at  his  home  in  Nashua, 
on  May  12,  1893. 

In  answer  to  the  question.  What  did  he  do 
worthy  of  remembrance.''  we  quote  the  follow- 
ing from  an  appreciative  notice  of  his  career 
elsewhere  published:  "Mr.  Moore  wielded 
no  uncertain  pen.  His  voice  and  the  Tele- 
grapli sounded  no  false  notes.  More  than'  this, 
his  course  was  never  determined  by  any  sordid 
considerations.  As  a  proof  of  this  it  is  only 
necessary  to  state  that  during  the  quarter  of 
a  century  and  more  that  Mr.  Moore  controlled 
the  utterances  of  the  paper  no  advertisement 
of  intoxicating  liquor  or  offensively  worded 
nostrum  appeared  in  its  columns.  The  policy 
of  the  Telegraph  in  all  these  years  has  been 
thoroughly  loyal  to  the  principles  of  ]jatriotism, 
justice,  temperance,  morality,  and  religion. 
It  has  supported  every  measure  calculated  to 
advance  the  best  interests  of  the  city  and 
State. 

"Besides  his  editorial  work  Mr.  Moore 
found  time  to  give  much  attention  to  the  con- 
sideration of  public  questions.  In  addition  to 
services  rendered  the  ]ieople  of  Nashua  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education  during  the 
transition    from    the    old    to    the   new   methods 


that  have  made  our  schools  equal  to  the  best 
in  the  State,  Mr.  Moore  represented  Nashua 
in  the  legislature  in  four  sessions — Ward  Four 
in  1873,  1874,  and  1875;  Ward  Eight  in  1887 
—  and  was  elected  State  Senator  in  1878  for 
two  years  by  a  majority  of  one  hundred  and 
si.xty-two  over  the  Governor  vote,  and  that,  too, 
in  a  year  when  the  most  sanguine  member  of 
his  party  was  e.xpectiiig  defeat.  Mr.  Moore 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Republican  State 
Central  Committee  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Greeley  campaign. 

"In  1877  Mr.  Moore  was  appointed  upon 
the  Ta.x  Commission  of  the  State,  and  wrote 
the  commissioners'  report  which  was  made 
to  the  legislature.  Many  of  the  suggestions 
of  the  report  have  been  engrafted  upon  the 
legislation  of  the  State,  among  these  the  act 
relating  to  the  sworn  inventory  to  property 
and  the  act  establishing  a  State  Board  of 
Equalization. 

"In  1884  Governor  Hale  tendered  Mr. 
Moore  the  chairmanship  of  the  new  Railroad 
Commission.  He  accepted  the  appointment, 
and  for  three  years  gave  faithful  and  indefati- 
gable service  in  carrying  forward  the  work  of 
the  Commission.  He  was  the  author  of  the 
report  to  the  legislature,  which  included  the 
most  careful  railroad  history  which  had  been 
made  down  to  that  time. 

"From  1872  till  near  the  close  of  his  life 
Mr.  Moore  took  part  in  every  political  cam- 
paign in  the  State.  His  popularity  as  a 
speaker  placed  him  in  the  front  among  our 
New  Hampshire  orators,  and  he  addressed 
more  public  meetings  in  the  State  than  any 
other  man  during  this  period.  Plis  speeches 
were  always  carefully  prepared,  never  repeated 
from  one  campaign  to  another,  and  always  de- 
livered without  notes.  Among  the  general 
subjects  treated  were  'The  Constitution  of 
New  Hampshire,'  'Problems,'  'Fraternal 
Societies,'  'New  England's  Bard,'  'The 
Railroad  Question,'  'The  Borderland, '  'The 
Currency  Question,'  'The  National  Bank 
System.'  He  also  delivered  a  large  num- 
ber of  temperance  addresses  and  Memorial 
Day  orations,  the  latter  always  being  upon 
some  special  theme  in  which  he  sought  to  im- 
press  the    lesson    of    loyalty    to    the    flag,    and 


1!  I OC;  R  A  P  H I C  A I ,    K  I'A'  I  E\V 


•57 


still  carry  with  the  lesson  sf)mething  of  edu- 
cational force. 

"In  1880  Mr.  Moore  proposed  to  lihairnian 
Jewell  of  the  Republican  National  Committee 
to  go  into  any  Southern  district  for  two  weeks 
and  canvass  the  Republican  cause.  The  offer 
was  gladly  accepted,  and  West  Virginia  was 
selected.  Mr.  Moore  opened  his  campaign 
at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  concluded  it  in  Bu- 
chanan County  in  the  interior  of  the  State, 
where  no  Northern  speaker  had  appeared  up  to 
that  time.  He  was  everywhere  kindly  and 
attentively  received,  and  was  welcomed  with 
delight  by  the  loyal,  noble  Union  men  and 
women  of  that  patriotic  State. 

"Besides  this  service  to  the  cause  of  his 
party,  in  the  general  policy  of  which  he  was 
always  in  the  fullest  accord,  being  of  the 
'advance  guard'  in  civil  service  reform,  ballot 
reform,  and  other  vital  issues,  Mr.  Moore 
travelled  thousands  of  miles  and  made  number- 
less campaign  s]ieeches  in  Maine,  Massachu- 
setts, and  Vermont,  in  addition  to  his  service 
in  New  Hampshire.  He  also  wrote  two  or 
three  of  the  Republican  platforms  of  the  State, 
served  on  committees  having  in  charge  other 
platf(M-ms,  and  made  one  or  two  opening  ad- 
dresses when  presiding  at  State  conventions. 
In  a  word,  he  was  one  of  the  hard  workers  for 
the  best  good  of  the  public,  as  he  understood 
the  needs  and  issues  of  the  hour,  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

"In  1888  Mr.  Moore  was  elected  to  repre- 
sent the  Second  New  Hampshire  District  in 
the  Fifty-first  Congress.  He  served  on  the 
Pacific  Railroad  Committee,  the  District  of 
Columbia  Committee,  and  on  the  Committee 
on  the  Enrollment  of  Bills.  His  public 
speeches  included 'The  Revision  of  the  Rules,' 
'Tariff  Revision,'  'The  Anti-lottery  Bill,' 
'The  Competitive  Principle  in  the  Civil  Ser- 
vice,' and  'The  Record  of  the  Fifty-first  Con- 
gress. ' 

"Of  Mr.  Moore's  loyalty  to  all  the  interests 
of  Nashua,  of  his  citizenship,  of  his  readiness 
to  assist  every  cause  that  appealed  to  his 
sense  of  fairness  and  equity  as  between  man 
and  man,  of  his  zealous  advocacy  of  the  rights 
of  labor,  and  his  prompt  response  when  called 
upon   to  champion   the  cause  of  the  oppressed 


of  other  lands,  the  people  of  Nashua  are  as 
well  i|ualiriud  to  sit  in  judgment  as  the  writer. 
We  are  (piitc  sure  that  their  verdict  is:  'He 
has  been  a  faithful  servant  of  the  people.' 

On  the  death  of  Mr.  Moore,  May  12,  1S93, 
as  mentioned  above,  his  wife,  Mrs.  Nancy  W. 
Moore,  succeeded  him  as  manager  of  the 
Telegraph  Publishing  Company,  with  her 
daughter.  Miss  Gertrude  C.  Moore,  as  treas- 
urer. 


C^OHN  B.  BALDWIN,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Wilton,  was  born  in  this 
town,  January  7,  1839,  son  of  Loami 
and  Charlotte  (Bradford)  Baldwin.  He 
is  of  English  origin.  His  great-grandfather, 
John  Baldwin,  married  Isabel  Beard,  who 
reared  five  chihiren,  of  whom  Timothy,  the 
grandfather  of  John  B.  Baldwin,  was  the 
youngest.  Timothy  Baldwin  settled  upon  a 
farm  in  Wilton  in  178S,  and  tilled  the  soil 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1S23.  He 
married  Prudence  Chapman,  and  of  his  eight 
children  Loami  was  the  last-born. 

Loami  Baldwin,  John  B.  Baldwin's  father, 
was  born  in  Wilton,  and  grew  to  manhood 
ujion  the  home  farm.  He  followed  agricult- 
ure with  energy  during  his  active  years,  and 
through  his  industry  and  good  judgment  he 
attained  prosperity.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat.  He  died  March  6,  i860.  His 
wife,  Charlotte,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Bradford,  of  Lyndeboro,  N.H.,  be- 
came the  mother  of  four  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living.  These  are:  John  B.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Hannah  J.,  who 
married  F.  A.  Richardson,  of  Lyndeboro, 
and  has  one  son,  Pearley.  Mrs.  Loami  Bald- 
win died  May  27,    1882. 

John  B.  Baldwin  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  town.  When  a  young  man  he 
worked  at  the  butchering  business  for  two 
years  in  Flast  Wilton.  He  has  since  given 
his  attention  to  general  farming,  and  owns 
about  fifty  acres  of  fertile  land,  which  is 
capable  of  producing  large  and  superior  crops. 
Mr.  Baldwin  has  been  successively  married 
to  Olivia  J.  Curtis,  Louise  F'.  Perham,  and 
Martha    J.    Torrey.      Martha   J.    Torrey    Bald- 


'58 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


win,  his  present  wife,  is  a  native  of  -Maine. 
]iy  his  second  union  he  has  three  children, 
namely:  Lewis  II.,  who  married  Lena  Holt, 
of  Wilton;  Florence  L. ;  and  Charles  A.  Mr. 
Baldwin  has  served  upon  the  School  Board 
and  as  Highway  Surveyor,  therein  rendering 
valuable  service  to  the  town.  Li  politics  he 
takes  a  course  independent  of  party. 


IIARLKS  O.  WOODS,  who  carries 
on  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Antrim,  and 
is  also  engaged  in  farming,  was 
born  in  Windsor,  N.  H.,  April  7, 
1863,  son  of  Charles  A.  and  Adeline  R.  (Bar- 
ker) Woods.  His  grandfather,  Asa  Woods, 
who  was  born  in  Hollis,  N.H.,  resided  in 
Nashua  for  some  time,  and  then  settled  upon 
a  farm  in  his  native  town.  Asa  married  Polly 
Laton,  and  had  a  family  of  five  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living;  namely,  Mary,  Asa, 
Charles  A.,  and  Frank  L.  Mary  is  now  the 
widow  of  James  Otis,  and  has  one  son,  Albert. 
Asa,  Jr.,  married  Ellen  Searles,  who  died 
leaving  three  children.  Both  his  parents  lived 
to  a  good  old  age. 

Charles  A.  Woods  was  born  in  Nashua, 
November  19,  1831.  In  his  younger  days  he 
worked  in  the  mills,  and  was  employed  in  the 
construction  of  the  Vermont  Central  Railroad. 
After  his  marriage  he  settled  upon  a  farm  in 
Bennington,  N.  H.,  where  he  resided  for  a 
time.  Subsequently  he  worked  in  a  tannery 
of  Hillsboro  for  eight  years.  Later  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  in  Antrim  and  Hillsboro. 
Since  18S6  he  has  resided  in  Antrim.  His 
wife  was  born  in  Antrim,  daughter  of  Moody 
M.  Barker.  Her  grandfather.  Captain  Peter 
Barker,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this 
town,  locating  here  in  1789,  and  subsequently 
clearing  a  farm  from  the  wilderness.  She 
reared  two  children —  Addie  E.  and  Charles 
O.  Addie  E.,  now  the  widow  of  Frank  B. 
Woodbury,  late  of  Antrim,  has  two  children  — 
Mark  and  Valentine.  Mrs.  Charles  A.  Woods 
died  September  23,   i8gi. 

Charles  O.  Woods  attended  school  in  Hills- 
boro. When  a  young  man  he  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade  in  Antrim.  Later  he  pur- 
chased  the   shop   of   his    employer,    and    there 


since  he  has  carried  on  a  general  horseshoeing 
and  jobbing  business.  He  also  superintends 
a  farm  for  Mr.  W.  K.  l-"lint,  of  Milwaukee, 
Wis.  On  March  28,  1893,  he  married  Grace 
E.  Downes,  daughter  of  Harlan  P.  Downes,  of 
Francestown.  Politically,  Mr.  Woods  is  a 
Republican.  For  the  past  three  years  he  has 
acted  as  Police  and  Truant  Officer,  and  in 
1896  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Selectmen.  Mrs.  Woods  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church. 


is)l^  A  RON  SMITH,  an  extensive  dairy 
farmer  of  Harrisvijle,  who  was  for 
several  years  a  member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  legislature,  is  a  native 
of  this  town,  born  April  17,  1822,  son  of 
Aaron  and  Ruth  (Atwood)  Smith,  and  is  a 
descendant  of  Revolutionary  patriots.  His 
great-grandfathers  on  both  sides  served  in  the 
struggles  for  independence.  His  paternal 
great-grandfather,  Aaron  Smith,  who  resided 
in  Needham,  Mass.,  commanded  a  company  at 
the  battle  of  Lexington.  Abner  Smith,  the 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
also  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  After  the  war 
he  settled  in  that  part  of  Dublin  which  is  now 
included  within  the  limits  of  the  town  of 
Harrisville,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 
The  first  of  his  two  marriages  was  made  with 
Hannah  Prentice,  who  bore  him  eight  chil- 
dren; namely,  Aaron,  Prentice,  Beulah, 
Elisha,  Ira,  Abigail,  Hannah,  and  Luther. 

Aaron  Smith,  Sr. ,  was  born  on  the  family 
homestead,  November  5,  1791.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  a  ]50tter,  and  subsequent])-  was 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  all  kintis  of 
earthenware  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on 
November  20,  1840.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Unitarian  church.  His  wife,  Ruth,  who 
was  born  in  Nelson,  N.H.,  August  15, 
1787,  daughter  of  Philip  Atwood,  became  the 
mother  of  six  children,  of  whom,  the  third  died 
in  infancy.  The  others  were:  Aaron,  George, 
Calvin,  Jonathan,  and  Abner.  George  died  at 
at  the  age  of  twenty-four.  Calvin,  who  is  a 
box  manufacturer  in  Westboro,  Mass.,  wedded 
Mary,  daughter  of  Samuel  Parker,  of  Nelson, 
N.  H.,    and    has    two  children.      Jonathan   and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


'59 


Abiicr   died   ynung.       Tlic    nintlicr  died    March 
24,    1S52. 

Aaron  Smith  was  reared  ami  educated  in 
Harrisville,  then  a  part  of  Dublin.  He  sub- 
sequently learned  the  potter's  trade  with  his 
father,  and  followed  it  afterward  until  the  al- 
most universal  use  of  tinware  made  the  manu- 
facture of  earthen  vessels  unprofitable.  .Since 
relinquishing  his  trade,  he  has  given  his  atten- 
tion to  dairy  farming  at  the  family  homestead. 
The  farm  is  a  large  and  valuable  estate,  with 
ample  pasturage  for  sheep,  the  raising  of  which 
he  formerly  carried  on  quite  e.Ntensively. 

Mr.  Smith  married  Mrs.  Susan  M.  ]?rom- 
ley,  who,  born  in  Nelson,  March  9,  1828, 
.daughter  of  Ccdonel  Rufus  Atwood,  of  Nelson, 
died  January  15,  18S7.  Mr.  Smith's  public 
services  cover  a  long  period.  He  was  Select- 
man for  twenty-one  years;  a  Representative  to 
the  legislature  from  1859  to  1870,  excluding 
the  years  1861,  1862,  and  1863;  and  County 
Commissioner  from  1870  to  1875.  He  also 
served  for  a  time  in  the  capacities  of  Overseer 
of  the  Poor  and  member  of  the  School  Hoard, 
and  he  acted  as  recruiting  agent  during  the 
Civil  War.  One  of  the  organizers  of  the  local 
grange,  Patrf)ns  of  Husbandry,  he  was  the  first 
Master,  and  he  still  takes  an  active  interest  in 
its  affairs. 


(s^OSEPH  G.  CARLTON,  a  successful 
agriculturist  and  a  respected  resident 
of  Mont  Vernon,  was  born  here.  May 
20,  1863,  son  of  John  A.  and  Amanda 
(Wilson)  Carlton.  John  Carlton,  the  father 
of  John  A.,  was  an  old-time  resident  and  Se- 
lectman of  Mont  Vernon.  John  A.,  who  was 
born  in  the  town,  has  always  lived  here. 
Amanda,  his  wife,  was  a  native  of  Vermont. 
She  died  April  28,  1896,  leaving  four  sons 
and  two  daughters,  namely:  John  W. ,  of  Man- 
chester; Joseph  G. ,  the  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy; William  S.,  also  of  Manchester; 
Charles  G. ,  a  resident  of  Nashua;  Lilla,  the 
wife  of  William  Easton,  of  East  Wilton, 
N.  H.  ;  and  Fannie  L.,  the  wife  of  George  F. 
Averill,  of  Milford,  N.H. 

Having  completed  his  education,  which  was 
acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  Mont  Vernon, 


Josejih  G.  Carlton  took  up  farming,  the  occu- 
pation to  which  he  had  been  reared.  Besides 
cair)ing  on  general  farming,  he  has  a  small 
fruit  business  and  does  some  lumbering.  The 
home  farm  contains  about  one  hundred  acres. 
In  i8gi  he  was  joined  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Minnie  .Spalding,  daughter  of  Otis  Sjjalding, 
of  Mont  Vernon.  Three  sons  have  been  born 
to  them;  namely,  George  O.,  Palmer  li.,  and 
Alwin  C. 

Mr.  Carlton  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
His  townsmen  have  shown  their  appreciation  of 
his  ability  and  character  by  electing  him  to 
important  town  oHices.  He  was  Selectman  for 
two  years;  a  member  of  the  School  Board  for 
an  equal  length  of  time;  and  he  is  now  serv- 
ing his  second  year  as  Road  Agent,  and  holds 
the  position  of  Supervisor  of  the  Check  List. 
He  is  a  member  of  Prospect  Grange,  P.  of  H. 


RTHUR    A.     TROW,    an    enterprising 
business   man    of    Mont    Veinon,    was 


born  in  this  town,  August  9,  1829, 
son  of  Jesse  and  Nancy  (Cochran) 
Trow.  Joseph  Trow,  the  father  of  Jesse  and 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  was  one  of  the  fa- 
mous minute-men  of  the  Revolution.  Joseph 
came  here  some  time  after  the  close  of  the 
war.  Jesse  Trow  was  born  in  this  town,  and 
lived  here  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1867.  He  spent  his  active  years  in  farming 
and  lumbering.  ?Iis  wife,  Nancy,  had  nine 
children,  of  whom  three  sons  survive,  namely: 
George  W. ,  a  resident  of  Hudson,  N.H.  ; 
Arthur  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Daniel  W.,  of  Amherst,  N.H.  At  first  a 
Whig,  the  father  joined  the  Repid)lican  party 
after  its  formation. 

After  attending  the  district  school  in  Mont 
Vernon,  Arthur  A.  Trow  studied  for  a  time  at 
Appleton  Academy.  Since  then  he  has  been 
engaged  in  farming.  He  now  owns  the  old 
Trow  homestead,  a  farm  of  about  two  hundred 
acres.  He  also  operates  the  saw-mill  on  the 
estate,  called  Trow's  Mill.  In  years  past  he 
followed  lumbering  quite  extensively. 

Mr.  Trow  was  married  January  23,  1872,  to 
Miss  Lucretia  Rideout,  who  was  born  in 
Nashua,     N.H.,     daughter    of     (.lardner     and 


i6o 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Lucretia  (Wilson)  Rideout.  Her  father  was 
a  native  of  Hillsboro  County,  and  her  mother 
was  born  in  Maine.  She  completed  her  educa- 
tion at  Francestown  Academy,  after  which  she 
taught  school  for  four  terms.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Trow  have  four  children;  namely,  Charles  A., 
Lewis  A.,  Jessie  A.,  and  Edward  W.  Charles 
A.  graduated  from  McCollom  Institute,  Mont 
Vernon,  and  from  New  Hampshire  College  of 
Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts  at  Durham, 
completing  his  course  at  the  latter  institution 
in  June,  1S95.  He  then  took  a  post-graduate 
course  in  the  same  college  in  mining  engineer- 
ing, and  he  is  now  employed  in  Colorado  as  a 
mining  engineer.  Lewis  A.,  also  a  graduate 
of  McCollom  Institute,  married  Nellie  Good- 
rich, of  North  Lyndeboro,  and  has  one  child, 
Harold  O.  Jessie  A.  is  the  wife  of  William 
Fox,  of  Mont  Vernon ;  and  Edward  W.  is  a 
graduate  of  the  International  Business  College 
at  Manchester,  N.  H.  In  politics  Mr.  Trow 
is  a  Republican.  Mrs.  Trow  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Milford. 


j^OHN    M.   FOX,  the   Town    Clerk  and  an 

^1      enterprising  merchant  of  Mont  Vernon, 

?Jj      was  born  in  New  Boston,  this   county, 

~  March    5,    1836,    son    of    Ephraim   and 

Sarah    (Parker)    Fo.x.      The    father,    who    was 

born    in    Dracut,    Mass.,    came  when   a  young 

man  to   Milford,  N.H.,  where   he   learned   the 

trade  of  a  currier  and  tanner.      He  resided  for 

a  number  of  years  successively  in  Milford  and 

Hillsboro,    N.H.,    and   then   finally  settled    in 

New    Boston,     where    he    died.       His     wife, 

Sarah,  was  a  native  of  Carlisle,  Mass. 

During  the  first  fifteen  years  of  his  life 
John  M.  Fo.x  lived  with  his  parents  at  New 
Boston.  Thereafter  he  was  almost  wholly 
cast  upon  his  own  resources.  Having  re- 
ceived a  fair  education,  he  went  to  Petersham, 
Mass.,  and  there  was  a  clerk  in  a  general 
store  for  three  years.  Then  he  returned  to 
New  Boston,  learned  the  tailor's  trade,  and 
worked  at  it  until  the  Civil  War  broke  out. 
On  May  9,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G, 
Second  New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Infantry, 
for  three  months.  Upon  the  expiration  of 
that  term  he  re-enlisted,  and  was  mustered  in, 


June  9,  1 86 1,  in  the  same  company  and  regi- 
ment, and  subsequently  served  with  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  under  the  command  of  Gen- 
erals McClellan  and  Grant,  participating  in 
the  first  and  second  Bull  Run,  the  seven  days' 
fight  in  front  of  Richmond,  the  fights  at  Will- 
iamsburg, Yorktown,  and  others  up  to  Get- 
tysburg. During  the  latter  battle  he  was 
detached  as  clerk  for  Surgeon-general  Mer- 
row,  the  surgeon  of  the  brigade,  and  after- 
ward continued  in  the  hospital  department 
until  his  final  discharge  on  June  21,  1864. 
Returning  then  to  New  Hampshire,  he  settled 
in  Mont  Vernon,  and  for  a  quarter-century 
after  was  successfully  engaged  in  farming. 
Under  the  first  administration  of  President 
Cleveland  he  was  appointed  Postmaster  of 
Mont  Vernon.  In  1887  he  purchased  the 
store  he  now  owns,  and  started  the  general 
merchandise  business,  which  he  has  since 
carried  on  with  profit. 

Mr.  Fox  was  married  June  3,  1858,  to  Miss 
Plsther  D.  Fairfield,  of  New  Boston.  They 
have  two  children — Eunice  A.  and  William 
H.  The  latter  married  Jessie  Trow.  In  1891 
Mr.  Fox  was  elected  to  represent  his  town  in 
the  lower  house  of  the  State  legislature.  He 
has  served  as  Town  Clerk  for  more  than  a 
score  of  years,  and  is  also  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  and  Notary  Public.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  Prospect  Grange,  with  which  he  is 
still  identified. 


lEONARD  B.  DOW,  of  Milford,  a 
prosperous  manufacturer  of  lumber, 
cider,  and  pure  cider  vinegar,  was 
born  September  29,  1830,  at  Pep- 
perell,  Mass.,  son  of  Daniel  Dow,  Jr.  He 
comes  of  patriotic  ancestry.  Hisgreat-grand- 
father.  Captain  Reuben  Dow,  was  an  officer  in 
a  company  of  Hollis  militia,  under  Colonel 
Prescott,  and  fought  at  Bunker  Hill.  Like- 
wise  Captain  Dow's  son  Daniel,  the  paternal 
grandfather  of  Leonard  B.  Dow,  served 
throughout  the  entire  War  of  Independence. 
Daniel  resided  for  many  years  in  Hollis, 
Hillsboro  County. 

Daniel  Dow,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Hollis,  where 
he  subsequently  acquired  a  knowledge  of  agri- 


DAVID    H,    GOODELL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


'63 


culture  Afterward  he  followed  farming  in 
Fepperell,  Mass.,  living  there  from  early  man- 
hood until  his  death  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years.  After  settling  in  Fepperell  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Lucy  Smith,  of  that  place,  who  bore 
him  several  children.  Of  these  but  two  are 
now  living,  namely:  Luther  H.,  of  Fepperell; 
and  Leonard  B.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
The  parents  were  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  In  politics  the  father  was  a 
Democrat. 

Leonard  B.  D  iw  spent  his  boyhood  on  the 
family  homestead,  acquiring  his  elementary 
education  in  the  district  schools,  and  subse- 
quently finishing  in  the  high  school.  When 
about  seventeen  years  of  age  he  began  work- 
ing at  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  after- 
ward followed  for  nine  or  ten  years.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1856,  he  went  to  the  Indian  Territory, 
where  he  was  engaged  for  some  time  in  a  gen- 
eral mercantile  business,  handling  all  kinds 
of  supplies,  and  trading  with  the  Choctaw  Ind- 
ians, having  received  a  license  from  the  gov- 
ernment for  so  doing.  After  ten  years'  ab- 
sence he  returned  to  the  place  of  his  birth,  and 
for  a  few  years  was  there  employed  as  a  con- 
tractor and  builder.  In  December,  1869,  he 
became  a  permanent  resident  of  Milford,  set- 
tling here  in  business.  In  the  following  year 
he  built  his  saw-mill,  which  he  has  since  suc- 
cessfully operated,  adding  to  the  manufacture 
of  lumber  that  of  cider  and  cider  vinegar,  in 
which  he  has  a  substantial  trade,  his  manu- 
factures in  this  line  being  celebrated  for  their 
excellence  and  purity.  He  was  Selectman  for 
twelve  years,  and  for  more  than  half  of  that 
period  the  chairman  of  the  Board.  He  is  one 
of  the  directors  of  the  Milford  Building  and 
Loan  Association.  In  politics  he  is  inde- 
pendent, having  the  courage  of  his  convic- 
tions, voting  for  the  best  men  and  the  best 
principles,  regardless  of  party  restrictions. 

On  February  22,  1867,  Mr.  Dow  married 
Miss  Sarah  J.  Pierce,  daughter  of  Calvin  and 
Jane  (Elliott)  Fierce.  She  was  born  and  edu- 
cated in  Fepperell,  Mass.  The  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dow  are:  Lucy  J.  and  Hattie 
P.  Both  are  teachers  in  Westfield,  Mass. — 
Lucy  in  the  high  school,  and  Hattie  P.  a 
teacher  in  the  graded   schools.      Mr.    Dow  at- 


tends and  contributes  toward  the  support  of 
the  Congregational  church,  of  which  .Mrs. 
Dow  is  an  active  member. 


ON.  CLI':MENT  J.  WOODWARD 
was     born      in       I\o.\buiy,      Cheshire 

County,  N.  tl.,  September  7,    1S50. 

His  parents  removed  to  Keene,  the 
county  seat,  a  few  miles  from  his  birthplace, 
when  he  was  six  years  of  age,  and  he  has  since 
resided  here.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Keene,  completing  a 
course  at  the  high  school  and  at  Colby  Acad- 
emy, New  London,  N.  H.  Mr.  Woodward  is 
treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Sentinel  Printing 
Company,  publishers  and  proprietors  of  the 
Daily  and  Weekly  Scntijul;  also  a  director  of 
the  Keene  National  Bank.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Keene  city  government,  repre- 
sented his  ward  in  the  legislature  of  1887-88, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  of 
1893-94.  He  was  married  October  3,  1877, 
and  has  one  son. 


X-GOVKRNOR  DAVID  H.  GOODELL 
was  born  in  Hillsboro,  N.H.,  May  6, 
1834,  son  of  Jesse  R.  and  Olive 
(Wright)  Goodell.  His  grandfather,  David 
Goodell,  also  a  native  of  Hillsboro,  was 
born  September  15,  1774.  David  followed 
agriculture,  and  was  much  respected  by  the 
community  in  which  he  resided.  He  married 
Mary  Raymond,  who  was  born  in  Mont  Ver- 
non, N.H.,  January  18,  1779.  They  had 
three  children,  who  are  now  deceased.  The 
youngest  was  the  father  of  David  H.  David 
Goodell  and  his  wife  were  both  members 
of  the  Baptist  church  in  Hillsboro.  In  po- 
litical belief  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  died 
September  22,  1848,  and  his  wife's  death  oc- 
curred May  17,   1864. 

Jesse  R.  Goodell  was  born  in  Hillsboro, 
February  12,  1807.  From  his  youth  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  on  the  old  homestead 
until  he  was  thirty -four  years  of  age.  Then 
he  moved  to  Antrim,  and,  having  purchased  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres,  set- 
tled down  there  for  the  remainder  of   his  days. 


164 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


This  place  is  now  tlie  residence  of  ex-Governor 
Goodell.  Jesse  R.  married  Olive  Atwood, 
daughter  of  Reuben  Wright,  of  Washington, 
N.H.  They  had  but  one  child,  the  subject 
of  this  article.  Both  were  members  of  the 
Baptist  church  in  Hillsboro  and  Antrim,  and 
he  was  Deacon  for  many  years.  He  was  Se- 
lectman of  the  town  of  Antrim.  A  Democrat 
in  his  early  manhood,  he  became  a  Republican 
after  the  late  war.  An  industrious  and  up- 
right man,  strictly  correct  in  his  habits,  he 
was  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  died 
November  6,  1886,  and  his  wife  died  January 
I3>   1877. 

David  H.  Goodell  began  his  schooling  in 
Hillsboro.  But  seven  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  moved  to  Antrim,  he  afterward  at- 
tended school  at  Hancock,  New  Hampton  In- 
stitute, and  Francestown,  and  was  a  student 
at  Brown  University  for  about  a  year  and  a 
half.  He  also  obtained  experience  and  train- 
ing of  another  kind  by  teaching  school  at 
different  times  and  by  working  on  his  father's 
farm,  to  which  latter  he  gave  considerable 
attention.  Having  shown  himself  a  keen  busi- 
ness man,  he  was  made  treasurer  of  the  An- 
trim Shovel  Company  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three.  In  1857  he  became  agent  for  the  same 
company,  which  was  sold  out  in  1864.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  turned  his  attention  to  the 
invention  of  an  ap]3le-parer,  and,  being  wholly 
successful  in  this,  he  commenced  to  manu- 
facture it  in  Antrim  in  1865.  The  result  was 
the  formation  of  the  firm  D.  H.  Goodell  & 
Co.,  which  continued  in  existence  up  to  1867. 
Misfortune  then  made  its  appearance  in  the 
shape  of  a  fire  that  destroyed  the  plant,  which 
was  a  total  loss,  as  there  was  no  insurance. 
Assistance  was  given  him  by  the  firm  of 
Treadwell  &  Co.,  but  when  they  failed,  in 
1870,  he  lost  everything.  Nothing  daunted, 
however,  he  borrowed  a  thousand  dollars  from 
his  former  customers,  Sargent  &  Co.,  of  New 
York  City,  and  in  1S71  again  began  the  man- 
ufacture of  the  apple-parers,  continuing  alone 
in  the  business  up  to  1875.  It  should  be 
mentioned  that  in  1872  he  organized  the 
Woods  Cutlery  Company  for  the  manufacture 
of  cutlery,  with  a  factory  at  Bennington  and 
an    office    at    Antrim.       Success    rapidly    fol- 


lowed; and  in  1875  the  Goodell  Company  was 
organized,  absorbing  both  the  Woods  Cutlery 
Company  and  the  D.  H.  Goodell  Company. 
This  firm,  which  has  continued  up  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  has  one  of  the  largest  manufactories 
of  cheap  cutlery  in  America.  In  1879  ^^e 
business  had  increased  so  rapidly  that  they 
opened  up  the  old  factory  in  Bennington,  en- 
larging it  and  running  it  in  connection  with 
the  works  at  Antrim.  There  are  about  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  hands  in  the  employ 
of  the  company,  and  ex-Governor  Goodell  has 
been  the  president  and  treasurer  ever  since  its 
organization. 

Mr.  Goodell  has  always  been  a  man  of 
affairs.  Deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of 
the  community,  he  held  various  offices  pre- 
vious to  his  reaching  the  gubernatorial  chair. 
He  was  Moderator,  Town  Clerk,  and  chair- 
man of  the  School  Committee.  From  1878 
to  1885  he  was  a  member  of  the  State  Board 
of  Agriculture,  and  he  was  State  Repre- 
sentative in  1876.  He  was  elected  one  of 
Governor  Hale's  Council  in  18S2  by  an 
overwhelming  vote,  and  served  as  such  until 
1885.  In  1888  he  was  elected  Governor  of 
New  Hampshire,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
from  1889  to  1891.  F>om  the  least  important 
to  the  greatest  of  these  offices  he  has  given 
evidence   of  the  highest  ability. 

On  September  i,  1857,  Mr.  Goodell  was 
married  to  Hannah  Jane  Plumer,  who  was  born 
at  Goffstown,  N.H.,  April  13,  1835.  They 
have  two  children  —  Dura  Dana  and  Richard 
Carter.  Dura  Dana,  born  September  6,  1858, 
was  married  August  31,  1886,  to  Nellie  Lau- 
retta Little,  who  was  born  in  Antrim,  Novem- 
ber 2,  1855.  They  have  one  child,  Claire 
Deane,  born  November  12,  1S87.  Richard 
Carter,  born  August  10,  1868,  was  married 
August  10,  1892,  to  LIna  G.  White,  who  died 
April  5,  1895,  without  children.  The  ex- 
Governor  and  his  wife  are  both  members  of 
the  Baptist  church,  and  he  has  been  a  Deacon 
in  the  same  since  1886.  In  politics  he  has 
supported  the  Republican  party  since  the  war. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Antrim  Grange.  He 
has  done  a  great  deal  for  Antrim.  Eminently 
successful  both  in  his  public  and  private  ca- 
pacities, his  native  State  and  town   may  justly 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


>6S 


be  proud  of  him.  He  is  a  great  temperance 
advocate,  and  has  done  noble  work  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  that  cause. 


(^OHN  II.  LAING,  who  for  many  years 
has  been  connected  with  the  Gilsuni 
wooilen-mills  at  Gilsum,  Cheshire 
County,  N.H.,  was  born  in  North 
Andover,  Mass.,  October  g,  1850.  His  father 
was  William  Laing,  a  native  of  Scotland,  and 
an  expert  dyer,  who  was  employed  in  woollen- 
mills  in  various  places,  and  died  in  Andover, 
Mass.  He  reared  five  children,  namely: 
William;  George;  Allison;  Jeanette;  and 
John  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

John  H.  Laing  was  educated  in  Keene, 
N.  H.,  and  Gaysville,  Vt.  After  leaving 
school  he  sailed  from  Provincetown,  Mass.,  on 
a  whaling-vessel  for  a  two  years'  cruise  in 
the  northern  seas,  and  upon  his  return  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  in  a  woollen  factory. 
He  has  been  connected  with  the  mills  in  Gil- 
sum  since  1873,  and  is  well  acquainted  with 
the  business.  He  is  quite  active  in  public 
affairs,  and  has  served  as  Selectman,  Tax  Col- 
lector, and  Truant  Officer.  He  is  a  Master 
Mason,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry. 

Mr.  Laing  married  Mary  L.  Train,  of  Sax- 
ton's  River,  Vt.  He  attends  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 


'ON.  AMOS  J.  BLAKE,  attorney 
and  counsellor  at  law  of  I^'itzwilliam, 
Cheshire  County,  N.  PL,  was  born 
October  20,  1836,  in  the  neighbor- 
ing town  of  Rindge,  which  was  the  birth- 
place and  lifelong  residence  of  his  parents, 
Ebenezer  and  Hepsibeth  (Jewett)  Blake.  His 
grandfather.  Deacon  Eleazar  Blake,  was  born 
in  Wrentham,  Mass.,  April  i,   1757. 

"Eleazar  Blake,  Wrentham,  private,  Cap- 
taiii  Samuel  CowelT'^rcompanj,  Colonel  John 
Smith's  regiment,  which  marched  on  the  alarm 
of  April  19,  1775,  service  eleven  days" — 
thus  begins  the  long  paragraph  comprising 
his  military  record,  giving  names  of  different 
colonels  and  captains   under  whom    he   served, 


with  dates  and  periods  of  enlistment,  etc.,  in 
"Massachusetts  Soldiers  and  Sailors,"  a  com- 
pilation from  the  archives  prepared  and  pub- 
lished by  the  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth, 
vol.  ii.  p.   127,  published  in  i8g6. 

The  following  more  detailed  account  of 
his  army  experience  is  from  other  sources. 
Eleazar  Blake  participated  in  the  siege  of  Bos- 
ton ;  and  on  June  17,  the  day  of  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  he  with  others  was  engaged  in 
fortifying  Prospect  Hill,  where  he  witnessed 
the  desperate  engagement.  His  regiment  was 
sent  to  New  York  in  1777,  and,  joining  the 
army  under  General  Gates,  participated  in  the 
triumphs  of  the  patriots  over  General  Bur- 
goyne,  taking  an  honorable  part  in  the  mem- 
orable battles  of  Stillwater  and  Saratoga. 
During  the  winter  of  1777-7S  he  endured  the 
miseries  of  hunger  and  nakedness  at  Valley 
P'orge,  and  the  following  spring  and  summer 
he  was  with  the  army  immediately  under  the 
command  of  General  Washington.  In  1780, 
then  in  Colonel  Shepard's  regiment,  he  was 
appointed  Sergeant,  and  in  1782  was  detailed 
Assistant  Quartermaster  of  the  Fourth  Massa- 
chusetts Brigade,  in  which  line  of  service  he 
continued  until  his  discharge,  June  12,  1783, 
at  Camp  New  Windsor,  New  York,  from 
whence  he  travelled  on  foot  a  distance  of  two 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  to  his  home  in 
Wrentham,  where  he  arrived  June  21,  after  an 
almost  continuous  service  in  the  war  of  more 
than  eight  years. 

In  the  autumn  following  his  discharge 
Eleazar  Blake,  accompanied  by  his  brother 
Ebenezer,  who  had  served  four  years  in  the 
army,  visited  Coos  County,  New  Hampshire, 
where  he  remained  several  months,  and  was 
engaged  as  a  school  teacher.  After  a  brief 
residence  in  New  York,  he  married  November 
29,  1785,  Jerusha  Gerould,  daughter  of 
Gamaliel  and  Jerusha  (Mann)  GerouUl,  of 
Wrentham,  and  settled  in  Stoddard,  N.H.  In 
1792  he  removed  to  Rindge,  where  he  contin- 
ued to  reside,  following  the  occupation  of  a 
farmer  and  wheelwright. 

Under  the  ministry  of  the  eminent  Dr.  Seth 
Payson  he  was  chosen  Deacon  of  the  Congre- 
gational church,  in  which  capacity  he  offici- 
ated until  eighty  years  of  age.      The  blameless 


i66 


BIOGRAPHICAL    KEVIEW 


character  of  Deacon  Blake,  his  unimpeachable 
integrity,  and  his  Christian  counsels  will  long 
be  treasured  by  his  townsmen  and  acquaint- 
ances. He  died  September  27,  1852,  aged 
ninety-five  years  and  six  months. 

Ebenezer  Blake,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  the  youngest  child  of  Deacon 
Eleazar  and  Jerusha  Mann  (Gerould)  Blake, 
and  was  born  in  Rindge,  November  16,  1800. 
His  occupation  was  that  of  a  farmer  and  car- 
penter. He  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
intelligence  and  of  sterling  character.  He 
took  a  deep  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  for 
many  years  held  and  discharged  with  fidelity 
the  duties  of  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  besides 
holding  other  town  offices.  He  died  April  8, 
1883,  aged  eighty-three  years.  He  was  ad- 
mitted a  member  of  the  Congregational  church 
October  26,   1834. 

His  wife,  Hepsibeth,  was  the  daughter  of 
Amos  and  Lydia  Jewett,  of  Rindge.  She  was 
a  woman  of  superior  endowments,  a  devoted 
wife  and  mother,  uniting  exemplary  Christian 
piety  with  an  unclouded  disposition  and  many 
excellences  of  character.  The  light  of  her  ex- 
ample will  long  continue  to  shed  its  cheerful 
rays  around  the  pathway  of  her  surviving  chil- 
dren. She  was  admitted  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  on  the  same  date  with 
her  husband,  October  26,  1834.  She  died 
November  10,   1874,  aged  seventy -two  years. 

Amos  J.  Blake  was  the  eighth  child  and 
seventh  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Hepsibeth  Blake. 
He  attended  the  common  and  select  schools  of 
his  native  town,  until,  arriving  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  he  determined  upon  a  higher  course 
of  education.  Teaching  school  each  winter  to 
procure  the  means  for  continuing  his  studies, 
he  pursued  a  classical  course  and  the  higher 
branches  and  mathematics  at  Mount  Caesar 
Seminary,  Swanzey,  N.H.,  Green  Mountain 
Liberal  Institute,  Woodstock,  Vt.,  and  at 
Appleton  Academy,  New  Ipswich,  N.  H. 
When  he  left  Appleton  Academy  in  July, 
1859,  he  was  fitted  for  college;  but,  instead  of 
carrying  out  his  plans  in  that  direction,  he 
began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  F.  F. 
Lane  at  Keene,  and  remained  until  February 
28,  1861,  when  he  entered  the  office  of  D.  H. 
Woodward.      He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 


April,  1862,  and  a  little  over  a  year  later, 
July  13,  1863,  he  opened  an  office  in  P"itz\vill- 
iam,  where  he  still  continues  to  engage  in  ac- 
tive practice.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
the  United  States  District  Court  October  i, 
1867.  He  has  acted  as  administrator,  ex- 
ecutor, trustee  of  estates  of  deceased  persons, 
and  guardian,  trustee,  assignee,  and  receiver, 
in  a  large  number  of  cases.  He  has  been  en- 
gaged in  several  very  important  cases,  to 
which  he  has  given  his  personal  attention. 

Mr.  Blake  is  a  lifelong  Republican  and 
an  active  supporter  of  his  party,  acting  as  a 
speaker  in  Fitzwilliam  and  neighboring  towns 
during  political  campaigns.  On  October  13, 
1862,  he  was  appointed  Assistant  Assessor  of 
Internal  Revenue,  and  held  the  office  until 
June,  1871.  He  was  elected  Representative 
to  the  New  Hampshire  legislature  in  1872 
and  1873,  and  served  during  both  sessions  on 
the  Judiciary  Committee.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  convention  which  met  in  January,  1889, 
to  revise  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  was  the  author  of  the  resolu- 
tion to  change  the  time  of  the  meeting  of  the 
legislature  from  the  first  Wednesday  of  June 
to  the  first  Wednesday  of  January  biennially. 

This  resolution  was  offered  to  the  conven- 
tion on  Thursday,  January  3.  The  following 
day,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Blake,  the  convention 
resolved  itself  into  a  committee  of  the  whole 
to  take  the  matter  under  consideration.  Mr. 
Blake  then  spoke  briefly  upon  the  resolution, 
but  in  forceful  and  pertinent  language  that 
riveted  the  attention  of  his  hearers.  He  re- 
called to  their  minds  that  this  amendment  was 
one  of  the  prime  objects  of  the  convention, 
tlie  question  whether  it  was  expedient  that 
such  a  convention  be  held  having  previously 
been  submitted  to  the  vote  of  the  people  of  the 
State  by  an  act  of  the  legislature.  He  laid 
special  stress  on  the  fact  that,  since  the 
change  to  biennial  sessions,  so  long  as  the 
legislature  assembled  in  June,  twice  in  every 
six  years  a  vacancy  would  occur  in  the  office 
of  United  States  Senator,  from  the  4th  of 
March  to  the  assembling  of  the  legislature  in 
the  following  June;  and,  instead  of  being  rep- 
resented in  the  United  States  Senate  by  a 
Senator   elected    by    the    legislature    of    New 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


.67 


Hampshire,  they  would  for  that  intervening- 
time  be  represented  by  a  Senator  appointed  by 
the  executive.  He  also  called  to  their  mind 
the  changes  in  travelling  facilities  since  the 
adoption  of  the  State  Constitution  a  hundred 
years  ago,  when  members  were  obliged  to 
travel  on  foot  or  on  horseback,  and  five  to 
eight  days  were  required  by  those  from  distant 
towns  to  reach  the  capital  of  the  State;  and 
it  would  have  been  almost  impossible  for  them 
to  travel  during  the  month  of  January. 
Further,  as  a  large  majority  of  the  members 
of  the  legislature  are  farmers,  they  could 
better  leave  their  farms  in  January  than  in 
June  to  attend  the  session  of  the  legislature, 
which  would  generally  be  expected  to  adjourn 
before  the  warm  summer  months.  Thus  the 
sessions  would  in  many  instances  be  shorter, 
and  considerable  expense  be  saved  to  the  State. 
These  weighty  considerations,  thus  forcibly 
presented,  had  due  effect  upon  the  convention; 
and  on  January  i  r,  1889,  the  resolution  was 
adopted,  and  the  proper  changes  made  to  the 
Constitution  in  conformity  thereto. 

Mr.  Hlake  was  appointed  State  Rank  Com- 
missioner in  1876,  1877,  1878,  and  1879.  In 
June,  18S0,  he  was  appointed  and  served  as 
enumerator  for  the  town  of  Fitzwilliam  of  the 
tenth  census  of  the  United  States,  and  in 
June,  1890,  of  the  eleventh  census.  He 
served  as  superintending  School  Committee 
of  Rindge  for  two  years  prior  to  his  settle- 
ment in  I'itzwilliam,  and  has  held  that  ofifice 
for  eleven  years  in  Fitzwilliam.  He  has 
served  many  years  as  Moderator  of  town  meet- 
ings, as  supervisor  of  the  Fitzwilliam  Town 
Library,  and  as  president  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Fitzwilliam  Savings  Bank.  He  has  also  held 
the  office  of  Selectman  of  the  town  for  several 
years. 

Mr.  Blake  married  for  his  first  wife  Miss 
Lizzie  A.  Howe,  youngest  daughter  of  Dennis 
and  Lucy  (Ball)  Howe,  of  Jaffrey,  and  for- 
merly of  Rindge.  She  died  June  22,  1867, 
leaving  one  son,  who  died  September  8,  1867. 
He  married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Flora 
E.  Stone,  eldest  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Mary 
Louisa  (Miles)  Stone,  of  Fitzwilliam,  and  has 
one  son,  Lcroy  Stanley  Blake,  born  Novem- 
ber s,  1S83. 


Mr.  Blake,  outside  of  his  professienial  read- 
ing, is  interested  in  many  special  studies. 
He  is  deeply  versed  in  geology  and  kindred 
sciences,  having  made  a  large  collection  of 
New  England  minerals.  He  is  an  historical 
student,  versed  in  antiquarian  lore,  and  is  an 
authority  on  local  history  and  genealogy. 

F"or  a  quarter  of  a  century  Mr.  Blake  has 
been  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
having  joined  the  Social  Friends  Lodge,  No. 
42,  at  Keene  in  1862.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  Monadnock  Lodge,  No.  80,  in  Troy  in 
1866.  He  has  been  very  active  in  forwarding 
the  History  of  Fitzwilliam,  and  has  rendered 
valuable  aid  in  its  compilation.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  New  Hampshire  Historical  So- 
ciety, and  also  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  Granite  Monthly, 
vol.  X.,  Nos.  9  and  10,  and  the  Journal  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion, 1889,  for  a  part  of  the  information  con- 
tained in  this  sketch. 


,EV.    GEORGE    F.    MERRIAM,    who 
is   well    known    and    highly  esteemed 
15  \  in   Greenville,  Mason,  Tcnijile,    and 

the  surrountling  towns,  was  born 
October  20,  1836,  son  of  Deacon  Franklin 
and  Mary  Ann  (Lane)  Merriam.  He  is  a  de- 
scendant of  William  Mirriam,  of  Hadlow, 
County  of  Kent,  England,  whose  three  sons 
—  Joseph,  George,  and  Robert  —  emigrated  to 
Massachusetts  soon  after  the  settlement  of 
Boston.  Joseph,  who  with  George  located  in 
Concord,  became  a  freeman  of  Massachusetts, 
March  14,  1639.  Directly  descended  from 
him,  and  also  named  Joseph,  was  the  great- 
grandfather of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Merriam.  The 
connecting  links  of  the  intervening  genera- 
tions were:  John  Merriam,  who  married  Mary 
Cooper;  Joseph  Merriam,  who  married  Doro- 
thy Brooks;  and  Nathan  Merriam,  who  mar- 
ried Abigail  Wheeler.  This  Joseph  Merriam, 
born  in  Concord,  Mass.,  went  from  that  town 
to  Mason  in  1769.  Here  he  cleared  a  large 
tract  of  land,  and  founded  a  home,  and  made 
an  honorable  name  for  himself  and  his  de- 
scendants.     He  followed  agriculture   through- 


1 68 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


out  his  life,  and  took  an  active  interest  in 
town  affairs.  He  was  Selectman  for  many 
years,  and  was  the  first  Representative  from 
the  town  of  Mason,  being  sent  to  the  legislat- 
ure in  1775.  The  first  of  his  two  marriages 
was  made  with  Miss  Mary  Brooks,  of  Concord, 
who  was  the  mother  of  all  his  children,  five  in 
number.  The  maiden  name  of  his  second 
wife  was  Sally  Hill.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church,  and  he  lived  to  a 
good  age. 

Joseph  Merriam,  Jr.,  the  eldest  child  of  Jo- 
seph and  Mary  (Brooks)  Merriam,  was  born  in 
Mason,  and  there  subsequently  followed  farm- 
ing  throughout    his   active  years.       Like    his 
father  he  was  very  industrious,  and  was  inter- 
ested in  town  affairs.      He  and  his  wife,  who 
were  supporters  of  the  Congregational  church, 
brought    up   their    children    in    the    good    old 
Puritan  fashion.      He   lived   to   be   about   fifty 
years    old.     His   wife    died   about    five    years 
later.      There  were  seven  children  in  this  fam- 
ily,   four   boys   and   three   girls,  five   of   whom 
reached  adult  age.      Franklin  Merriam,  son  of 
Joseph    Merriam,    Jr.,   was   born    in    Mason    in 
1809.      He  was  a  farmer  and  a  very  prominent 
man  in  the  town  of  Mason.      Of  unquestioned 
integrity   and   highly   esteemed,  he   was   often 
called  upon  to  take  charge  of  the  legal   settle- 
ment  of    estates.      He  was    Selectman    for   a 
number  of  years  in  Mason  and  Temple.     The 
latter  part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  Greenville, 
where  he  died  at  the  age   of   eighty  years.      A 
firm  believer  in  the  Whig  principles,  upon  the 
formation  of   the   Republican   party  he  joined 
the  young   organization,  and  was   thereafter  a 
stanch    supporter    of    it.       He    married    Mary 
Lane,  daughter  of   Samuel    Lane,  of   Bedford, 
Mass.,  and  to   them   four   children  were   born. 
Both  Mr.  and   Mrs.  Merriam  were  members  of 
the  Congregational   church,  and    Mr.    Merriam 
was  for  many  years   a   Deacon   of   the   society. 
He   was  also   superintendent   of    the    Sunday- 
school  for  many  years  in  Temple,  and  was  one 
of  the  first  Deacons  of  the  Greenville  church. 
It  is  hardly  to  be  wondered   at   that   George 
Merriam,  the  eldest  child  of  I'Vanklin  Merriam, 
should    feel    himself    called    to    the   ministry. 
Removing  with  his  parents   to    Temple   in    his 
eleventh  year,    George  attended    school   there 


for  a  time,  and  later  fitted  for  college  at  New 
Ipswich,  Appleton  Academy.  In  1861  he 
graduated  from  Amherst  College,  and  began 
his  theological  studies  at  Princeton  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  in  New  Jersey.  After  remain- 
ing here  for  one  year  he  went  to  Union  Theo- 
logical .Seminary  at  New  York  City,  where  he 
graduated  in  May,  1864.  He  was  also  a 
student  of  Bellevue  Medical  College,  New 
York,  for  one  year.  In  1S64  Mr.  Merriam 
entered  upon  his  present  pastorate.  On  the 
9th  of  October  of  that  year  he  preached  his 
first  sermon  at  Mason,  and  March  9  of  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the 
Second  Congregational  Church  of  Mason. 
F"rom  April  15,  1883,  to  December  15,  1891, 
Mr.  Merriam  was  pastor  of  the  New  Ipswich 
Congregational  Church,  also  supplying  the 
pulpits  of  the  Mason  Congregational  Church 
and  the  Methodist  church  in  New  Ipswich. 
When  the  town  of  Greenville  was  set  apart 
from  Mason  and  incorporated  as  a  separate 
township,  Mr.  Merriam  was  the  first  man 
chosen  to  represent  it  in  the  State  legislature, 
after  which  he  was  twice  re-elected.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion, and  was  Town  Clerk  of  Greenville  from 
1875  to  1877.  For  a  number  of  years  past  he 
has  been  the  secretary  of  the  Mason  Village 
Savings  Bank,  and  he  is  also  a  trustee  and  a 
member  of  the  Finance  Committee  of  that  cor- 
poration. In  his  denomination  Mr.  Merriam 
has  been  prominent.  He  has  been  three 
times  a  member  of  the  National  Congrega- 
tional Council,  as  well  as  Moderator  of  the 
State  General  Association;  and  for  the  past 
twenty  years  he  has  been  scribe  of  Hollis  As- 
sociation. He  has  also  written  frequently  for 
the  public  press,  and  he  is  the  author  of  a 
published  History  of  Greenville  and  of  several 
memorial  tributes. 

On  August  II,  1868,  Mr.  Merriam  was 
married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Elizabeth  (Bisland)  McGown.  Their  four 
children  —  P'ranklin  H.,  Mary  E.,  George  E., 
and  Joseph  E.  — fitted  for  college  at  New  Ips- 
wich, Appleton  Academy;  and  the  youngest 
two  boys  graduated  from  Phillips  Andover 
Academy  in  the  class  of  1892.  Franklin 
Henry  Merriam,  the  eldest   child,  born    March 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


1 69 


14,  1870,  is  now  a  student  in  the  Harvard 
Medical  School,  with  the  purpose  of  becoming 
a  physician.  Mary  Elizabeth,  the  only  daugh- 
ter, born  July  18,  1871,  is  a  graduate  of 
Middlebury  College,  class  of  1895.  George 
Ernest,  born  May  4,  1873,  graduated  in  June 
of  last  year  from  Amherst  College,  and  is  now 
preparing  at  Union  Theological  Seminary  to 
follow  his  father's  profession.  The  youngest 
child,  Joseph  Edwin,  born  July  7,  1S76,  is 
also  a  graduate  of  Amherst  College,  and  now 
a  studLMit  at  Boston  University  Law  School. 


RTHUR  A.  WOODWARD,  a  pros- 
lierous  general  merchant  and  Post- 
master of  Swanzey.  Cheshire 
County,  was  born  in  this  town, 
December  2,  1S5S.  His  grandfather,  John 
Woodward,  who  was  the  first  of  the  family  to 
settle  in  Swanzey,  devoted  the  greater  part  of 
his  active  period  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
Ezekiel  P.  Woodward,  father  of  Arthur  A., 
was  reared  to  farm  life  in  this  town,  and  re- 
sided here  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
March  25,  1897.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, took  an  active  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  town,  and  was  highly  esteemed  by  his  fel- 
low-townsmen. 

Arthur  A.  Woodward  began  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  later 
attended  Comer's  Commercial  College  at  Bos- 
ton. He  then  entered  a  store  in  Springfield 
as  -a  clerk,  but  after  remaining  there  for  a 
short  time  returned  to  Swanzey,  and  carried  on 
a  farm  here  for  about  eight  years.  In  1891  he 
purchased  the  business  of  A.  B.  Read,  dealer 
in  general  merchandise,  which  he  has  since 
conducted  with  profitable  results.  His  in- 
creasing trade  made  it  necessary  some  time  ago 
for  him  to  enlarge  his  floor  space;  and  by 
making  additions,  in  which  he  placed  his  dry- 
goods  and  boot  and  shoe  departments,  he  ob- 
tained ample  room  for  the  display  of  his  vari- 
ous lines  of  goods.  He  now  employs  two 
assistants,  and  his  patrons  come  from  Middle- 
ton,  Marlboro  Depot,  and  Richmond.  Mr. 
Woodward  possesses  the  qualities  of  thrift, 
industry,  and  business  foresight  in  a  degree 
that  accounts  for  his  increasing  success.     He  is 


active  in  town  affairs,  and  is  ever  ready  with 
his  aid  and  inliuence  to  forward  any  measure 
for  the  public  good.  He  has  been  Ta.\  Col- 
lector three  years.  Supervisor  of  the  Check  List 
si.x  years,  was  Selectman  in  1896,  and  has 
been  Postmaster  five  years.  He  is  a  member 
of  Monadnock  Lodge,  I'".  &  A.  M.,  of  Troy, 
N.H.,  has  occupied  all  the  important  chairs  in 
the  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross,  and  belongs  to 
Golden  Rod  Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry. 
Mr.  Woodward  married  Nancie  M.  Hol- 
brook,  daughter  of  Chiron  Holbrook,  of  Swan- 
zey, and  he  has  two  children  —  Leon  A.  and 
Mary  I'^  He  and  Mrs.  Woodward  attend  the 
Congregational  church. 


RTHUR  W.  HOLBROOK,  First  -Se- 
lectman and  a  rising  young  farmer  of 
Bedford,  was  born  upon  the  farm 
where  he  now  resides,  August  17, 
1862,  son  of  James  and  Harriet  (Drew)  Hol- 
brook. Five  generations  of  the  family  lived 
in  the  same  house,  and  three  of  these  were 
born  there.  John  Holbrook,  great-grandfather 
of  Arthur  W. ,  joined  the  Continental  army 
when  he  was  si.xteen  years  old,  and  s ub se - 
quently  served  in  theRevolutionary  War.  In 
February,  1803,  John  moved  his  family  from 
Brookline,  Mass.,  to  Bedford,  where  he  ac- 
quired a  tract  of  land  located  upon  the  hill 
which  has  since  borne  his  name.  Here  he 
cleared  and  improved  the  farm  now  owned  by 
his  great-grandson.  He  was  a  prominent  man 
of  Bedford  in  his  day,  and  as  a  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party  was  one  of  the  Presidential 
Electors  who  cast  the  vote  of  New  Hampshire 
for  Andrew  Jackson.  In  his  religious  views 
he  was  a  Presbyterian.  At  his  death  he  was 
seventy-eight  years  old.  He  married  Sarah 
Griggs,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who  lived  to 
a  good  old  age.  Their  children  were:  Peggy, 
John,  Ralph,  F^benezer,  Sarah,  Thomas  G., 
Abiel,  Joseph,  and  Polly. 

Thomas  G.  Holbrook,  grandfather  of  Arthur 
W.,  was  born  in  Brookline,  Mass.,  April  20, 
1 80 1.  He  succeeded  to  the  possession  of  the 
farm  and  cultivated  it  with  energy  during  his 
active  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig,  and 
he  represented    his   district    in    the   legislature 


'7° 


lilOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


for  two  terms.  For  many  years  he  acted  as  a 
Deacon  of  the  Baptist  cluirch.  lie  died  July 
4,  1888,  aged  eighty-seven  years.  He  was 
twice  married.  His  first  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Asenath  Riddle,  died  June  23,  1845, 
aged  forty-four.  His  children  by  her  were: 
George,  James,  Albert  R.,  and  Silas.  Of 
these  the  only  survivor  is  George,  who  was 
born  April  22,  1830,  an  esteemed  citizen  of 
Manchester.  He  is  a  Deacon  of  the  Merri- 
mack Street  Baptist  Church,  and  has  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  State  Senate,  besides 
serving  in  other  offices.  He  married  Emma 
Brown,  whose  only  child  by  him  —  George  H. 
Holbrook,  born  August  7,  1858  —  is  now  the 
teller  of  the  Manchester  Bank.  Albert  R., 
born  March  21,  1837,  who  was  not  married, 
died  September  i,  1864,  shot  by  a  sharp- 
shooter before  Petersburg.  Silas,  born  No- 
vember II,  1839,  who  served  in  the  Civil  War 
with  the  First  New  Hampshire  Battery,  re- 
ceived two  wounds,  one  of  which  indirectly 
caused  his  death.  May  4,  1880.  He  married 
Lucy  S.  Crosby,  whose  only  child  by  him, 
Albert  A.,  went  to  Arizona,  where  he  married 
and  subsequently  died,  leaving  no  children. 
James  Holbrook,  Arthur  W.  Holbrook's 
father,  was  born  at  the  homestead  on  Hol- 
brook Hill,  August  22,  1832.  When  a  young 
man  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and 
settling  in  Manchester  he  followed  that  call- 
ing until  a  short  time  previous  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  when  he  was  thirty-three  years 
old.  An  industrious,  upright  man,  who  had 
giined  the  esteem  and  good  will  of  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact,  his  untimely  death 
was  sincerely  regretted.  In  ]io!itics  he  acted 
with  the  Republican  party.  In  his  religious 
belief  he  was  a  Baptist.  His  wife,  Harriet, 
who  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  September 
21,  1837,  became  the  mother  of  two  sons. 
These  were:  Frank  T. ,  born  in  1857,  who 
died  November  22,  1 866 ;  and  Arthur  W. ,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  James  Holbrook 
resides  at  299  Manchester  Street,  Manches- 
ter,   N.H. 

Arthur  W.  Holbrook  was  reared  on  the 
homestead  in  Bedford,  and  his  schooling  was 
completed  at  the  Normal  Institute  at  Reed's 
Ferry.      He  inherited  the  farm   of   seventy-one 


acres,  and  he  is  carrying  on  general  farming 
with  energy  and  success.  The  land  is  remark- 
able for  its  fertility,  while  the  healthfulness 
of  its  situation  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired. 

On  May  5,  1886,  Mr.  Holbrook  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Adella  S.  Mason.  She  was 
born  in  Burke,  N.Y. ,  November  5,  1859, 
daughter  of  Nathan  and  Clarinda  (Howell) 
Mason.  Mrs.  Holbrook  is  the  mother  of  two 
sons:  Chester  M.,  born  April  4,  1S87;  and 
Harold  A.,  born  November  11,  1890.  Mr. 
Holbrook  served  upon  the  School  Board  for 
one  year.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Health,  and  is  serving  his  third  year  as 
Selectman.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holbrook  belong  to  the  Baptist 
church  in  Manchester,  but  they  attend  the 
Bedford  church  mostly. 


ALPH  HOLBROOK,  a  well-known 
and  substantial  farmer  of  Amherst, 
was  born  in  Bedford,  N.H.,  January 
14,  1838,  son  of  Ralph  and  Lucy 
(Dodge)  Holbrook.  Deacon  John  Holbrook, 
father  of  Ralph,  Sr. ,  was  one  of  the  Andrew 
Jackson  Presidential  Electors.  He  also  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Raljih,  .Sr.,  was 
born  in  Ro.xbury,  Mass.,  in  1794.  In  1803, 
when  nine  years  of  age,  he  went  with  his 
parents  to  Bedford,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  and  died  in  1866.  His 
wife,  Lucy,  who  was  born  in  New  Boston  in 
1802,  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three 
years  and  six  months.  Ralph  and  Lucy  Hol- 
brook had  seven  children,  of  whom  three  are 
living,  namely:  Mary  W'.,  the  widow  of 
Thomas  Rawson,  of  Beloit,  Wis.;  Lydia  D., 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Wight,  of  Belfast,  Me.  ; 
and  Ralph,  the  subject  of  this  biography. 
Griggs  Holbrook,  who  served  in  the  Civil 
War,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Confederates, 
and  died  in  Andersonville  Prison. 

Ralph  Holbrook  obtained  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  Bedford.  The  early 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  on  a  farm,  and 
since  starting  for  himself  he  has  been  engaged 
in  farming.  After  his  marriage  he  lived  in 
Bedford  for  several  years.  Then  he  removed 
to  Northfield,  Vt. ,  where  for  a  number  of  years 


1 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


i7« 


he  followed  both  farming  aiul  lumbering.  He 
subsequently  returned  to  J^edford.  In  i  884  he 
came  to  Amherst  and  settled  on  the  farm 
where  he  now  lives. 

Mr.  Holbrook  was  marrieil  on  March  27, 
1867,  to  Mrs.  Henrietta  Parkhur.st,  who  was 
born  in  Chelsea,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Granville 
and  Hannah  (Hutchins)  Parker.  Her  first  hus- 
band, Charles  N.  Parkhurst,  died  December  17, 
1862,  in  Falmouth,  Va. ,  of  typhoid  fever.  He 
was  a  Union  soldier  in  Company  A  of  the  Tenth 
New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Infantry.  Gran- 
ville Parker  was  born  in  Sharon,  N.  H.,  and 
his  wife  in  Rumford,  Me.  When  a  child, 
Mrs.  Holbrook  went  with  her  parents  to  New 
lioston,  N  H.  After  living  there  until  she 
was  ten  years  old,  she  came  to  Amherst  with 
her  parents,  who  settled  on  the  farm  which  is 
now  her  home.  They  lived  here  for  eleven 
years,  and  then  moved  to  another  farm  in  this 
neighborhood.  Mr.  Parker  died  in  1894,  aged 
seventy-four  years.  His  wife,  who  is  now 
eighty-four  years  old,  lives  in  Goffstown, 
N.  H.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  He 
was  a  member  of  Souhegan  Grange;  also  of 
Hillsboro  County  Pomona  Grange,  which  he 
served  as  Master.  Five  others  of  his  seven 
children  are  living,  namely:  Granville  and 
Arthur  H.,  residents  of  Goffstown;  Frank  E. , 
of  Wakefield,  Mass.  ;  Charles  O. ,  of  Manches- 
ter, N.H.  ;  and  Ella  M.,  the  wife  of  Frank  P. 
Hazen,  of  Goffstown.  George,  the  eldest 
child,  died  in  1884,  aged  forty-two.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Holbrook  have  two  daughters:  Cora  E., 
who  is  a  teacher  and  lives  at  home;  and  Annie 
M. ,  a  book-keeper  at  Goffstown.  In  politics 
Mr.  Holbrook  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  Poth 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Bajitist 
Church  of  New  Boston,  N.H. 


LLIAM  W.  HOWARD,  an  exten- 
sive and  enterprising  agriculturist 
and  fruit-grower,  residing  in  the 
town  of  Milford,  was  born  October  18,  1826, 
in  Lyndeboro,  N.H.,  son  of  Samuel  Howard. 
The  Howard  family  are  of  English  e.xtraction. 
According  to  tradition,  it  was  first  represented 
in  this  country  by  three  brothers  of  that  name, 
who  came  from   old   England   to   New  England 


at  an  early  date,  locating  in  Massachusetts. 
From  one  of  these  brothers,  Silas  Ilowaril,  the 
founder  of  the  family  in  Ilillsboio  County  was 
descended.  Silas  Howard  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  After  its  close  he  re- 
moved from  his  home  in  the  ttnvn  of  Westford, 
Mass.,  to  that  part  of  Lyndeboro  now  included 
within  the  limits  of  Milford,  and  where  his  son 
Samuel  was  born. 

Samuel  Howard  inherited  the  patriotic 
spirit  of  his  ancestors.  As  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  181 2,  he  participated  in  si.x  of  the 
more  important  battles  and  in  several  slight 
skirmishes.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
owning  and  managing  the  homestead  now  oc- 
cupied by  his  son,  William  W.  He  married 
Sally  Ames,  of  this  town,  who  had  si.x  chil- 
dren by  him,  namely:  William  W. ,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Albert  L.,  also  of 
Milford;  Sarah  A.,  who  died  in  1866;  Maria 
T.,  of  Milford;  Prances,  the  widow  of  the  late 
Levi  Holt,  of  this  place;  and  Samuel  A.,  of 
Boston,  Mass.  The  father  died  in  1861,  and 
the  mother  in  1867.  Both  were  members  of 
the  Congregational  church.  In  politics  the 
father  was  a  Republican. 

After  attending  first  the  common  schools  of 
Lyndeboro  for  a  time,  William  W.  Howard 
became  a  student  at  the  P'rancestown  Acad- 
emy. Upon  leaving  the  academy,  he  taught 
school  for  a  brief  period.  Since  that  time, 
with  the  exception  of  three  years  spent  in  Bos- 
ton as  an  employee  in  the  patent  leather  fac- 
tory of  his  uncle,  R.  W.  Ames,  he  has  been 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  Before  the 
homestead  farm  on  which  he  resides  ceased  to 
be  a  part  of  Lyndeboro,  Mr.  Howard  served 
that  town  as  Selectman  for  five  years.  Since 
it  became  a  part  of  Milford,  in  the  si.xties,  he 
has  represented  this  place  in  the  State  legis- 
lature for  three  years.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of  1889. 
On  this  farm,  which  contains  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres  of  good  land,  he  carries  on 
general  farming,  paying  especial  attention  to 
the  culture  of  fruit.  He  has  also  devoted  a 
portion  of  his  time  to  lumbering,  meeting  with 
a  good  degree  of  success  in  each  branch  of 
industry.  In  politics  he  and  his  sons  are  Re- 
publicans.     Mr.  Howard  is  a  member  of  Gran- 


■72 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ite  Grange,  No.  7,  of  IMilfoid,  which  he  has 
served  as  Master;  and  he  has  also  been  Mas- 
ter of  Hillsboro  County  Pomona  Grange,  No. 
I,  for  a  year.  He  is  a  consistent  member  of 
tiie  Congregational  church. 

In  1850  Mr.  Howard  married  Mary  A. 
Crosby,  daughter  of  Rufus  and  Ann  Crosby, 
late  of  Milford,  N.H.  Of  this  union  three 
children  have  been  born,  namely:  Mary  I{., 
who  ilied  in  185 1;  Alonzo  VV.  ;  and  William 
Rnfus.  The  youngest  son,  who  assists  in  the 
care  of  the  home  farm,  is  engaged  to  a  consid- 
erable extent  in  lumbering.  He  is  now  a 
Representative  to  the  State  legislature;  a 
niember  of  Granite  Grange,  of  which  he  has 
been  Master;  and  he  belongs  to  the  Costos 
Morum  Lodge,  I.   O.  O.   F.,  of  I\Iilford. 


■OSEPH  FORTIKR,  the  proprietor  of  a 
general  merchandise  store  in  Marlboro, 
was  born  in  St.  Fordieau.x,  Canada, 
April  30,  i860.  The  father,  Telesphor 
Fortier,  who  was  born  in  the  same  province, 
came  to  this  country  a  number  of  years  ago, 
and  began  as  a. laborer  in  Ashuelot,  N.H. 
He  now  repairs  boots  and  shoes  in  Marlboro. 

Joseph  I'ortier  received  his  education  in  the 
New  Hampshire  schools.  At  the  age  of  si.x- 
teen  years  he  worked  in  the  neighboring  mills 
and  at  farm  work.  Coming  to  Marlboro  in 
1883,  he  was  employed  for  two  seasons  in  the 
quarry.  He  then  built  himself  a  residence 
and  kept  a  pool-room  there  for  three  years. 
His  next  enterprise  was  a  bakery,  which  he 
carried  on  for  about  two  years.  In  1891  he 
opened  a  general  merchandise  store,  which 
he  still  conducts.  He  is  also  interested  in 
the  water-works  of  the  town. 

In  1S83  Mr.  Fortier  married  Melvina 
Demars,  whose  children  by  him  are:  Eddie 
G.,  Henry  G.,  Dennis,  and  Cora,  all  natives 
of  Marlboro.  Mr.  Fortier  was  made  a  citi- 
zen of  the.  United  States  in  1SS2.  In  politics 
he  follows  an  independent  course.  In  relig- 
ious belief  he  is  a  Catholic.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  and  of 
the  Society  of  St.  John  the  Baptist.  Mr. 
Fortier  has  won  the  esteem  and  good  will  of 
his    neighbors    by    his    genial     manners     and 


straightforward  dealing,  and  may  be  fairly  re- 
garded as  a  representative  citizen  of  Cheshire 
County. 


M 


AVID  HEALD,  the  well-known 
member  of  the  firm  French  &  Heald, 
furniture  manufacturers  of  Milford, 
is  a  native  of  Nelson,  N.H.  Born 
October  6,  1832,  son  of  Oliver  and  Martha 
(Wright)  Heald,  he  is  of  English  extractit}n. 
One  of  his  ancestors  was  a  pioneer  settler  of 
Temple,  N.H.  Oliver  Heald,  familiarly 
known  as  Major,  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1 812.  He  was  a  Selectman  of  Nelson  and 
served  in  some  other  orifices  there.  His  wife 
traces  her  ancestry  to  Henry  Dunster,  an  Eng- 
lishman, who  was  the  first  president  of  Harvard 
College.  Of  the  children  of  this  couple  three 
survive,  namely:  the  Rev.  Albert  Heald,  of 
Peterboro,  N.H.  ;  Henry,  of  Amherst,  N.H.; 
and  David,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Mr.  Heald  spent  his  early  boyhood  in  his 
native  town,  receiving  a  practical  business 
education.  After  he  attained  the  age  of  four- 
teen, he  learned  the  furniture  manufacturing 
trade.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  came  to 
Milford  and  worked  as  a  journeyman  at  this 
trade  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1856  he  started 
out  for  himself  on  a  small  scale  as  a  furniture 
manufacturer,  first  employing  a  few  hands. 
The  business  has  so  increased  since  that  the 
firm  of  French  &  Heald  now  employs  about 
one  hundred  hands.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century 
Mr.  Heald  was  sole  proprietor.  In  1888  he 
admitted  as  a  partner  C.  H.  French,  of  Mai- 
den. J.  W.  Howard,  who  joined  with  them 
at  the  same  time,  withdrew  after  five  years, 
since  which  the  firm  has  borne  the  above 
name.  They  manufacture  chamber  suites,  side- 
boards, book-cases,  chiffonnieres,  etc.,  and  con- 
fine their  attention  wholly  to  the  wholesale 
trade.  The  factory  is  well  equipped  with 
modern  machinery,  which  is  run  entirely  by 
steam. 

Mr.  Heald  has  always  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  the  educational  affairs  of  his  town,  and 
was  for  several  years  on  the  School  Board, 
being  chairman  of  the  Building  Committee 
which  had   chartre  of  the  erection   of  the  fine 


BIOGKAl'llKAL    RKVIKW 


•73 


school  Iniikling  in  Milford.  For  one  term  he 
was  State  Representative  from  his  town.  He 
is  a  I'rohiljitionist  in  politics  and  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  church.  He  has  been  twice 
married.  His  first  wife  had  six  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Edward  S., 
the  general  manager  of  the  furniture  factory; 
Frank  H.,  the  superintendent  of  the  shipping- 
department  of  the  factory;  Florence  H.,  the 
wife  of  Charles  F.  Morse,  a  civil  engineer  at 
Maiden,  Mass.  ;  Mary  S.,  the  wife  of  Freder- 
ick S.  Hutchinson,  of  the  firm  Hutchinson  & 
Averill,  grocers  of  Milford;  and  Harriett  L., 
who  is  at  home. 


)EVVIS  GOODALL,  a  retired  lawyer, 
now  residing  upon  a  farm  in  Peering, 
was  born  in  this  town,  August  27, 
1818,  son  of  Robert  and  ]£lizabeth 
(Loveren)  Goodall.  He  is  a  descendant  of 
Robert  Goodall,  who  was  born  in  England  in 
1604,  and  came  to  this  country  among  the 
early  colonists.  This  ancestor's  wife  was 
named  Katharine.  A  descendant  of  his,  Sam- 
uel Goodall,  became  the  father  of  eight  chil- 
dren by  his  wife,  Anna.  Another  Robert 
Goodall,  eldest  chihl  of  Samuel  and  Anna 
Goodall,  and  great-grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  resided  in  Salem,  Mass.  He 
married  for  bis  first  wife  Lizzie  Wallace,  who 
bore  him  two  children.  For  his  second  wife 
he  married  Mrs.  Mary  Fowler,  who  had  four 
children. 

Stephen  Goodall,  born  in  Salem,  the  eldest 
child  of  Robert  and  Mary  Goodall,  was  the 
grandfather  of  Lewis.  In  early  life  he  moved 
to  VVeare,  N.  H.  Some  time  after  his  mar- 
riage he  settled  in  Deering,  where  he  passed 
the  rest  c]f  his  life  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
At  his  death  he  was  sixty-five  years  old.  He 
wedded  Mary  Greenleaf  in  VVeare.  Of  their 
eight  children  the  second  son,  Robert,  Lewis 
Goodall's  father,  was  born  in  Weare,  and 
reared  upon  the  homestead  farm.  Besides 
carrying  on  a  farm,  he  followed  the  wheel- 
wright's and  carpenter's  trades.  A  leading 
spirit  in  public  affairs,  he  served  as  a  Select- 
man and  in  other  town  offices,  and  he  was 
elected  to  the   legislature  several   times.      He 


niarrieil  h^lizaljeth  Loveren,  of  Deering,  of 
whose  five  chiklren  by  him  Lewis  and  Frank 
1'.  are  living.  He  lived  to  be  si.\ty-five  years 
old,  and  his  wife  died  at  eighty-nine.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  l{|iisco]5al 
church. 

Lewis  Goodall  began  his  education  in  his 
native  town.  Later  he  attended  schools  in 
Newbury,  Vt. ,  Concord,  N.H.,  and  the  I'em- 
broke  Academy.  His  legal  studies  were  pur- 
sued in  the  ofifice  of  Franklin  Pierce,  who  was 
afterward  President  of  the  United  States. 
After  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  went  to 
Manchester,  where  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  William  C.  Clarke,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Clarke  &  Goodall.  This  firm  was  dissolved 
a  short  time  later,  and  Mr.  Goodall  practised 
alone  for  some  time.  In  1849  he  went  to 
California,  where  he  spent  six  years  in  mining. 
Upon  his  return  East  he  settled  at  the  home- 
stead in  Deering. 

On  May  6,  1857,  Mr.  Goodall  was  joined  in 
marriage  with  Emma  J.  Whittle,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Whittle,  of  Deering,  N.H.  She  bore 
him  three  children,  of  whom  the  only  one 
living  is  Mary  K.,  the  wife  of  Henty  E.  Mar- 
tin, of  Goffstown.  Mr.  Goodall's  son,  Robert, 
who  married  Anna  P^irsaith,  left  two  sons  — 
Lewis  W.  and  Arthur  I{.,  who  are  residing 
with  their  grandfather.  Mrs.  Goodall  died  at 
the  age  of  fifty  seven'ycars.  In  politics  Mr. 
Goodall  is  a  Republican.  He  was  Town 
Clerk  for  a  time.  He  has  been  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  many  years,  and  he  is  a  member 
of  White  Mountain  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of 
Concord. 


iHRISTOPHER  A.  MASON,  an  en- 
ter]irisiiig  lumberman  of  1 1  insdale.  is 
a  native  of  Surry,  N.H.  Born  No- 
vember 15,  1829,  he  is  a  son  of 
I^lijah  and  Mary  (Allen)  Mason.  His  grand- 
father, Elijah  Mason  (first),  who  moved  from 
Ashburnham,  Mass.,  to  Walpole,  N.H.,  and 
resided  ujion  a  farm  in  that  town  for  the  rest 
of  his  life,  married  a  Miss  Bond  and  reared 
four  children  —  Samuel,  Peter,  Jilijah,  and 
Hannah.  Samuel  carried  on  a  farm  in  Wal- 
pole until  his  death  ;   Hannah   died   at    the  age 


'74 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


of  twenty-two  years ;  and  Peter  ilicd  in  Surry 
at  an  advanced  age. 

Elijah  Mason,  the  father  of  Christopher  A., 
who  was  born  in  Ashburnhani,  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Walpole  when  he  was  eight 
years  old.  He  resided  there  until  reaching 
the  age  of  thirty,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm 
in  the  southern  part  of  Surry,  where  the  rest 
of  his  life  was  passed.  He  died  December  24, 
1881,  aged  eighty-seven  years.  He  took  an 
active  part  in  civil  and  military  affairs,  and 
was  prominent  among  the  representative  men 
of  Surry  in  his  day.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican. He  was  a  strong,  healthy  man, 
never  having  suffered  from  illness  until  a  day 
or  two  before  his  death,  up  to  which  he  read 
without  the  aid  of  glasses.  From  the  time  of 
his  majority  he  was  never  absent  from  a  State 
or  Presidential  election,  and  he  followed  the 
Whig  element  into  the  ranks  of  the  Republi- 
can [larty.  His  wife,  Mary,  was  a  daughter  of 
Abel  Allen,  who  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  She  became  the  mother 
of  five  children  —  Elijah  B.,  Christopher  A., 
Columbus  A.,  William  P.,  and  Allen  P. 
Elijah  H.  is  residing  at  the  homestead  in 
Surry.  Columbus  A.,  the  twin  brother  of 
Christopher,  is  the  superintendent  of  the 
cemeteries  in  Keene,  N.H.  William  P.  lives 
in  Surry.  Allen  P.,  who  served  through  the 
Civil  War,  having  learned  the  printer's  trade 
in  Keene,  has  carried  on  that  business  in  Bos- 
ton for  many  years. 

Christopher  A.  Mason  acquired  a  good  prac- 
tical education  in  his  native  town,  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one.  In 
1852  he  went  to  Keene  and  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother.  They  engaged  quite 
e.vtensively  in  logging,  buying  timber  lands 
and  hauling  lumber  to  market,  and  taking  con- 
tracts for  constructing  and  repairing  thorough- 
fares. In  the  fall  of  1864  Christopher  A. 
Mason  moved  to  Hinsdale,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  purchased  the  Sargent  farm  on  the 
Chesterfield  road,  about  one  mile  from  the 
village.  He  also  bought  large  tracts  of  wild 
land,  from  which  he  cut  and  hauled  the  tim- 
ber, and  previous  to  the  use  of  coal  he  did  a 
large  business  in  furnishing  wood  for  fuel  to 
mills  and  residences.      At  the  present  time  he 


owns  about  fourteen  hundred  acres  of  timber 
land.  He  cuts  an  average  of  three  hundred 
thousand  feet  of  lumber  annually,  and  he  em- 
ploys, when  his  business  is  pressing,  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  men.  He  has  furnished  the 
lumber  for  the  erection  of  many  buildings. 
Upon  his  farm  he  has  some  of  the  finest  stock 
to  be  found  in  this  locality,  and  his  draught 
o.xen  have  taken  premiums  at  several  agricult- 
ural fairs. 

Mr.  Mason  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife,  Mary  L.  Nash  Mason,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  David  Nash,  of  Alstead,  N.H., 
died  in  1863,  leaving  one  daughter — Hattie 
J.,  who  married  Valmore  E.  Aldrich.  Mr. 
Mason's  second  marriage  was  contracted  with 
Harriet  K.  Baker,  a  daughter  of  David  Baker, 
of  Keene.  She  is  a  descendant  of  Thomas 
Baker,  who  came  from  P]ngland,  and  was  liv- 
ing in  Topsfield,  Mass.,  in  1665.  He  was  a 
military  officer.  Thomas  Baker  (third)  settled 
in  Keene  about  the  year  1760.  He  was  a 
tanner  by  trade,  and  carried  on  the  business  of 
tanning,  shoemaking,  and  farming.  He  had 
two  sons  and  si.x  daughters,  was  a  good  citizen, 
and  officiated  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  many 
years.  His  son,  Thomas  (fourth),  then  in  his 
ninth  year,  accompanied  his  parents  to  Keene, 
learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  and  worked  for 
his  father.  This  Thomas  married  Mrs.  Bet- 
sey K.  Abbott,  a  native  of  Wilton,  N.H., 
who  bore  him  two  sons  and  four  daughters.  In 
1807,  after  the  death  of  his  parents,  the  family 
located  on  a  farm  at  West  Keene.  He  sur- 
vived his  wife,  and  died  April  4,  1842,  aged 
eighty-nine  years  and  eight  months.  Thomas 
Baker  (fifth)  married  Huldah  Dwinell,  of 
Keene,  in  1821,  and  settled  in  Glover,  Vt. 
David,  the  second  son,  who  remained  on  the 
homestead,  married  Amanda  H.  Ellis,  of 
Keene,  and  had  eight  children  —  Emily  F., 
George  H.,  Sanford  K.,  Diantha  H.,  Mary 
A.,  Charles  W.,  Harriet  E.,  and  John  W. 
David  Baker  died  Ajjril  20,  1868,  aged 
seventy-two  years  and  eight  months.  By  his 
second  union  Mr.  Mason  has  three  children; 
namely,  Mary  H.,  I'"lizabeth  K.,  and  Francis 
E.  Mary  H.  is  the  wife  of  Albert  L.  Hall. 
Elizabeth  K.  is  residing  at  home.  Francis  E. 
was    graduated   from    Dartmouth    College   with 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


'75 


the  class  of  1S95,  and  is  now  a  teacher   in   the 
Hinsdale  High  School. 

In  politics  Mr.  Mason  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  at  the  present  time  serving  as  Road 
Agent,  a  position  which  his  former  experi- 
ence as  a  contractor  in  Keene  makes  him  es- 
pecially qualified  to  fill,  and  which  has  enabled 
him  to  save  much  money  for  the  town. 


ILLIAM  TITUS,  the  librarian  of 
the  Hancock  Public  Library,  was 
born  in  Walpole,  N.  H.,  December 
31,  1828,  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Wellington) 
Titus.  His  grandfather,  Asa  Titus,  who  was 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  followed  agriculture 
in  his  earlier  years.  Asa  was  afterward  for 
many  years  an  operative  in  a  woollen-mill  in 
Walpole.  He  became  an  expert  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cloth,  and  finally  acquired  possession 
of  the  mills,  which  he  carried  on  for  the  rest  of 
his  life.  He  married  a  lady  named  Graves,  of 
Walpole,  and  reared  a  family  of  six  children, 
all  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 

John  Titus,  the  eldest  son  of  Asa,  was  a 
native  of  Walpole.  After  spending  some 
time  at  farming  exclusively,  he  learned  the 
shoemaker's  trade,  and  thereafter  followed 
both  throughout  the  rest  of  his  active  period. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat.  His  wife,  Susan,  was  a 
daughter  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  in 
his  later  years  received  a  pension  from  the 
government.  She  became  the  mother  of  five 
children,  of  whom  John,  William,  and  Sarah 
M.  are  living.  John  married  Elmira  Ballon, 
of  Walpole,  and  has  two  children  —  Clara  and 
Elmira.  Sarah  M.  is  the  wife  of  William 
Ward,  of  Walpole,  and  her  children  are  Wal- 
lace and  William.  Mrs.  John  Titus  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church. 

William  Titus  attended  school  in  his  native 
town  for  the  usual  period.  Then  he  went  to 
Keene,  N.  H.,  where  he  was  employed  at  the 
Cheshire  House  for  five  3'ears.  From  Keene 
he  went  to  Peterboro,  and  for  the  succeeding 
nineteen  years  was  connected  with  French's 
Hotel.  Tn  1877  he  came  to  Hancock  to  act  as 
clerk  for  A.  D.  Tuttle,  who  carried  on  a  store 


in  which  the  post-office  was  located,  and  was 
employed  in  this  capacity  until  his  emjiloyer's 
death.  Since  then  he  has  looked  after  the 
property  left  by  Mr.  Tuttle.  He  has  also 
been  the  librarian  of  the  Hancock  Public  Li- 
brary since  its  establishment  in  1883. 

On  April  2,  i860,  Mr.  Titus  wedded  Mar- 
gette  White,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Augusta 
(Evelith)  White,  of  Nelson,  N.H.  Their 
only  child,  Helen  S. ,  is  now  the  wife  of  Pro- 
fessor John  G.  Thompson,  the  principal  of  the 
Normal  School  in  P'itchburg,  Mass.,  and  has 
three  children  —  Harold  I.,  Carll  T.,  and  Ar- 
nold. Mr.  Titus  occupies  a  residence  which 
he  purchased  some  time  previous  to  settling 
here.  He  is  connected  with  the  local  grange 
of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  Politically,  he 
acts  with  the  Democratic  party.  Mrs.  Titus 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 


MARTIN  MORSE,  M.D.,  a  rising 
young     physician     and      surgeon     of 

Ic)  I  "  Peterboro,  was  born  in  Stoddard, 
N.H.,  January  23,  1872,  son  of  Ed- 
ward and  Josephine  (Upton)  Morse,  of  that 
place.  His  grandfather,  Nathaniel  Morse,  a 
lifelong  resident  of  Stoddard  and  a  shoemaker 
by  trade,  carried  on  considerable  farming,  was 
one  of  the  most  respected  men  of  this  town, 
and  died  in  middle  age.  His  wife,  who  sur- 
vived him  man}'  years,  was  ninety  years  old  at 
her  death.  Edward  Morse,  one  of  the  eight 
children  of  Nathaniel,  was  born  in  Stoddard, 
October  4,  1832.  After  his  school  days 
ended,  he  spent  a  few  years  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  that  town.  Later  he  moved  to  Nashua, 
N.  H.,  and  went  into  the  real  estate  business, 
which  he  has  since  followed  very  successfully. 
Of  unquestionable  integrity  in  business  and 
with  a  genial  disposition,  he  has  won  the  re- 
spect of  the  public  and  made  many  j^ersonal 
friends.  He  is  well  known  not  only  in  Inisi- 
ness  circles,  but  in  the  social  and  intellectu;il 
life  of  Nashua. 

Dr.  Morse  received  his  public-school  educa- 
tion in  Nashua.  He  was  then  sent  to  Phillips 
Academy  at  Exeter  and  later  to  Amherst  Col- 
lege. Graduating  from  Amherst,  he  entered 
Boston   University  School    of   Medicine,  where 


,76 


BlOG RA I'll ICA L    KEVI K\V 


he  received  his  doctor's  degree  in  1S96.  In 
the  same  year  he  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Peterboro.  Though  only  a  little 
more  than  a  year  has  elapsed  since  he  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  although  the 
field  was  already  occupied  by  a  number  of  skil- 
ful physicians,  Dr.  Morse  has  rapidly  gained 
since  then  his  share  of  the  practice,  and  has 
performed  several  creditable  cures. 

On  June  3,  i8g6,  shortly  after  his  gradua- 
tion, Dr.  Morse  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Bessie  Austin  Newell,  of  Salem.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Morse  attend  the  Unitarian  church, 
and  lend  a  generous  support  to  every  move- 
ment for  progress  or  reform.  Dr.  Morse  is  an 
Independent  in  politics.  He  belongs  to  the 
Peterboro  lodges  of  Masons  and  Odd  Fellows, 
and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  work  of 
both  organizations. 


"inx  ANIEL  W.  BURNS,  a  successful 
1^=1  contractor  and  builder  of  Milford, 
^I^Sy  was  born  here,  December  18,  1835, 
son  of  John  and  Susan  (Daniels) 
Burns.  The  father,  familiarly  known  as  Dr. 
John,  was  a  son  of  Daniel  Burns,  and  a  life- 
long resident  of  Milford.  After  spending 
his  younger  days  in  farming  he  took  up  the 
manufacture  of  proprietary  medicines.  He 
was  a  Republican  from  the  formation  of  that 
party,  and  was  a  very  enthusiastic  supporter 
of  the  anti-slavery  movement.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  the  seventies.  He  was  one  of  the 
forty  persons  who  built  the  Orthodo.x  church 
in  Milford.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Susan  Daniels,  was  a  native  of  Brookline, 
N.  H.  Their  children  are:  Susan  E.,  the 
widow  of  P2ben  Converse,  late  of  Kingston, 
N.H.;  Marinda  A.,  the  wife  of  Handel  A. 
Smith,  of  Milford;  Daniel  W.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  and  Maria  A.,  the  widow  of  Hez- 
ekiah  P.   Hamblett,  also  living  in  Milford. 

Daniel  \V.  Burns  grew  to  manhood  here  in 
Milford.  He  left  the  public  schools  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years,  and  was  subsequently  an 
attendant  of  New  Hampton  (N.H.)  Academy 
for  a  time.  When  about  seven  years  old  he 
began  learning  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  at 
Winchester,    Mass.,    where   he   was   employed 


more  or  less  for  three  years.  Later  for  a 
short  time  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Nashua, 
N.  H.,  and  then  went  to  Boston,  Mass.  Here 
he  was  employed  for  ten  years  as  a  journey- 
man by  William  Barton,  a  well-known  con- 
tractor and  builder  of  that  city,  assisting  in 
the  erection  of  a  number  of  fine  buildings. 
Then,  purchasing  the  business  of  Mr.  Barton, 
he  and  John  D.  Wester,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Wester  &  Burns,  had  carried  it  on  for  about 
a  year  when  Mr.  Burns  sold  his  interest  .in  it 
to  Mr.  Wester.  After  this  he  was  engaged  in 
building  by  contract  independently,  also  deal- 
ing quite  extensively  in  real  estate  until  1874, 
when  he  returned  to  Milford.  He  has  since 
resided  here  upon  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  profitably  occupied  in  mixed 
husbandry. 

In  i860  Mr.  Burns  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Sarah  C.  Kendall,  a  native  of 
Hollis,  N.H.,  and  a  daughter  of  Willard 
Kendall.  Of  their  three  children  Willard 
W.  has  passed  away.  Those  living  are: 
Ulysses  L.,  a  merchant  of  Boston,  Mass.  ;  and 
Gertrude  M.,  a  teacher  in  the  grammar  school 
of  South  Chatham,  Mass.  Mr.  Burns  has  al- 
ways been  a  Republican  in  politics. 


LLON     A.     SAFFORD, 
resident  of   Chesterfield 


a     well-known 

_  -  -____  ^^^^  born  here 
March  19,  1849,  son  of  Watson  and 
Catharine  (Hildreth)  Safford.  The  great- 
grandfather, F^benezer  Safford,  a  farmer,  came 
here  from  Warwick,  Mass. ,  about  the  year 
1780,  and  settled  on  what  is  known  as  Dudley 
Farm.  In  1783  he  married  Molly  Hastings, 
daughter  of  Josiah  Hastings.  She  died  Au- 
gust 28,  1 8 10.  He  contracted  a  second  mar- 
riage with  Lydia  Holton,  of  Dummerston,  Vt. 
His  death  occurred  in  1S43.  His  children 
were:  Luke,  born  in  1783,  who  died  in  Ban- 
gor, N.Y. ;  Roswell,  born  November  18, 
1784;  and  Ebenezer,  born  October  2,  1787. 
Ebenezer  Safford,  the  grandfather  of  Ellon 
A.,  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  always  re- 
sided in  Chesterfield.  He  married  in  1809 
Dolly  F"arr,  a  daughter  of  Wilheim  Farr.  She 
died  May  18,  1S52,  and  he  on  December  29, 
1870.      Their    six    children    were:     Mary   T., 


BIOG  RAl'HICAL    RKVIKW 


•77 


born  in  December,  1809,  who  married  Will- 
iam Haclley;  Norman  E.,  born  May  17,  181 1; 
Lydia  P.,  who  died  in  1880;  Watson,  born 
February  24,  18 19;  Oliver  H.,  born  Decem- 
ber 23,  1820;  Otis,  born  November  13,  1822, 
who  married  Mary  Winslow  in  March,  186S. 
Watson  Safford  on  September  27,  1843,  mar- 
ried Catharine  Hildreth,  a  daughter  of  Elijah 
Hildreth.  She  died  March  7,  1882.  His 
children  were:  Leavitt  W.,  born  November 
10,  1844,  who  on  March  29,  1869,  married 
Hattie  E.,  daughter  of  Corlis  Hinds,  who  is 
engaged  extensively  in  the  milk  business  in 
Keene,  N.H.;  Ellon  A.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Charles  W.,  born  June  25,  1854,  a 
mechanic  in  Hinsdale,  N.H.;  Frank  L.,  born 
July  27,  1857,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  also 
engaged  in  the  meat  business  in  Hinsdale; 
and  Eddie  A.,  born  December  28,  1861,  who 
died  March  13,   i86o- 

Ellon  A.  Safford  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Chesterfield  and  at  Chester- 
field Academy.  Ambitious,  like  other  intelli- 
gent young  men,  and  anxious  to  begin  in  a 
growing  town,  he  went  to  Keene,  and  became 
a  clerk  in  a  bakery  store.  In  less  than  a 
year,  however,  he  was  obliged  by  illness  to 
return  home.  Desiring  outdoor  employment 
for  the  sake  of  his  health,  he  engaged  in  car- 
pentering and  farming  on  a  small  scale.  In 
this  way  he  has  made  a  comfortable  living 
since,  although  in  this  small  town  he  does 
not  receive  large  contracts.  He  has  inter- 
ested himself  in  public  affairs,  and  believes 
in  the  growth  of  the  town.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics,  and  he  does  what  he  can  to 
promote  the  welfare  of  the  townspeople,  es- 
pecially their  moral  and  educational  interests. 
On  the  Board  of  Selectmen  for  the  past  three 
years,  he  is  now  the  chairman  of  that  body. 
He  was  Tax  Collector  for  four  years.  Always 
faithful  to  his  party  and  to  the  trust  placed  in 
him,  he  has  been  a  delegate  in  many  different 
conventions. 

On  February  14,  1871,  Mr.  Safford  married 
Rosetta  M.  Holman,  a  daughter  of  William 
Holman.  Her  grandfather  was  James,  who 
was  an  adopted  son  of  David  Holman.  Her 
mother,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Josiah  Iliggins, 
had    five   children,    namely:   Rosetta   M.,  born 


May  5,  1853;  Franklin,  born  December  30, 
1854;  l-'rederick  W.,  born  September  30, 
1856;  George  A.,  born  October  26,  1858; 
and  Helen  L. ,  born  March  6,  1861,  who  died 
August  3,  1877.  Mr.  Safford  and  his  wife 
have  one  child. 


/^TeORGE  H.  DODGE,  who  is  engaged 
\  '*)  I  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  in 
Hancock,  was  born  in  Antrim, 
N.H.,  i\Iarch  3,  1863,  son  of  John  and  Sarah 
J.  (McVennon)  Dodge.  His  great-grand- 
father, Amos  Dodge  (first),  born  in  Wenham, 
Mass.,  July  11,  1754,  on  May  15,  1778,  mar- 
ried Lydia  Batchelder,  who  was  born  April  9, 
1756.  The  fourth  of  their  eight  children, 
Amos  Dodge  (second),  was  born  in  Wenham, 
November  22,  1784.  In  his  early  life  this 
Amos  was  a  fisherman.  After  his  marriage  he 
bought  a  large  farm  in  Antrim,  N.H.,  where 
he  followed  agriculture  for  the  rest  of  his 
active  years.  He  was  one  of  the  stirring 
farmers  of  his  day,  and  highly  esteemed  for 
his  upright  character.  On  January  4,  181 5, 
he  married  Patty  White,  who  bore  him  two 
children —  Amos  and  John.  Amos  Dodge 
(third)  wedded  Mehitable  R.  Weston,  and  has 
three  children  living  —George  W.,  Delia  J., 
and  Flora  S.  His  father  died  July  11,  1862, 
and  his  mother,  July  18,  1874,  aged  eighty- 
seven  years.  Both  parents  were  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church. 

John  Dodge,,  who  was  born  in  Antrim, 
March  9,  1S16,  learned  the  brick  mason's 
trade,  which  he  followed  in  connection  with 
agriculture  during  his  active  years.  He 
owned  a  good  farm  in  Antrim,  where  he  tilled 
the  soil  successfully  until  .he  moved  to  Mar- 
low,  where  his  last  days  were  spent.  He 
served  as  a  Selectman  in  Antrim  for  three 
years,  and  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives from  Marlow  for  the  years  T872 
and  1873.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 
He  was  widely  known  as  an  able  business  man 
and  a  worthy  citizen,  and  had  a  large  number 
of  personal  friends  and  acquaintances.  John 
Dodge  died  January  8,  1874,  leaving  a  good 
estate.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.      On    January    19,     1842,    he    married 


lyS 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Sarah  J.  McVennoii,  who,  born  February  19, 
1825,  daughter  of  James  McVennon,  comes 
of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  She  became  the 
mother  of  three  children,  namely:  Mary  M., 
born  July  10,  1843;  Sarah  I.,  born  Septem- 
ber II,  1855;  and  George  H.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Mary  M.  is  the  wife  of  Addison 
Warner,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  and  her  chil- 
dren are:  Beth,  Belle,  Harold  D.,  and  Fred 
(j.  Sarah  I.  wedded  Milan  F.  Jones,  of 
Keene,  N.H.  The  mother  is  still  living, 
and  resides  in  Hancock. 

George  H.  Dodge  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Marlow.  When  a  young  man  he 
went  to  Keene,  where  he  remained  for  three 
years,  working  in  a  tannery  and  driving  a 
team.  He  next  came  to  Hancock,  where  he 
purchased  a  general  store,  and  afterward  car- 
ried it  on  for  eight  years.  For  two  years  and 
a  lialf  he  drove  a  stage,  and  carried  the  mail 
from  Hancock  to  Alstead.  He  bought  his 
present  saw-mill  in  1896,  and,  having  put  in 
im])roved  machinery,  began  the  manufacture 
of  lumber.  There  are  many  indications  that 
this  will  be  a  most  successful  enterprise. 

On  June  30,  1887,  Mr.  Dodge  was  joined  in 
marriage  with  Alice  R.  Pike,  daughter  of 
Samuel  K.  Pike,  of  Newbury,  N.H.  In  Han- 
cock Mr.  Dodge  has  been  Postmaster  for  about 
four  years.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  connected  with  the  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, having  held  some  of  the  offices  in  the 
local  grange;  and  he  and  Mrs.  Dodge  attend 
the  Congregational  church.  An  active  man 
with  progressive  ideas,  his  many  friends  are 
justified  in  predicting  for  him  a  prosperous 
future. 


OPHAR    WILLARD,   a  retired   man- 
ufacturer  of    Harrisville   and   an  e.\- 


member  of  the  New  Hampshire  leg- 
islature, was  born  in  this  town  when 
it  was  included  as  a  part  of  the  town  of  Dub- 
lin, October  5,  1828,  son  of  Levi  and  Irene 
(Knights)  Willard.  His  grandfather,  Elijah 
Willard,  who  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts 
and  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  became  a  Baptist 
minister,  and  was  pastor  of  a  church  in  Dublin 
for  many    years.      Elijah    was   twice    married. 


His  first  marriage  was  contracted  with  Phcebe 
Archer,  who  had  by  him  fourteen  children. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  second  wife  was 
Betsey  Knights. 

Levi  Willard,  who  was  born  in  Dublin  in 
1796,  was  reared  to  agricultural  life,  and 
eventually  became  the  owner  of  a  large  farm 
in  his  native  town.  He  was  one  of  the  able 
general  farmers  and  extensive  cattle  dealers  of 
his  day.  A  man  of  character  and  sound  judg- 
ment, he  was  elected  to  the  Board  of  Select- 
men and  to  other  offices,  which  he  filled  ac- 
ceptably. In  religion  he  was  a  Baptist.  He 
died  in  i860.  His  wife,  Irene,  who  was 
born  in  Sudbury,  Mass.,  in  1808,  became  the 
mother  of  thirteen  children;  namely,  Annis, 
Solon,  Zophar,  David,  Rachel,  Marshall, 
Charles  J.,  Emily,  Harriet,  Levi,  Benjamin, 
Milton  B.,  and  Jennie  I.  Of  these  Levi  died 
in  the  army;  Annis,  Rachel,  Marshall, 
Charles  J.,  and  Emily  are  also  deceased; 
Solon,  David,  and  Milton  B.  reside  in  Harris- 
ville; Harriet  married  for  her  second  husband 
Charles  Nye;  Benjamin  resides  upon  a  farm 
in  Dublin,  and  is  a  general  contractor  and 
cattle  dealer;  and  Jennie  I.  is  the  wife  of 
Martin  M.  Mason,  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Dublin.      The  mother  died  in  1894. 

Zophar  Willard  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Dublin  and  Harrisville.  Subsequently  he 
was  employed  in  teaming  between  this  town 
and  Keene  for  about  twenty-five  years,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wood- 
enware,  and  carried  on  a  prosperous  business 
for  about  thirty  years,  or  until  his  retirement 
in  1896.  He  was  form.erly  one  of  the  owners 
of  the  Cheshire  Woollen  Mills.  His  reputa- 
tion was  that  of  an  active  and  successful  busi- 
ness man.  He  rendered  valuable  service  to 
the  town  as  a  Selectman;  he  was  a  Represent- 
ative to  the  legislature  in  1893  and  1894, 
where  he  served  on  the  Labor  Committee;  and 
he  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Republican 
party  in  this  section. 

Mr.  Willard  married  Betsey  H.  Culver,  of 
Dublin.  Her  grandfather  was  a  Revolution- 
ary patriot.  Her  father.  Rev.  Lyman  Culver, 
who  was  born  in  Wilmington,  Conn.,  in  1791, 
died  in  1S70.  Mrs.  Willard's  mother,  in 
maidenhood  Fanny  Hovey,  was   born    in    Man- 


DENMAN    THOMPSON. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


chester-by-the-Sea,  Mass.,  in  1796,  and  also 
died  in  1870.  Mrs.  Willard  has  been  the 
mother  of  three  children,  namely:  Addie  E. , 
born  in  Dublin,  January  i,  1856;  Levi  A, 
born  September  22,  1861,  who  died  in  Febru- 
ary, 1888;  and  Fanny  B.,  born  in  December, 
1863,  who  died  March  16,  1886.  Addie  E. 
married  for  her  first  husband  Nathaniel 
Wheeler.  She  is  now  the  wife  of  F"rank  S. 
Harris,  of  this  town.  While  unconnected 
with  any  church,  Mr.  Willard  liberally  con- 
tributes to  several  church  societies.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  for  many  years. 


M 


ENMAN  THOMPSON,  a  resident  of 
Swanzey,  is  one  of  the  best  known 
American  comedians  of  the  present 
day.  His  quaint  yet  truthful  por- 
traiture of  Joshua  Whitcomb  has  made  him 
famous  from  Maine  to  Texas,  from  the  Atlantic 
seaboard  to  the  Golden  Gate.  Born  October 
15.  1833,  in  his  father's  log  cabin  at  Beech- 
wood,  Erie  County,  Pa.,  son  of  Captain  Rufus 
Thompson,  he  descends  in  a  direct  line  from 
one  of  the  original  settlers  of  Swanzey.  In 
May,  1735,  the  General  Court  of  Massachu- 
setts granted  to  sixty  pioneers  the  site  of  the 
present  town  of  Swanzey.  The  original  sur- 
vey divided  the  grant  into  sixty-three  lots  of 
three  or  four  acres  each,  the  extra  lots  being 
set  aside  for  the  purposes  respectively  of  a 
parsonage,  a  meeting-house,  and  a  school- 
house.  The  sum  of  money  obtained  from  the 
grantees,  who  each  paid  five  pounds,  was  used 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  survey  and  for 
the  erection  of  a  meeting-house.  One  of  the 
requirements  was  that  each  grantee  should 
settle  upon  his  lot  within  three  years  from  the 
date  of  the  document  making  the  grant,  and 
should  continue  to  reside  there  for  at  least  two 
years.  The  town  record  shows  that  lot  No. 
16  was  reserved  for  school  purposes,  lot  47  for 
a  place  of  public  worship,  and  lot  48  for  the 
minister's  residence.  Of  the  others,  lot  43 
was  assigned  to  John  Thompson,  from  whom 
Denman  Thompson  is  descended. 

The  Thompsons   have   been    identified   with 
Swanzey,  and  taken  an  active  part  in  the  town 


government,  down  to  the  present  generation. 
In  the  spring  of  1S31  Captain  Rufus  Thomp- 
son, who,  like  his  father,  was  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  went  West,  where  he  hoped  to  find 
a  wider  and  more  promising  field  for  an  ener- 
getic New  England  farmer.  He  located  in 
a  settlement  called  Beechwood,  about  three 
miles  from  the  site  of  the  present  town  of 
Girard,  Pa.,  then  occupied  by  the  ])rimitive 
dwellings  of  a  dozen  hardy  pioneers  like  him- 
self, and  erected  the  log  cabin  beneath  whose 
humble  roof  his  distinguished  son  was  born. 
After  a  manful  struggle  to  wrest  a  farm  from 
the  wilderness  here,  he  yielded  to  a  longing 
for  his  New  England  home,  and  returned  to 
Swanzey  in  1847.  In  his  younger  days  he  was 
a  carpenter;  and,  he  being  considered  a  good 
mechanic,  his  services  were  in  constant  de- 
mand by  his  neighbors.  This  occupation,  as 
well  as  that  of  farming,  enabled  him  to  pro- 
vide his  family  with  the  comforts  if  not  the 
luxuries  of  life.  Indebted  to  nature  for  a 
strong  constitution,  which  derived  increased 
vigor  from  long-continued  outdoor  employ- 
ment, he  is  still  healthy  and  active,  though 
now  past  his  eightieth  birthday. 

Denman  Thompson's  youth  was  character- 
ized by  a  love  for  outdoor  sports,  and  his 
naturally  frank  disposition  and  open-hearted 
generosity  made  him  a  favorite  with  his  rural 
playmates.  He  attended  Mount  Caesar  Semi- 
nary for  three  winter  terms,  his  summers  beiiig 
spent  in  assisting  his  father  at  carpenter  work. 
When  seventeen  years  old,  he  determined  to 
seek  his  fortune  in  Boston.  He  entered  the 
amusement  world  as  property  boy  with  Tryon's 
Circus,  with  which  he  remained  through  the 
ensuing  season.  In  the  winter  of  1850  he 
made  his  first  appearance  upon  any  stage  at  the 
Howard  Athenasum,  Boston,  as  a  supernumer- 
ary in  "Macbeth  "  during  an  engagement  of 
Charlotte  Cushman.  This  brought  young 
Thompson  into  contact  with  a  profession  that 
has  dazzled  many  young  men  and  women,  who, 
expecting  to  become  stars  at  a  stride,  were 
doomed  to  a  bitter  disappointment.  F'rom 
Boston  young  Denman  went  to  New  York 
City,  where  he  was  for  a  time  employed  as 
doorkeeper,  lecturer,  and  general  factotum 
in   a   small    art    museum    on    lower    l^roadway. 


l82 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Soon  tiring  of  that  occupation,  he  went  to 
Lowell,  Mass.,  and  became  a  clerk  in  a  dry- 
goods  store  kept  by  his  uncle,  D.  D.  Baxter. 
In  1852  he  played  his  first  speaking  part,  that 
of  Osnian  in  "The  French  Spy,"  a  military 
drama,  at  the  Lowell  Lyceum.  From  the 
Spindle  City  he  went  to  Worcester,  Mass., 
as  a  full-fledged  professional  actor,  and  was 
soon  able  to  engage  for  a  responsible  line  of 
business.  After  playing  with  stock  compa- 
nies in  Cleveland  and  other  cities,  as  well  as 
with  travelling  companies  under  the  manage- 
ment of  James  Lingard,  George  Kames,  and 
the  late  William  Henderson,  he  in  1854 
joined  the  company  at  the  Royal  Lyceum 
Theatre,  Toronto,  Can.,  then  managed  by 
John  Nickinson.  There  he  became  a  great 
favorite  both  in  Irish  parts  and  as  a  dancer. 
Not  taking  into  account  absences  necessitated 
by  short  engagements  elsewhere,  he  remained 
in  Toronto  until  1868.  That  he  rose  to  be  a 
capable  actor  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  some  of 
his  favorite  parts  were:  Salem  Scudder  in 
"The  Octoroon,"  Myles  Na  Coppaleen  in 
"The  Colleen  Bawn,"  Barney  in  "Peep 
O'Day,"  and  Uncle  Tom  in  "Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin. " 

Early  in  the  seventies  the  name  of  Denman 
Thompson  in  the  role  of  Joshua  Whitcomb 
began  to  appear  upon  the  play-bills  of  the 
higher  class  vaudeville  theatres  of  the  country. 
In  those  days  it  was  a  mere  character  sketch, 
but  the  people  appreciated  it  and  wanted  to 
see  more  of  the  quaint  old  Jackson  Democrat. 
The  sketch  went  through  several  changes;  or, 
rather,  it  was  expanded  from  time  to  time 
until  it  blossomed  forth  into  a  well-defined 
drama  of  New  England  life.  In  1875,  while 
playing  at  the  Coliseum  in  Chicago,  Mr. 
Thompson  became  acquainted  with  J.  M. 
Hill,  a  native  of  Maine  and  an  enterprising 
merchant.  This  gentleman  was  so  favorably 
impressed  with  the  future  prospects  of  Joshua 
Whitcomb  as  a  money  winner  that  he  later 
relinquished  his  mercantile  business  to  join 
fortunes  with  the  comedian  as  manager  and 
partner.  This  association  continued  for  six 
years,  during  which  time  their  relations  were 
of  the  most  amicable  nature.  There  never 
existed    a    single    written    agreement    of    anv 


kind  between  them.  "The  Old  Homestead," 
which  followed  "Joshua  Whitcomb,"  and 
which  was  written  jointly  by  Mr.  Thom])son 
and  George  W.  Ryer,  was  presented  by  Mr. 
Thompson,  not  alone  in  long  and  oft-repeated 
engagements  in  large  cities,  but  in  every  town 
of  the  United  States  possessing  a  theatre  or  a 
hall  with  stage  accommodations.  As  a  result, 
the  impersonator  of  Joshua  Whitcomb  is  a 
wealthy  man. 

While  a  member  of  the  stock  company  in 
Toronto,  Mr.  Thompson's  generous,  not  to  say 
reckless  disposition,  caused  him  to  live  far  in 
advance  of  his  means;  and  as  a  result  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  the  city  considerably  in  debt. 
Upon  his  first  visit  there  as  a  star,  he  publicly 
advertised  for  all  creditors  to  present  their 
accounts  for  settlement,  although  these  claims 
were  outlawed.  On  that  occasion  he  paid  the 
sum  of  one  thousand  nine  hundred  dollars. 
An  incident  that  caused  much  merriment  at 
the  time  is  worthy  of  mention.  The  comedian 
had  been  settling  some  claims  with  an  air  of 
quiet  satisfaction,  when  a  party  appeared  with 
a  bill  for  cannons.  After  a  hearty  laugh  Mr. 
Thompson  remarked:  "Well,  boys,  I  may  be 
responsible  for  many  funny  purchases  in  my 
day;  but  I'll  swear  I  never  bought  cannons. 
No,  sir,  I  am  not  blood-thirsty  enough  for  that. 
I  draw  the  line  on  cannons."  Mr.  Thompson 
was  married  in  Toronto,  and  his  three  children 
were  born  in  that  city. 


'AMUEL  D.  DOWNES,  treasurer 
of  the  Francestown  Savings  Bank 
of  Francestown,  Hillsboro  County, 
N.H.,  his  native  jjlace,  was  born 
on  April  25,  1827,  son  of  Edward,  Jr.,  and 
Mary  (Dennis)  Downes.  He  is  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  are  now 
living.  His  paternal  grandparents,  Edward 
and  Rhoda  (Billings)  Downes,  had  five  chil- 
dren, the  youngest  of  whom  was  his  father, 
Edward  Downes,  Jr. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  Samuel  D. 
Downes,  having  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  the  Francestown  Acad- 
emy, went  into  a  general  store  as  clerk. 
After  continuing  thus  engaged  for  three  years, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


183 


he  was  for  two  years  in  partnership  with  his 
employer,  under  the  firm  name  of  R.  Ih-ad- 
ford  &  Co.,  and  subsequently  lie  was  in  the 
same  business  by  himself  for  one  year.  He 
then  took  a  partner,  M.  G.  Starret,  the  firm 
name  being  Starret  &  Downes.  In  a  short 
time  his  brother  was  admitted  into  partner- 
ship, the  firm  continuing'  under  the  same 
name;  and  in  1S58  he  and  his  brother  bought 
out  Mr.  Starrefs  interest,  and  went  on  as  the 
Downes  Brothers.  No  change  was  made  until 
1875,  when  the  firm  was  dissolved;  and  two 
years  later  Mr.  Downes  became  treasurer  of 
the  Francestown  Savings  Bank,  in  which  posi- 
tion he  has  remained  ever  since. 

Mr.  Downes  was  married  March  26,  185 1, 
to  Martha  T. ,  daughter  of  Timothy  Billings, 
of  .South  Deerfitld,  Mass.  They  have  one 
son,  William  E.  He  married  Emma  F. 
Tuttle,  of  Antrim,  N.H.,  who  died  leaving 
three  children  —  Nellie  E.,  William  D. ,  and 
Wilbur  T. 

Mr.  Downes  has  a  remarkable  business  abil- 
ity, which  has  won  him  a  high  reputation. 
He  represents  one  of  the  prominent  families 
of  this  locality,  and  personally  is  an  influen- 
tial and  much  respected  citizen.  In  politics 
a  Republican,  he  was  Town  Clerk  for  eight 
years,  Postmaster  for  the  same  length  of  time, 
and  was  State  Representative,  1869-70.  He 
is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Pacific  Lodge,  No. 
45,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Francestown,  in  which  he 
has  been  Chaplain  for  many  years.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 


HARLES  W.  FORSAITH,  farmer 
and  lumberman,  Representative  to  the 
State  legislature  from  Deering, 
Hillsboro  County,  N.  H.,  for  the 
present  term,  1897-98,  was  born  in  this  town, 
September  9,  1862,  son  of  Matthew  and  El- 
zira  (Wilkins)  Forsaith.  He  belongs  to  a 
family  that  has  been  identified  with  public 
affairs  in  the  town  of  Deering  from  its  settle- 
ment, members  of  four  generations  having 
served  as  Selectmen,  and  of  three  generations 
having  represented  it  in  the  legislature. 

The  first  ancestor  to  settle  here  was  Matthew 


P^rsaith  (first),  great-grandfather  nt  the  .subject 
of  this  sketch;  and  he  came  from  Derry,  N.H. 
Matthew  P'orsaith,  first,  cleared  and  improved 
the  farm  that  is  still  the  family  homestead, 
and  was  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  his  day. 
He  lived  to  be  eighty-four  years  old,  and 
accumulated  considerable  projierty  as  the 
result  of  his  industry  and  business  ability. 
He  served  not  only  as  a  Selectman  and  in 
other  town  offices,  but  as  one  of  the  earliest 
Representatives  of  Deering  to  the  General 
Court.  He  married  a  Miss  McClure,  and  had 
eight  children,  David  P'orsaith,  grandfather 
of  Charles  W. ,  being  the  second. 

David  P'orsaith  was  born  in  Deering,  and 
spent  his  active  years  in  tilling  the  soil  of  the 
homestead  farm.  In  politics  a  supporter  of 
the  Democratic  party,  he  rendered  long  and 
valuable  service  to  the  town  as  a  Selectman. 
He  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty  years,  but  his 
wife,  Nancy  Mills,  died  at  fifty-four.  Both 
were  members  of  the  Congregational  church. 
Of  their  family  of  twelve  children  seven  are 
living;  namely,  Sarah,  David,  Jr.,  Matthew, 
John,  Warren,  Squires,  and  Horace.  Sarah  is 
the  widow  of  Horace  Gove,  late  of  Deering, 
and  her  children  are  :  Sarah,  Laura,  Elzira,  and 
George.  David,  Jr.,  married  Nancy  Burnham, 
and  she  died  leaving  two  children  —  Alonzo 
and  Emma.  Squires  married  Nellie  Colby, 
and  has  three  children — P"rank,  Nellie,  and 
Belle.  Horace  married  Sophia  Gage,  and  has 
one  child,  George. 

Matthew  P'orsaith,  Charles  W.  P'orsaith's 
father,  was  born  at  the  homestead,  April  3, 
1826.  He  began  life  as  a  farmer,  and  later 
engaged  in  lumbering,  which  he  has  carried 
on  extensively  and  successfully.  Besides  the 
homestead  property,  which  now  consists  of  four 
hundred  acres,  he  owns  a  great  deal  of  timber 
land  containing  valuable  stumpage.  In  poli- 
tics he  acts  with  the  Democratic  party.  He 
has  for  many  years  been  a  leading  spirit  in 
local  public  affairs,  having  served  as  a  Select- 
man for  fifteen  years,  being  at  the  present  time 
a  member  of  the  Board;  and  he  ably  repre- 
sented this  town  in  the  legislature  for  the 
years  1870  and  1871,  and  again  in  18S5  and 
1886.  His  wife,  formerly  Elzira  Wilkins, 
whom  he  married  in  1850,  became   the   mother 


i84 


lUOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


of  seven  children.  Two  of  these  are  living, 
nnmely;  Charles  \\'.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Julia  F.  Mrs.  Forsaith  died  at 
the  age  of  forty-four  years.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church. 

Chiirles  W.  Forsaith  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Deering,  and  since  leaving  school  has 
devoted  his  time  to  farming  and  to  lumbering, 
in  which  he  is  interested  with  his  father.  He 
is  engaged  in  various  business  speculations,  in 
which  he  has  acquired  success  financially,  and 
he  owns  some  valuable  real  estate.  He  also 
assists  the  elder  Forsaith  in  managing  bis 
affairs  and  looking  after  his  property.  Mr. 
Charles  W.  Forsaith  is  the  fourth  of  the  fam- 
ily in  direct  line  to  sit  upon  the  Board  of 
Selectmen,  having  served  in  that  capacity  for 
four  terms;  and  he  is  at  the  present  time  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  As 
a  business  man  he  is  alert,  judicious,  and  ex- 
ceedingly progressive,  and  the  good  name  so 
highly  prized  by  his  ancestors  has  in  him  a 
safe  custodian.  He  is  unmarried.  He  and 
his  father  are  active  and  influential  members 
of  Wolfe  Hill  Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry, 
of  Deering. 


Wi 


M  FRANCIS  FRENCH,  a 
inent  resident  and  a  well- 
'n  apothecary  and  hardware 
merchant  of  Milford^  was  born  here,  June  21, 
I.S54,  son  of  Francis  J.  and  Betsey  (Robinson) 
French,  his  father  being  a  native  of  Milford 
and  his  mother  of  Rhode  Island.  The  French 
family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Milford.  His 
grandfather,  Josiah,  was  also  born  in  this 
town.  The  father  was  for  many  years  engaged 
in  the  tannery  business  in  the  town.  He  was 
also  a  Representative  to  the  State  legislature, 
and  in  his  time  was  an  active  and  energetic 
man.  He  died  when  William  F.  was  about 
sixteen  years  old. 

William  Francis  French  was  brought  up  in 
the  town  of  his  birth  and  received  a  good  edu- 
cation, graduating  from  the  high  school  at  the 
age  of  eighteen.  He  then  became  a  dry-goods 
clerk  in  the  employment  of  Marcellus  J.  Gray, 
a  merchant  of  Milford,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  nearly  three   years.      In    March,    1875,    he 


entered  the  employ  of  D.  S.  Burnham,  who 
was  in  the  drug  and  hardware  business,  with 
whom  he  remained  for  fourteen  years,  much  of 
the  time  being  manager  of  the  store.  He 
bought  out  Mr.  Burnham  on  March  15,  1889, 
a  short  time  before  Mr.  Burnham's  death, 
and  has  been  the  sole  proprietor  since.  He 
has  been  very  successful  in  the  business.  He 
is  at  present  a  trustee  of  the  Milford  Savings 
Bank,  an  active  member  of  the  Baptist  church, 
and  the  president  of  the  Milford  Free  Library. 
In  politics  he  supports  the  Republican  party. 

On  September  27,  18S3,  Mr.  French  mar- 
ried Josephine  M.  Stevens,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Stevens,  of  Milford.  They  have  three 
daughters;  namely,  Ruth  D.,  Katherine  S. , 
and  Miriam  J. 


1  •  *  •  > 


Ji 


ARIUS  FARWELL,  one  of  the  best 
known  dairy  farmers  of  Harrisville 
and  an  ex-member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  legislature,  was  born  in 
this  town,  February  8,  1809,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Eunice  (Stoddard)  Farwell.  His  great- 
grandfather, Samuel  Farwell,  who  emigrated 
from  England  in  the  seventeenth  century,  set- 
tled in  Marblehead,  Mass.  John  Farwell,  the 
grandfather,  who  was  a  native  of  that  town, 
moved  his  family  to  Cheshire  County,  locating 
among  the  pioneers.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
wife  was  Sarah  Pickett,  and  his  children  were: 
Mary,  Samuel,  P'oster,  Sarah,  Susannah, 
Mariam,  and  Betsey. 

Samuel  Farwell,  who  was  born  in  Marble- 
head,  September  27,  1769,  and  was  brought  up 
to  farming,  profitably  followed  that  occupation 
during  his  active  years,  and  died  in  that  part 
of  Nelson  w'hich  now  forms  a  part  of  the  town 
of  Harrisville,  March  12,  1839.  He  pos- 
sessed much  natural  ability,  and  figured  quite 
conspicuously  in  local  public  affairs.  His 
wife,  Eunice,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Richard 
a!id  Rachel  (Hill)  Stoddard,  became  the 
mother  of  twelve  children,  born  as  follows: 
Lucretia,  March  19,  1796;  Eunice,  August 
31,  1797;  Silas,  May  28,  1799;  Samuel, 
March  13,  1801;  Mary,  February  19,  1803; 
Henry,  August  6,  1S05;  John,  June  15,  1807; 
Darius,    the    subject    of    this    sketch ;     Sarah, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


•8S 


January  29,  iSii;  Addison,  May  7,  1813; 
Amanda,  May  20,  1815;  and  Electa,  March 
I,  1 81 7.  Lucretia,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Sanuiel  Derby,  died  May  13,  1S63.  Eunice, 
who  died  h'ebruary  7,  187 1,  was  the  wife  of 
Philip  Atwood.  Silas,  who  died  September 
'3.  ^^77y  successively  married  Priscilla  Elliot 
and  Mrs.  Minerva  Russell.  Samuel,  who 
married  Lucinda  Scripture,  died  August  29, 
1857.  Mary,  who  was  the  wife  of  James 
Adams,  died  April  17,  1842.  Henry,  who 
wedded  Maria  Lawrence,  died  August  24, 
1885.  John,  who  is  residing  at  Bluff  City, 
III.,  married  for  his  first  wife  Calista  Curless 
and  for  his  second  Julia  Blaiiden.  Sarah, 
who  died  November  19,  1892,  was  the  wife  of 
Robert  Lougee,  of  Boston.  Addison,  who 
wedded  Melvina  Hayford,  died  July  18,  1858. 
Amanda,  who  never  married,  died  January  11, 
1848;   and    Electa   died   December    17,    1841. 

Darius  Farwell  was  educated  in  Nelson. 
For  two  years  after  finishing  his  studies  he 
resided  in  Maiden,  Mass.  In  1835  he  took 
charge  of  the  home  farm,  caring  for  his  parents 
during  their  declining  years.  Eventually  he 
succeeded  to  the  ownership  of  the  property. 
For  many  years  he  was  an  extensive  stock- 
raiser,  but  of  late  his  farm  has  been  devoted 
to  dairying  and  general  products.  He  served 
with  ability  as  Selectman,  Treasurer  and  Col- 
lector, Moderator,  member  of  the  School 
Board,  and  in  1861  and  1862  legislative  Rep- 
resentative. In  the  legislature  he  served  on 
the  Committee  on  Mileage.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  church,  and  for  twenty- 
five  years  was  connected  with  the  Sunday- 
school  as  superintendent  and  teacher. 

In  1836  Mr.  Farwell  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary  Bryant,  who  was  born  in  Nelson, 
April  12,  1815,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Sally  (Barrett)  Bryant.  Mrs.  Farwell  has  had 
eight  children,  namely:  Sarah  J.,  born  Janu- 
ary 8,  1839,  who  married  Wellington  Seaver ; 
Corbin  C,  born  February  18,  184 1,  who  mar- 
ried Delia  L.  Yardley;  Cortis  S. ,  born  Febru- 
ary 27,  1843,  who  died  September  25,  1845; 
Calvin  W. ,  born  August  29,  1845,  who  mar- 
ried Ella  J.  Gilbert,  and  resides  in  Keene; 
Amanda  E. ,  born  March  16,  1849,  who  mar- 
ried Reuben  A.   Dunn,  and   has  three   children 


—  Arthur  G.,  Mary  A.,  and  Bessie  E. —  mak- 
ing the  fifth  generation  who  have  lived  on  the 
Farwell  homestead;  Electa  M.,  born  May  16, 
1852,  who  married  James  E.  Ruffle,  and  re- 
sides in  Nelson,  N.  Ih  ;  Mary  Ada,  born  Oc- 
tober 21,  1854,  who  died  August  9,  1890; 
and  Fred  C,  born  December  18,  1856.  '  Fred 
C.  married  for  his  first  wife  Genevieve  Farmer, 
who  died  in  1895.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
present  wife  was  Lena  Moore.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Farwell  fittingly  observed,  in  1886,  the  golden 
anniversary  of  their  wedding;  and  the  occasion 
of  the  si.xtieth  anniversary  received  the  marked 
attention  due  to  such  an  unusual  event.  Their 
daughters  were  all  school  teachers  previous  to 
marriage,  and  four  of  their  grandchildren  are 
now  engaged  in  that  calling. 


ICHARD    B.    HILLMAN,   one  of  the 

leading    business     men     of     Pel  ham, 

Hillsboro 


1^",'  

J_t)\  Hillsboro     County,     was     born      in 

^■"'^  Rockland,  Me.,  June  19,  1835,  son 
of  Whitten  and  Harriet  (Barnard)  Hillman. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  Farmington,  Me  , 
who  at  an  early  age  adopted  a  seafaring  life, 
and  subsequently  became  a  ship-master.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  si.\ty-two  years.  Mrs. 
Harriet  B.  Hillman,  who  was  a  native  of  PZast 
Thomaston,  Me.,  now  known  as  Rockland,  be- 
came the  mother  of  two  children:  Mary  ¥., 
who  resides  in  this  town;  and  Richard  B. 
She  lived  to  be  eighty -one  years  old. 

Richard  B.  Hillman  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Rockland,  and  after  finish- 
ing his  studies  he  followed  the  sea  for  about 
five  years.  He  then  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  in  1861  settled  in  Pelham,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  For  fifteen  years  he 
did  a  large  lumber  business,  and  for  many 
years  he  has  carried  on  business  successfully 
as  a  carpenter,  besides  operating  a  cider-mill. 
He  also  makes  and  repairs  heavy  carriages. 
He  is  a  leading  s]iirit  in  local  affairs,  and  has 
served  with  ability  in  various  town  offices. 
For  several  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Selectmen,  of  which  he  was  chair- 
man one  term,  and  in  18S5  he  rejjresented 
Pelham  in  the  legislature.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican. 


i86 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


In  January,  1S56,  Mr.  Hillman  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Julia  Augusta  Spear,  who 
was  born  in  Rockland,  September  6,  1832. 
She  is  the  mother  of  two  children:  Frank  H., 
born  in  Pelham,  August  4,  1859;  and  Helen 
Gertrude.  Frank  H.  Hillman,  who  is  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  business,  is  one  of 
the  stirring  and  wide-awake  business  men  of 
Pelham.  He  is  connected  with  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  the 
encampment,  and  belongs  to  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers,  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  the 
Ancient  York  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Lowell, 
Mass.  On  August  iS,  1886,  he  married 
Alice  M.  Greeley,  of  this  town,  and  they 
have  four  children  —  Blanche  N.,  Carl  R., 
Mary  S.,  and  Fred  H.  Helen  Gertrude  Hill- 
man married  Henry  M.  Currier,  of  Pelham, 
and  has  one  son,  Richard  H. 

Mr.  Richard  B.  Hillman  is  well  advanced 
in  Masonry,  being  a  member  of  Ancient  York 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Lowell,  and  the  chap- 
ter, R.  A.  M.  ;  Ahasuerus  Council  and  Pil- 
grim Commandery,  K.  T.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Merrimac  I^odge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers.  He  and  Mrs.  Hillman  attend  the 
Congregational  church. 


ROOKS  MILES  HEALD,  one  of 
the  best  known  residents  of  Temple, 
N^J  Hillsboro  County,  and  an  e.x-member 
of  the  New  Hampshire  legislature, 
was  born  upon  the  farm  he  now  occupies, 
March  23,  1S33,  son  of  James  and  Maria 
(Davis)  Heald.  The  family  is  one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  town,  the  Heald  farm  having 
been  cleared  from  the  wilderness  by  Deacon 
Peter  Heald,  a  native  of  Townsend,  Mass., 
who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  here,  and  is 
said  to  have  erected  the  first  farm  buildings 
in  Temple.  By  his  union  with  his  first  wife, 
Sarah,  he  had  two  children;  and  by  his  second 
wife,  Rebecca  Russell,  he  had  six  children. 
Peter  Heald,  Jr.,  son  of  Deacon  Heald,  and 
great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  the  first  white  male  child  born  in  Temple. 
He  occupied  the  farm  which  his  father  had 
improved,    and,    marrying,    reared   a   family   of 


ten  children,  one  of  them    being  a  son   James, 
the  ne.\t  in  this  line. 

James  Heald,  grandfather  (jf  Brooks  M., 
succeeded  to  the  possession  of  the  old  home- 
stead, and,  cultivating  the  soil,  managed  the 
property  until  his  death.  He  married  Sarah 
Walker,  and  had  a  family  of  seven  children, 
none  of  whom  are  now  living.  He  died  when 
but  thirty-seven  years  of  age,  survived  by  his 
wife,  who  lived  to  be  eighty-si.x.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church. 

James  Heald,  the  second  of  the  name,  Mr. 
Brooks  M.  Heald 's  father,  was  born  March  6, 
1799.  Inheriting  the  homestead,  as  a  general 
farmer  he  was  quite  successful,  and  during  his 
occupancy  he  added  one  hundred  acres  to  the 
estate.  He  was  a  man  of  e.xcellent  judgment 
and  practical  ideas,  and  stood  high  in  the 
estimation  of  the  community.  In  politics  he 
was  in  his  later  years  a  Republican.  His 
wife,  Maria  Davis,  whom  he  wedded  May  12, 
1825,  was  a  daughter  of  Jonas  Davis,  of 
Temple.  She  became  the  mother  of  seven 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 
James  D.,  born  June  8,  1830;  Brooks  M.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Elmina  S.,  born  Febru- 
ary 16,  1839;  and  Ellen  F.,  born  April  3, 
1843.  James  D.  Heald  married  Augusta 
Wolcott.  Ellen  F.  is  the  wife  of  Roswell  E. 
Bliss,  of  Belding,  Mich.,  and  has  one  daugh- 
ter, Bertha  M.  James  Heald,  the  father,  died 
February  i,  1875,  his  wife  having  died  Sep- 
tember 9,  1857.  They  were  Adventists  in 
their  religious  views. 

Brooks  Miles  Heald  was  graduated  at  the 
Westfield  (Mass.)  Normal  School  in  1S62. 
In  1864  he  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
Lyndeboro  Heavy  Artillery,  and  was  stationed 
for  some  time  in  Portsmouth.  In  his  young 
manhood  he  taught  seventeen  terms  of  school 
in  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts,  but 
since  the  death  of  his  father  he  has  devoted  his 
time  to  general  farming  at  the  homestead. 
He  owns  in  all  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  land,  and  he  represents  the  fifth  gen- 
eration of  the  family  to  occupy  the  homestead. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  his  public 
services  have  been  of  a  nature  to  commend  him 
to  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow-towns- 
men.     He  was  a  member  of  the   School    Board 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RKYIEW 


,87 


for  some  time,  was  a  Selectman  five  years,  and 
in  1883  represented  this  town  in  the  legis- 
lature. 

On  June  4,  1884,  Mr.  Heald  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Lelia  Rockwood,  daughter  of 
Alanson  I',  and  Maria  (Fiske)  Rockwood,  of 
Upton,  Mass.  He  is  a  charter  member  and 
was  for  some  years  secretary  of  the  Miller 
Grange  in  Temple.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heald  are 
members  of  the    Seventh    Day  Advent  church. 


c^T^AMUKL  DANA  BEMIS,  one  of 
^7<  the  best  known  residents  of  Harris- 
^-^ — '  ville  and  an  e.x-member  of  the 
legislature  was  born  in  this  town, 
February  8,  1833,  son  of  Thomas  and  Anna 
(Knight)  Bemis.  James  Bemis,  the  father  of 
Thomas  and  a  native  of  Weston,  Mass.,  when 
a  young  man  settled  in  Cheshire  County.  He 
enlisted  in  Marlboro,  N.  H.,  for  service  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  and  his  last  days  were 
spent  upon  a  farm  in  this  town.  He  married 
Lois  Walker,  and  his  children  were:  Thomas, 
Hannah,  Josiah,  Eli,  Mercey,  and  James. 

Thomas  Bemis,  who  was  born  in  Marlboro, 
May  7,  1793,  successfully  followed  general 
farming  during  the  active  period  of  his  life, 
and  died  October  6,  1878.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  church.  His  wife,  Anna,  who 
was  a  native  of  Sudbury,  Mass.,  became  the 
mother  of  four  children;  namely,  Elbridge 
G. ,  George  W. ,  Elizabeth  J.,  and  Samuel  D. 
Elbridge  G.  Bemis  was  a  successful  wooden- 
ware  manufacturer  in  Harrisville  for  some 
years,  and  afterward  resided  in  Richmond. 
At  one  time  he  was  a  Selectman  of  this  town, 
and  he  served  in  the  same  capacity  and  in 
other  town  offices  in  Richmond,  and  was 
elected  a  Representative  to  the  legislature. 
He  married  Lavina  Symonds,  of  Rindge, 
N.H.,  and  one  child  survives.  George  W. 
Bemis,  who  was  also  in  the  woodenware  busi- 
ness, wedded  Mary  Smith,  of  Harrisville,  and 
had  a  family  of  six  children.  Elizabeth  J. 
married  Sylvester  T.  Symonds,  of  Rindge. 

Samuel  Dana  Bemis  was  educated  in  West- 
minster, Vt. ,  and  in  Hancock,  N.H.  For 
some  years  he  was  engaged  with  his  brothers 
in    manufacturing    woodenware.      After   relin- 


Cjuishing  the  business  he  bought  a  farm,  which 
he  has  since  cultivatetl.  He  also  undertakes 
the  settlement  of  estates,  and  has  devoted 
much  time  to  public  affairs.  He  served  as  a 
Selectman  for  twenty  years,  acting  as  chair- 
man of  the  Board  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
time.  He  was  a  member  of  the  School  Board 
for  nine  years.  County  Auditor  for  eight 
years,  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives in  1872,  a  delegate  to  the  Constitutional 
Convention  in  1876,  and  he  now  serves  as 
Moderator  at  town  meetings.  I'or  many  years 
he  has  been  identified  with  all  matters  of  pub- 
lic importance,  and  he  is  connected  with  the 
Patrons  of   Husbandry. 

Mr.  Bemis  married  Calista  M.  Russell. 
She  was  born  in  Harrisville,  June  23,  1841, 
daughter  of  James  L.  Russell.  Their  only 
child  is  Bernard  F.,  born  December  28,  1868. 
Bernard  F.  Bemis  completed  his  education  at 
the  Gushing  Academy,  Ashburnham,  Mass., 
antl  is  now  a  valuable  assistant  to  his  father. 
He  has  been  a  Selectman  for  the  past  three 
years.  He  married  Sadie  B.  Starkcy,  who 
was  born  in  Peterboro,  N.H.,  March  6,    1872. 


and 


OHN  F.  BALL,  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Temple,  Hillsboro  County, 
was  born  on  the  homestead  where  he 
now  resides,  July  12,  1821,  son  of  John 
Bridget  (Parkhurst)  Ball.  His  grand- 
father, James  Ball,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of 
Temple,  and  followed  the  useful  occupation 
of  farming,  dying  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven 
years.  He  was  a  man  of  upright  princii)les 
and  considerable  force  of  character,  and  was 
a  Deacon  of  the  Congregational  church.  His 
si.x  children  all  lived  to  maturity,  but  all  are 
now  deceased.  John,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  the  only  son. 

John  Ball  was  born  in  Temple,  and  at  an 
early  age  he  began  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of 
agriculture.  His  life  was  chiefly  devoted  to 
farming,  in  which  occupation  he  was  fairly 
successful.  He  was  active  in  local  jniblic 
affairs,  and  served  as  Town  Treasurer  for  a 
number  of  years.  When  a  young  man  he 
united  with  the  Congregational  church.  He 
died   at   the   age  of    seventy-eight  years.      His 


i88 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


wife,  Bridget  Parkhurst  Ball,  whom  he  mar- 
ried December  4,  1803,  was  a  native  of 
Sharon,  N.  H.,  and  she  became  the  mother  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  two  are  living, 
namely:  Joel;  and  John  F.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Joel  Ball  married  Adeline  Searle,  of 
Temple,  who  died  leaving  one  daughter,  Mary. 
Mrs.  John  Ball  lived  to  be  eighty-three  years 
old. 

John  F.  Ball  acquired  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, and  when  young  began  to  assist  his 
father  in  carrying  on  the  farm.  He  succeeded 
to  the  ownership  of  the  property,  which  con- 
tains one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  excellent 
tillage  land,  and  his  crops  are  usually  bounti- 
ful and  of  a  superior  quality.  His  many  com- 
mendable traits  of  character  have  gained  for 
him  the  respect  of  his  neighbors,  and  he  has 
the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most  ca- 
pable farmers  of  the  town  of  Temple.  Mr. 
Ball  is  unmarried.  Politically,  he  acts  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  in  his  religious 
opinions  is  a  Congregationalist. 


ILLIAM  FRANK  WINN,  a  pros- 
perous farmer  of  Hudson,  Hillsboro 
County,  was  born  in  this  town, 
March  24,  1839,  son  of  Abiathar  and  Mary 
(Harris)  Winn.  His  grandfather,  Reuben 
Winn,  was  also  a  native  of  Hudson,  and  fol- 
lowed the  carpenter's  trade  here  in  connection 
with  farming.  He  lived  to  be  fifty-six  years 
old. 

Abiathar  Winn,  father  of  William  F.,  was 
born  in  Hudson  in  January,  1 800.  He  was  a 
lifelong  resident  of  this  town,  and  followed 
the  clothier's  trade  for  some  years,  subse- 
quently engaging  in  agriculture.  He  was  a 
Democrat,  politically.  His  wife,  Mary 
Harris  Winn,  who  was  a  native  of  Beverly, 
Mass.,  became  the  mother  of  six  children,  all 
of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  and  three  of  whom 
are  now  living,  namely:  Harriet  M. ;  Will- 
iam F.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Willis 
O.  The  others  were:  Willard  O.,  who  died 
very  suddenly  of  heart-disease,  July  5,  1897; 
Mary  J.;  and  Jackson  A,  Abiathar  Winn 
lived  to  be  sixty-seven  years  old,  his  wife 
dying  at  the  age  of  sixty.      They  were   Bap- 


tists in  religious  opinions,  but  attended  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

William  Frank  Winn  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Hudson,  and  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  has  been  passed  upon  the  farm  he  now 
cultivates.  His  homestead  property  consists 
of  eighty  acres  of  excellent  tillage  land,  which 
he  devotes  to  general  farming,  and  he  also 
owns  other  real  estate. 

On  December  23,  1862,  Mr.  Winn  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Lucy  M.  Richardson. 
Mrs.  Winn  was  born  in  Woburn,  Mass.,  June 
29,  1842,  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Lorania 
Richardson,  neither  of  whom  is  living. 
She  is  the  mother  of  five  children  ^ — Fred  E., 
Emma   B.,  Jennie  C,  Susie  M.,  and  Leon  E. 

Mr.  Winn  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Selectmen  four  terms,  and  he  ably 
represented  this  town  in  the  legislature  in 
1885.  Politically,  he  supports  the  Republican 
party.  He  is  connected  with  the  Order  of 
the  Golden  Cross  and  with  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry.  He  is  a  stirring  and  progressive 
farmer,  and  is  still  actively  engaged  in  at- 
tending to  his  every-day  duties.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  ot  the  Congregational 
church. 


OHN  A.  BALCH,  Town  Clerk  of  An- 
trim, Hillsboro  County,  was  born  in 
this  town,  February  28,  i860,  son  of 
James  T.  and  Lois  (Robbins)  ]5alch. 
His  grandfather,  Varion  Balch,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Francestown,  N.  H.,  married  Mary 
Thompson,  and  they  reared  six  children,  of 
whom  James  T.  v/as  the  third-bom.  Of  these 
the  only  survivor  is  William,  who  married 
first  Sarah  A.  Hoyt  and  second  Hannah  Wors- 
ter,  and  resides  in  Nashua,  N.H. 

James  T.  Balch,  father  of  John  A  ,  was 
born  in  Francestown,  March  16,  1817.  In 
early  life  he  followed  farming,  and  later 
worked  in  a  shovel  factory  in  Antrim.  He 
finally  entered  the  employ  of  the  Goodell  Com- 
pany, and  was  second  hand  in  their  factory  for 
a  number  of  years.  In  his  later  years  an  ar- 
dent Republican,  he  helped  to  organize  the 
Republican  party  in  Antrim,  and  held  several 
positions    of    trust    in    that    town,    including 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


.89 


that  of  Highway  Surveyor.  He  died  January 
28,  1888.  His  wife,  Lois  Robbins  Balch, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  Josiah  Robbins,  of  An- 
trim, became  the  mother  of  four  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living;  namely,  Charles 
F.,  William  A.,  and  John  A.  She  died  Feb- 
ruary II,  1892.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

)ohn  A.  Balch  acquired  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Antrim.  For  eight  years  he 
was  employed  in  a  printing  office,  and  during 
the  succeeding  four  years  he  worked  for  the 
Goodell  Company.  In  1890  he  purchased  a 
boot,  shoe,  and  variety  store,  which  he  carried 
on  until  1897,  and  then  sold  out.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  been  Town 
Clerk  since  1893,  and  has  also  served  capably 
in  other  offices. 

On  July  3,  1882,  Mr.  Balch  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Lena  L.  Tenney,  daughter 
of  Milton  Tenney,  of  Antrim.  Mrs.  Balch  is 
the  mother  of  three  children,  as  follows:  Ivon 
A.,  born  January  12,  1884;  Ina  L.,  born  May 
28,   1885;  and  Alfred  T.,  born  April  4,   1888. 

Mr.  Balch  is  connected  with  Waverly 
Lodge,  No.  59,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Antrim,  and 
is  sitting  as  Vice-Grand  at  the  present  time. 


'RANK  C.  FARWELL,  a  rising  young 
business  man  of  Harrisville,  was  born 
in  this  town,  January  9,  1863,  son  of 
Charles  and  Hannah  J.  (Knowles)  Farwell. 
The  grandfather,  Samuel  Farwell,  who  was 
engaged  in  milling  and  teaming  in  Harrisville, 
married  Lucinda  Scripture,  and  became  the 
father  of  eight  children.  These  were:  Henry, 
Caroline,  Mary,  Josephine,  Charles,  Augusta, 
John,  and  Francis. 

Charles  Farwell  was  born  in  Nelson,  N.H., 
January  12,  1S37.  After  finishing  his  studies 
at  the  Jaffrey  High  School,  he  learned  wood- 
turning,  and  in  company  with  his  brother 
Henry  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wooden 
novelties,  such  as  clothes-pins,  pill  bottles, 
chair  and  door  knobs,  and  chair  rounds,  and 
is  still  carrying  on  a  flourishing  business.  He 
served  as  a  Selectman  for  several  terms,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  House 
of  Representatives  in    1891.      He  is  connected 


with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  wife,  Han- 
nah, who  was  born  in  Sharon,  N.H.,  May  30, 
1835,  has  been  the  mother  of  four  sons,  two  of 
whom  are  living.  These  are:  Frank  C,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch ;  and  Lewis,  born  in 
November,  1871.  Arthur  H.  died  at  the  age 
of  two,  and  William  died  at  the  age  of  eight 
years.  Lewis  Farwell,  who  is  now  the  rail 
road  station  agent  at  East  Harrisville,  married 
Lena  M.  Hill.  She  was  born  in  Newton, 
Mass.,  daughter  of  David  V.  Hill,  now  of 
Somerville. 

Frank  C.  Farwell  received  his  general  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools.  After  leaving 
the  Harrisville  High  School,  he  pursued  a 
commercial  course  at  Eastman's  Business  Col- 
lege, Foughkeepsie,  N.Y.  Afterward  he  was 
in  the  employ  of  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad 
Company  for  three  or  four  years.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  business  with  his  father.  For  two 
years  he  was  a  police  officer.  At  the  present 
time  he  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Select- 
men. He  is  connected  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  attends  the  Con- 
gregational church. 

Mr.  Farwell  married  C.  Lillian  Hill,  who 
was  born  in  Newton,  Mass.,  daughter  of 
David  V.  Hill.  Mrs.  Farwell  has  had  five 
children,  as  follows:  Lester,  born  in  March, 
1890,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  months; 
Florence,  born  May  15,  1S91;  Ethel,  born 
June  29,  1893;  Harold,  born  in  1895,  who 
died  April  3,  1897;  and  Alta,  born  June  20, 
1S97. 


•OHN  WILSON,  who  owns  one  of  the 
most  productive  farms  in  Tclham, 
Hillsboro  County,  was  born  in  this 
town,  June  25,  1829,  son  of  David  and 
Sarah  (Young)  Wilson.  His  gi-andfather, 
also  named  David  Wilson,  was  an  early  set- 
tler in  Pelham,  and  followed  farming  here  for 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died  at  a  good  old 
age. 

David  Wilson,  father  of  John,  was  born  in 
Pelham,  and  followed  his  father's  occupation, 
tilling  the  soil  energetically  and  with  pros- 
perous results  until   his  death,  which  occurred 


190 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


when  he  was  fifty  years  old.  His  wife,  Sarah, 
who  was  a  native  of  Peiham,  became  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living,  namely:  Mrs.  Sarah  Wilson,  a 
widow,  who  resides  in  Peiham;  Mrs.  Martha 
Gardner,  of  Salem,  N.H.;  and  John,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  The  others  were:  David, 
Aaron,  Allen,  and  Polly.  The  mother  lived 
to  be  eighty-six  years  old. 

John  Wilson  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  town.  He  worked  at  the  car- 
penter's trade  in  Methuen,  Mass.,  for  some 
time,  and  then  followed  the  trade  of  a  baker 
in  Lawrence  for  five  years.  Subsequently 
buying  a  piece  of  land  in  Atkinson,  N.H., 
he  resided  there  for  thirteen  years,  and  he 
then  moved  to  his  present  farm  in  Peiham. 
He  owns  one  hundred  acres  of  well-located 
land,  the  commodious  and  substantial  build- 
ings on  which  were  erected  by  him.  As  a 
general  farmer  he  has  been  very  successful, 
and  his  crops  are  usually  large  and  of  a  su- 
perior quality. 

In  1849  Mr.  Wilson  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Jane  H.  Butler,  of  Peiham,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Alton,  born  July  13,   1854. 

Politically,  Mr.  Wilson  supports  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  while  residing  in  Atkin- 
son he  served  upon  the  Board  of  Selectmen. 
His  character  is  of  a  nature  to  command  the 
respect  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow-townsmen, 
and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  representa- 
tive men  of  Peiham.  His  son,  Alton  Wil- 
son, who  is  unmarried,  resides  on  the  home- 
stead, and  renders  valuable  assistance  in 
carrying  on  the  farm.  He  belongs  to  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry. 


OSEPH  A.  HALL,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  business  men  of  Brookline 
and  an  e.\-member  of  the  New  Plamp- 
shire  legislature,  was  born  in  this  town, 
October  ,18,  1828,  son  of  Joseph  and  Abiah 
(Shattuck)  Hall.  The  great-grandfather, 
William  Hall  (first),  who  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts, was  among  the  early  settlers  of  the 
town.  He  was  the  father  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  William  Hall  (second)  was  the  eldest. 
Grandfather  Hall  was  one  of  the  able  farmers 


of  his  day,  and  was  prominent  in  political  and 
religious  affairs.  Of  his  twelve  children  two 
are  living,  namely:  Elizabeth  I"".,  born  Octo- 
ber 6,  1813;  and  Pliny  J.,  born  October  8, 
1S18.  Elizabeth  F.  is  now  the  widow  of 
Jeremiah  Baldwin,  late  of  Hancock,  N.H., 
and  has  one  daughter  living,  Lizzie  J.  ]5ald- 
win.  Pliny  J.  is  the  widow  of  Henry  K. 
Kemp,  and  has  two  sons — Henry  W.  and 
William. 

Joseph  Hall  was  born  in  Brookline,  March 
12,  1795.  He  learned  the  cooper's  trade,  but 
his  principal  occupation  was  farming,  which 
he  followed  industriously  and  with  success  on 
the  family  homestead.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican.  His  activity  in  local  affairs  ex- 
tended over  a  long  period,  during  w^hich  he 
served  as  a  Selectman  and  in  other  town 
offices.  His  wife,  Abiah,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Jonathan  Shattuck,  of  Pepperell,  Mass., 
became  the  mother  of  six  children,  of  whom 
Joseph  A.,  Catherine  E. ,  and  Charles  P.  are 
living.  Catherine  E.  married  for  her  first 
husband  John  A.  Gutterson,  of  Milford,  who 
was  the  father  of  her  son,  Henry  A.  She  is 
now  the  wife  of  Joseph  A.  Hovey,  and  has  two 
children  —  George  M.  and  Martha  E.  Mr. 
Hovey  died  July  6,  1S97.  Charles  P.  Hall 
married  Anna  Green,  of  Brookline,  and  has 
one  son,  Frank  D.  Joseph  Hall  lived  to  be 
eighty-seven  years  old,  and  his  wife  died  at 
seventy-seven.  They  were  both  members  of 
the  Congregational  church,  of  which  he  was 
the  se.xton  for  many  years. 

Joseph  A.  Hall  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  this  town.  At  first  he  engaged  in  the 
butchering  business,  which  he  followed 
steadily  for  seven  years.  Then  he  turned  his 
attention  to  other  pursuits,  still  continuing  to 
carry  on  the  former  business  to  some  extent. 
For  eighteen  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  J.  A.  Hall  &  Brother,  but  he  is  now- 
carrying  on  the  business  alone.  Beginning 
about  thirty  years  ago,  he  has  been  profitably 
engaged  in  manufacturing  barrels  and  handling 
all  kinds  of  building  material.  He  owns 
about  two  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Hillsboro 
and  the  adjoining  counties.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican;  and,  besides  serving  the  town  in 
some  of    its  important  offices,  he  represented  it 


BIOGKAI'lllCAL    RE\li;\\ 


191 


with  marked  ability  in    the   legislature   during 
the  years  1867  and  1868. 

On  July  I,  1S51,  Mr.  Hall  was  joined  in 
marriage  with  Mada  M.  Foster,  daughter 
of  Abel  Foster,  of  Brookline.  Of  his  four 
children  three  are  living,  namely:  Henry  A., 
born  August  21,  1857;  Alpha  A.,  born  April 
II,  1859;  and  Winnie  M.,  born  April  20, 
1 86 1.  Henry  A.  married  Belle  C.  Hobart,of 
Brookline,  and  has  one  daughter,  Blanche  W. 
Winnie  M.  is  the  wife  of  Plorace  H.  Nye, 
of  Keene,  and  has  two  children  —  Ralph  H. 
and  Mada.  Alpha  A.  Hall  was  elected  Town 
Clerk  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  and 
served  three  terms.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Selectmen  for  three  years,  and  in 
1895  he  was  again  elected  Town  Clerk,  in 
which  office  he  is  now  ably  serving  the  com- 
munity. In  1894  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  legislature  for  two  years.  He  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  as  a  business  man  and  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  married  for  his  first 
wife  Nellie  Fletcher,  of  Hollis,  N.H.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  present  wife,  who  is  a 
native  of  this  town,  was  Delia  R.  Peacock. 
They  have  three  children  —  Fred  A.,  Harry 
M.,  and  P"orace  R.  Mr.  Joseph  A.  Hall  is 
connected  with  the  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross 
and  with  the  grange  in  l^rofikline.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
Besides  serving  the  church  as  se.xton,  a  posi- 
tion so  long  occupied  by  his  father,  he  has 
been  the  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school 
for  the  past  twelve  years,  in  the  course  of 
which  he  has  been  absent  but  four  Sundays. 


ARRFN  PRATT,  a  respected  resi- 
dent of  New  Ipswich,  born  Novem- 
ber 17,  1820,  is  a  native  of  Fitz- 
william,  N.  H.,  and  a  son  of  Reuben  and  Ruth 
H.  (Stone)  Pratt.  The  great-grandfather, 
Reuben  Pratt,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  Fitzwilliam,  went  there  from  West- 
boro,  Mass.,  in  1768,  and  cleared  a  tract  of 
land  in  order  to  found  a  home  for  himself  and 
his  family.  He  had  nine  children,  of  whom 
Joseph,  the  grandfather  of  Warren  Pratt,  was 
the  eldest.  Joseph  Pratt,  who  was  born  Au- 
gust   19,    1769,    in    Fitzwilliam,    followed   the 


occupation  of  farmer.  He  married  Sarah 
Hunt,  and  became  the  father  of  seven  children, 
none  of  whom   are  now  living. 

Reuben  Pratt,  the  eldest  son  of  Joseph 
Pratt,  born  in  Fitzwilliam,  September  22, 
'793.  was  also  a  farmer.  He  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-nine  years,  and  his  wife  at  the  age  of 
si.xty-seven  years.  Both  were  member.s  of 
the  Unitarian  church.  Of  their  five  children 
Warren  and  P^lizabeth  are  living.  lilizabeth 
is  the  widow  of  James  M.  Ingalls,  and  has  one 
child,  Sarah  F.  Reuben  Pratt  was  a  Whig. 
For  a  number  of  terms  he  was  Selectman  of 
his  town.  A  very  progressive  man,  he  suc- 
ceeded well  in  business. 

Warren  Pratt  was  sent  to  school  when  a  lad. 
Afterward  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade, 
which  he  worked  at  for  a  short  time.  Later 
he  was  in  the  jewelry  business  for  about  seven 
years.  In  1854  he  came  to  New  Ipswich. 
Here,  on  account  of  failing  eyesight,  he  had 
to  give  up  his  jewelry  business.  Beginning  in 
1 861,  he  ran  a  saw-mill,  and  manufactured 
cigar  boxes  for  about  twenty-four  years.  The 
first  of  his  two  marriages  was  contracted  with 
Susan  C.  Bayard,  of  P'itzwilliam.  Of  her 
four  children  by  him  William  H.,  born  June 
27,  1853,  is  living.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  and  she  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-one  years.  His  second  marriage  was 
made  with  Seraph  E.  Miles,  of  Royalston, 
Mass.,  who  died  August  12,  1887.  Mr.  Pratt 
is  a  prominent  Republican  in  this  locality. 
He  was  sent  to  the  Stale  legislature  in  1885 
and  1887.  An  esteemed  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  he  belongs  to-  Bethel  Lodge,  No. 
24,  New  Ipswich,  of  which  he  was  Master  for 
si.\  years  in  succession. 


ENRY  EDGAR  MESSENGER,  a 
thriving  farmer  of  Stoddard  and  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born 
in  this  town,  September  27,  1845, 
son  of  Silas  and  Arvilla  R.  (Copeland)  Mes- 
senger. The  father,  who  was  born  in  Stod- 
dard in  1805,  learned  the  carpenter's  trade 
when  a  young  man,  and  afterward  followed  it 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1873.  He 
left  a  good  farm  to  his  sons,  and  the  reputation 


192 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


of  a  skilful  and  reliable  mechanic  and  a  worthy 
member  of  the  community.  In  his  religious 
belief  he  was  a  Uiiiversalist.  His  wife,  Ar- 
villa,  who  was  born  in  1809,  became  the 
mother  of  nine  children;  namely,  Mary  A., 
Alma  L. ,  Erskine  S.,  Addison  C,  Edson  VV., 
Henry  E.,  Alice,  George,  and  Helen  A. 

After  leaving  school,  Henry  Edgar  Messen- 
ger was  employed  in  a  mill  for  two  years.  He 
then  learned  the  barber's  trade  in  Manchester, 
N.H.  Subsequently  he  enlisted  in  the  Sec- 
ond Regiment,  United  States  regular  army. 
Later  he  re-enlisted  in  the  Eighteenth  New 
Hampshire  Volunteers,  and  served  for  two 
years  and  eight  months  in  the  Civil  War.  He 
participated  in  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness, 
Five  Forks,  Petersburg,  and  Appomattox,  was 
wounded  three  times,  and  now  receives  a  pen- 
sion. After  his  discharge  from  the  army  he 
resumed  his  trade,  which  he  followed  in  vari- 
ous places  until  about  five  years  ago,  when  he 
bought  a  farm  in  Stoddard,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  served  as  Selectman  and  Town  Clerk,  and 
last  year  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  legislature. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
a  comrade  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
and  he  attends  religious  service  at  the  Con- 
gregational church. 

Mr.  Messenger  married  Savona  Stevens,  who 
was  born  in  February,  1845,  daughter  of  John 
Stevens,  of  Stoddard.  Mrs.  Messenger  is  the 
mother  of  four  children:  Fred  S.,  born  in 
Stoddard;  Mary  I.,  born  in  Conway,  Mass.; 
and  Daisy  S.  and  lidna  L. ,  born  in  Athol, 
Mass.  Fred  S.,  who  is  a  barber  in  Athol,  is 
married  and  has  one  child.  Mary  I.  married 
T.  Newey,  of  Athol,  and  has  four  children. 
Daisy  S.  resides  in  Athol  ;  and  Edna  L.  is 
living  with  her  parents  in  Stoddard. 


"ClLLTOT  WEBSTER  BAKER,  who 
R  conducts  a  successful  fire  and  life  in- 
"^— "  I  '"  surance  agency  in  Antrim,  was  born 
in  Jaffrey,  N.  H.,  September  i,  1846,  son  of 
Asa  and  Hannah  (Moore)  Baker.  Asa's 
father,  Bezaleel  Baker,  who  was  a  native  of 
Westminster,  Mass.,  settled  in  Marlboro, 
N.  H.,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.      There  Beza- 


leel cleared  a  farm,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his 
active  life  occupied  in  farming  and  shoemak- 
ing.  A  sturdy  and  industrious  pioneer  and 
an  earnest  advocate  of  temperance,  he  lived  to 
a  good  old  age.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Abigail  Woods,  bore  him  eight 
children. 

Asa  Baker,  who  was  a  native  of  Marlboro, 
spent  his  earlier  years  upon  the  homestead 
farm.  About  the  year  1837  he  moved  to 
Jaffrey,  where  he  purchased  a  farm,  and  there- 
after was  prosperously  engaged  in  agriculture 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was 
si.xty-six  years  old.  He  was  one  of  the  able 
and  thrifty  farmers  of  Jaffrey  in  his  day,  and 
left  a  good  estate.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican, and  he  served  with  ability  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Selectmen.  Hannah 
Moore  Baker,  his  wife,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Hannah  (Fitch)  Moore,  of  Sharon, 
N.H.,  became  the  mother  of  four  children,  of 
whom  there  are  living;  Sumner  A.,  who 
wedded  Myra  Coombs,  of  Winchester,  N.H.  ; 
Edwin  C,  who  married  Julia  Paul,  of  Swan- 
zey,  N.H.  ;  and  Elliot  W. ,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Mrs.  Asa  Baker  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-eight  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church. 

Elliot  Webster  Baker  attended  school  in  his 
native  town.  When  a  young  man  he  went  to 
Antrim,  where  he  was  employed  by  the  Good- 
ell  Company  for  twelve  years.  In  1S72  he 
engaged  in  the  fire  and  life  insurance  business, 
and  has  since  represented  the  New  Hampshire 
Fire  Insurance  Company.  He  is  also  agent  for 
several  other  well-known  companies,  including 
the  Mutual  Life  of  New  York  City.  From 
1889  to  1894  he  was  Postmaster,  and  he  has 
acted  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Notary 
Public  for  many  years.  He  is  a  firm  supporter 
of  the  Republican  party,  and  is  actively  inter- 
ested in  local  affairs. 

On  February  10,  1S7S,  Mr.  Baker  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Julia  V.  McCoy,  of 
Peterboro,  N.H.  They  have  two  children: 
Albert  A.,  born  August  15,  1885;  and  Loren 
T. ,  born  August  18,  1889.  An  enterprising 
and  progressive  business  man,  and  possessing 
many  commendable  qualities,  Mr.  Baker  is 
held   in    high   regard.      He    is   connected    with 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


'93 


the  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross  at  Hillsboro 
Bridge,  and  both  he  and  Mrs.  Baker  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  church. 


HOMA.S  JONES,  a  general  farmer  of 
Amherst,  belongs  to  a  very  numerous 
section  of  English-speaking  people. 
A  standard  authority,  referring  to  the  early 
inhabitants  of  New  England  who  bore  the 
name  of  Jones,  says:  "Once  the  Welsh  alone 
enjoyed  it,  but  it  has  gone  abroad  upon  all 
the  winds."  The  subject  of  this  biography 
comes  of  an  old  New  England  family.  His 
earliest  ancestor  in  this  district  was  Nathan 
Jones,  who  married  Elizabeth  Coburn  in  Dra- 
cut,  Mass.,  in  October,  1743,  and  removed  to 
Amherst  (now  Mont  Vernon)  in  1760.  Na- 
than's son  Peter,  born  in  Amherst,  June  16, 
1767.  married  Betsey  Woodbury,  June  5, 
1787.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Peter  Wood- 
bury and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Dodge  Ray,  and 
an  aunt  of  Judge  Levi  Woodbury.  Peter 
Woodbury,  who  in  his  early  years  was  for 
some  time  engaged  in  seafaring,  came  to  Am- 
herst (now  Mont  Vernon)  in  1773.  That  he 
enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his  townsmen  is  ev- 
idenced by  the  public  offices  intrusted  to  him. 
.He  was  Selectman  for  several  years,  Repre- 
j^entative  to  the  General  Court  in  1776-77, 
and  a  member  of  the  convention  that  framed 
the  first  Constitution  of  New  Hampshire. 
Among  the  names  apjiended  to  a  declaration 
of  association  to  resist  with  arms  the  en- 
croachments  of  English  Parliament,  started 
In  Amherst,  April  10,  1776,  and  sent 
through  the  State  for  signature,  the  Revolu- 
tioTi  then  being  imminent,  that  of  Peter 
Woodbury  was  the  fifth.  Eor  thirty-eight 
years  Peter  Jones  and  his  wife,  Betsey,  lived 
on  the  Jones  homestead,  two  miles  above  Am- 
herst village,  removing  to  Amherst  in  the 
spring  of    1825. 

Colonel  Levi  Jones,  son  of  Peter,  was  born 
in  Mont  Vernon,  January  g,  1790.  He  was 
prominent  in  military  affairs,  holding  the 
rank  of  Colonel  of  the  militia,  and  the  broad 
fields  in  front  of  the  old  home  were  the  scene 
of  many  a  drill.  In  jjolitics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat, but  a  strong  anti-slavery  man.      On  June 


II,  1815,  he  was  married  to  Sophia,  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Tabitha  (VVilkins)  Gilmore,  a 
lady  of  rare  worth  ant!  great  strength  of  char- 
acter. Ardent  patriotism  characterized  her 
family.  Her  father  died  in  the  service  of 
his  country  at  Burlington,  Vt.,  in  1S14;  while 
both  her  grandlathcrs  were  Ca[)tains  in  the 
Revolution,     and     fought     in     the     battle     of 


Bunker  Hill.  Captain  lames  Gilmore  re- 
turned to  his  home  after  independence  had 
been  won,  and  lived  to  a  good  age;  but 
her  maternal  grandfather,  Ca|itain  Daniel 
VVilkins,  who  was  in  Colonel  Bedel's  resi- 
ment,  which  surrendered  to  the  British  and 
Indians  at  the  "Cedars"'  in  May,  1776,  died 
at  Crown  Point  in  the  following  July.  The 
maternal  great-grandfather  of  Mrs.  Sophia 
Jones,  the  Rev.  Daniel  Wilkins,  was  the  first 
minister  of  Amherst  in  the  days  when  the 
office  was  no  sinecure.  It  is  said  that  but 
for  his  wise  counsels  Souhegan  West  would 
have  ceased  to  be.  He  found  a  true  helpmeet 
in  his  wife,  who  was  Sarah  P'uller,  of  Middle- 
ton,  Mass.,  a  kinswoman  of  Margaret  Fuller 
Ossoli  and  an  aunt  of  General  Rufus  Putnam, 
the  pioneer  settler  of  Marietta,  Ohio.  Of  the 
twelve  children  born  to  Colonel  Levi  and 
Sophia  (Gilmore)  Jones,  three  are  now  living, 
namely:  Thomas,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Harriet  Newell,  the  widow  of  Dr.  William  E. 
Rogers,  late  of  Ashland,  Mass. ;  and  Margaret 
Jane  Waldron,  the  widow  of  Daniel  R. 
Brandt,  late  of  Brooklyn,  N.Y. 

Thomas  Jones,  the  only  living  son  of  Colo- 
nel Jones,  was  born  in  Amherst,  February  3, 
1826.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm 
where  he  now  lives,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  town.  At  nine- 
teen years  of  age  he  went  to  Lowell,  Mass., 
and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Lawrence  Cor- 
poration, large  cotton  manufacturers,  and 
worked  in  their  mills  for  nearly  four  years. 
His  eldest  brother,  Peter  Woodbury  Jones, 
who  was  a  railroad  contractor,  induced 
Thomas  to  leave  Lowell  and  join  him  at  Ith- 
aca, N.Y.,  where  he  was  employed  on  the  con- 
struction work  of  the  Ithaca  &  Oswego  Rail- 
road. From  there  he  went  to  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  employed  by  Peter  as  superintend- 
ent of  construction    on   a   road   between    Great 


194 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Bend  and  Scranton,  and  then  on  one  between 
Scranton  and  Delaware  Water  Gap  —  divisions 
of  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  &  Western  Rail- 
road. Subsequently  for  a  time  he  held  the 
position  of  paymaster  of  the  Southern  Di- 
vision of  this  railroad,  after  which  he  took  a 
contract  for  laying  the  rails  on  the  Warren 
Railroad,  from  Delaware  River  to  New  Hamp- 
ton. Upon  the  completion  of  this  he  returned 
to  the  old  homestead  in  Amherst,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  Here,  besides  carrying 
on  general  farming,  he  has  given  special 
attention  to  breeding  and  raising  Hambleto- 
nian  and  Clay  horses,  in  which  occupation  he 
has  been  very  successful. 

In  politics  Mr.  Jones  has  always  been  a 
Republican.  He  served  the  town  for  four 
years  as  Selectman,  and  for  two  terms  was  its 
Representative  to  the  New  Hampshire  legis- 
lature. A  conservative  gentleman  of  the 
highest  integrity,  he  has  the  respect  of  his 
fellow-citizens  to  a  marked  degree.  He  takes 
an  active  interest  in  everything  calculated  to 
promote  the  welfare  of  his  native  town. 


|DWIN  D.  STEVENS,  M.D.,  a  physi- 
cian of  J^rancestown,  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery, Mass.,  son  of  the  Rev.  Na- 
thaniel F.  and  Mary  E.  (Dearborn)  Stevens. 
The  grandfather,  Augustus  N.  F.  Stevens,  a 
native  of  Hartland,  Vt. ,  was  there  engaged  as 
a  school  teacher  in  early  life.  When  he  mar- 
ried he  went  to  Northfield,  Vt.,  where  he 
cleared  land,  and  established  his  new  home. 
He  was  a  successful  school  teacher  for  many 
years.  The  latter  years  of  his  life  were  spent 
on  the  old  homestead  at  Hartland,  Vt.,  where 
he  died  in  1894,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three. 
He  married  Sarah  Dodge,  and  they  had  nine 
children,  of  whom  Mariette,  Andrew  J.,  and 
Samuel  are  living. 

Nathaniel  F.  Stevens  was  born  in  North - 
field,  Vt.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
seminary  at  Newbury,  Vt.,  and  at  the  Bos- 
ton University,  from  which  he  duly  grad- 
uated. He  then  studied  in  the  Theological 
School,  and  was  first  settled  as  a  Methodist 
clergyman  in  Hudson,  Mass.  He  continued 
preaching    throughout    the    remainder   of    his 


life.  He  married  Mary  K.  Dearborn,  daugh- 
ter of  Edwin  Dearborn,  of  Pembroke,  N.H. 
They  had  four  children  —  Alice  M.,  Edwin 
D. ,  Eugene  F.,  and  Olin  W.  The  Rev.  Na- 
thaniel Stevens  died  at  the  age  of  forty- nine 
years.  His  wife  resides  with  her  son  in 
Francestown. 

Edwin  D.  Stevens,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  a  student  at  the  Powers  Institute 
at  Bernardston,  Mass.,  and  later  of  the  Mont- 
pel  ier  Seminary.  He  continued  at  the  Boston 
University,  graduating  from  the  medical 
school  in  June,  1895.  In  December,  1895, 
he  settled  in  Francestown,  N. H.,  where  he 
entered  upon  his  profession.  Dr.  Stevens  is 
unmarried. 


ASPER  HALL,  born  December  4,  i8.?3, 
son  of  Camillus  and  Betsey  (Britton) 
Hall,  is  well  known  in  Cheshire  County 
as  one  of  the  well-to-do  farmers  of 
Westmoreland,  his  native  town.  He  owns 
and  occupies  the  farm  on  which  his  mater- 
nal grandfather,  Seth  Britton,  who  was  one 
of  the  original  grantees  of  Westmoreland,  set- 
tled in  1772. 

There  were  four  other  emigrants  bearing 
the  name  of  Britton  who  came  at  that  time, 
one  being  William.  Another  fought  in  the 
Revolution,  and  died  in  service;  and  two  were 
girls,  one  of  whom  married  a  Leach,  and  the 
other,  a  sister  of  Seth,  married  Mr.  Wood- 
ward, and  lived  on  an  adjoining  farm.  .Seth 
Britton  married  first  Miss  Bailey,  who  died 
after  a  short  wedded  life,  leaving  one  child, 
Hulda,  who  married  Amasa  Chaffin.  His 
second  wife  was  a  widow,  Mrs.  Ranstead,  by 
whom  he  had  three  children,  namely:  Nellie, 
who  married  a  Robbins;  Hannah,  who  mar- 
ried Seth  Hall;  and  Betsey,  who  married 
Camillus  Hall.  Seth  Britton  bore  the  title 
of  Colonel,  and  was  prominent  in  military 
matters  in  the  town.  A  ]5art  of  the  homestead 
was  inherited  by  Mrs.  Betsey  B.  Hall,  and 
she  bought  the  rest  of  the  farm  from  the  other 
heirs. 

Camillus  Hall  was  a  carpenter  by  trade 
and  a  captain  in  the  militia.  By  his  wife, 
Betsey,    he   had   twelve  children,   as  follows: 


WILLIAM     AMES. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


197 


Camillus,  Huldah,  Adeline,  Harriett,  Osmon, 
Gordon,  Jasper,  Didana,  Amasa,  Corren, 
Emma,  and  IManford.  Amasa,  Didana,  and 
Manford  died  young;  Harriett  married  Alfred 
Nash,  and  died  comparatively  early  in  life; 
Camillus  married  Alice  Clough;  Huldah 
married  Stephen  Barnes,  of  New  York;  Ade- 
line married  Clark  Phillip,  of  Greenbush, 
N.Y.;  Osmon  married  Harriet  Britton;  Gor- 
don married  Susan  Patten;  Didana  died 
young;  Corren  married  Rose  Miller;  Emma 
married  P"rank  Stewart,  of  New  York. 

Jasper  Hall  has  spent  his  life  upon  the  farm 
of  his  ancestors.  Since  his  marriage  he  has 
taken  entire  charge  of  the  farm,  which  con- 
sisted originally  of  one  hundred  acres,  and 
now  contains  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres. 
Besides  extensively  carrying  on  general  farm- 
ing, Mr.  Hall  in  his  most  vigorous  and  active 
period  was  during  winters  engaged  in  lumber- 
ing, often  in  a  single  season  hauling  from 
eight  hundred  to  nine  hundred  cords  of  wood 
to  the  railroad  for  transportation.  Formerly 
a  strong  Whig  and  an  old  admirer  of  Horace 
Greeley,  he  was  zealous  in  the  cause  of  Know 
Nothingism  in  its  day,  and  is  now  an  ardent 
Republican.  He  has  always  worked  more  for 
his  party  than  for  his  own  advancement,  but 
has  held  many  minor  offices  in  the  town,  and 
has  been  Selectman  for  four  years.  He  has 
been  many  times  a  delegate  to  various  con- 
ventions. He  never  has  believed  in  secret 
orders. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years  Mr.  Hall 
married  Susan  Poland,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
and  Lucinda  (Wilson)  Poland.  Mrs.  Hall's 
paternal  grandfather  was  Benjamin  Poland, 
who  came  from  Massachusetts  and  settled  in 
Langdon,  N.  H.,  where  he  was  a  prominent 
Democrat.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty- 
three.  His  wife,  Sarah  Kimball,  was  a 
daughter  of  Colonel  George  Kimball.  Their 
children  were:  Nathaniel,  the  father  of 
Susan  ;  Anna,  who  married  Edmund  Holden ; 
Willard,  who  died  early  in  life;  Horace,  who 
married  Martha  Clapp,  of  Chester;  and 
Susan,  who  died  young.  Nathaniel  Poland 
was  born  in  Acworth,  N.H.,  but  in  his  boy- 
hood removed  to  Langdon.  He  married  Lu- 
cinda,   the    daughter    of    Joseph    and    Janette 


(Pinkerton)  Wilson.  Joseph  Wilson  was  a 
farmer  of  Acworth,  and  had  children  as  fol- 
lows: Melintha,  who  married  Zenus  Slader; 
Lucinda;  Betsey,  who  married  David  Morri- 
son; Norman,  who  married  Caroline  Dickey; 
Gardner,  who  married  Martha  Fay ;  and 
James,  who  went  to  Michigan,  and  died  there. 
After  his  marriage  Nathaniel  Poland  returned 
to  Acworth,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three,  leaving  three  daughters:  Sarah 
Ann,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen;  Lucretia 
].,  who  married  Emory  Britton,  of  Westmore- 
land, and  had  seven  children;  and  Susan,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Jasper  Hall,  as  mentioned 
above. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  have  three  sons  —  Her- 
bert, Victor,  and  Clinton.  Herbert  Hall  is 
the  foreman  of  the  electric  car  station  in 
Cambridgeport,  Mass.  He  married  Laura 
Wilbur.  Victor  also  is  employed  in  Cam- 
bridge by  the  Street  Railway  Company. 
Clinton  resides  at  the  family  homestead,  and 
now  carries  on  his  father's  farm.  He  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  grange,  has  been  its 
secretary,  and  has  served  on  different  commit- 
tees. He  is  also  chairman  of  the  Board  of 
Selectmen.  He  "has  dealt  largely  in  the  past 
in  horses,  buying  horses  that  had  been  over- 
worked in  the  street  car  service,  feeding  them, 
and  selling  again.  He  now  makes  a  specialty 
of  new  milk,  and  deals  largely  in  cows. 


ILLIAM  AMES,  agent  of  the  Phce- 
nix  and  Union  Manufacturing  Com- 
panies of  Peterboro,  was  born  No- 
vember 3,  1827,  a  native  of  Haverhill,  N.H., 
and  a  son  of  William  Ames.  William  Ames, 
first,  died  previous  to  the  birth  of  his  son  and 
namesake;  and  the  mother  survived  but  a  short 
time  after  the  latter  event. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  thus  left  in 
infancy  to  the  care  of  others,  and  as  soon  as  he 
was  able  he  was  obliged  to  contribute  to  his 
own  support.  He  first  worked  in  the  logging 
camps  of  the  upper  Connecticut  River,  where 
he  was  employed  three  years.  Going  thence 
to  Boston,  he  removed  after  a  short  sojourn 
there  to  Canton,  Mass.,  where  he  found  work 
in   the   carding-rooni   of  a    cotton-mill.       Two 


■  98 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


years  later  he  went  to  Newburyport,  Mass., 
where  he  was  employed  as  a  spinner  for  twelve 
years.  Subsequently  he  was  similarly  em- 
ployed for  a  short  time  in  a  mill  in  Gloucester, 
N.J.,  still  later  becoming  the  agent  of  a  fac- 
tory in  Philadelphia.  He  reniained  in  the 
Quaker  City  thus  employed  for  sixteen  years, 
and  in  iSSo  came  to  I'eterboro  to  accept  a 
similar  position  with  the  Phoenix  Manufactur- 
ing Company.  He  was  later  appointed  agent 
of  the  Union  Manufacturing  Company  of  West 
I'eterboro,  and  is  at  the  present  time  the  rep- 
resentative of  both  concerns.  He  occupies  a 
position  of  high  standing  among  the  business 
men  of  this  town,  is  a  director  of  the  Peterboro 
National  Bank,  and  as  a  result  of  his  ability  is 
well-to-do. 

Mr.  Ames  married  for  his  first  wife  Annie 
A.  Adams,  of  Gilmanton,  N.  H.  She  died  in 
1878,  aged  forty-eight  years,  leaving  one 
daughter  —  Emma,  who  married  William 
Knowles,  of  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Ames  married 
second  Mary  I,.  I-'lint,  of  Roxbury,  Vt.  One 
son,   Francis  W.,  was  the  result  of  this  union. 

In  politics  Mr.  Ames  is  a  Republican,  and 
though  he  takes  an  active  interest  in  public 
affairs  and  the  general  welfare  of  the  commu- 
nity, he  has  never  aspired  to  public  office. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
holds  liberal  opinions  upon   religious  subjects. 


T^YRUS  FRANKLIN  BURGF:,  a  prom- 
I  Ky  inent  citizen  and  local  historian  of 
\%^__^  the  town  of  Hollis,  N.H.,  is  the 
eldest  son  of  the  late  Cyrus  and 
Joanna  (Cummings)  Burge.  Both  Mr. 
Burge's  father  and  paternal  grandfather  were 
born  on  the  homestead  where  he  now  lives, 
and  where  he  himself  was  born.  Mr.  Burge's 
great-great-grandparents  on  his  father's  side 
were  Josiah  and  Susan   (Jaquith)  Burge. 

Their  son  Ephraim  was  born  in  1738  in 
Westford,  Mass.,  whence  he  came  to  Hollis 
in  1760,  and  bought  the  Burge  farm.  He  was 
an  enterprising  farmer  and  a  strictly  orthodox 
Congregationalist  of  the  old  school.  Ephraim 
Burge  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
was  Second  Sergeant  in  Captain  Daniel  Emer- 
son, Jr.'s,  company,  which   marched   to  aid   in 


the  defence  of  F'ort  Ticonderoga,  June  20, 
1777.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Hollis 
Minute-men  in  1777,  and  was  one  of  the 
town's  enrolling  officers  and  committee-men 
in  1780-81  and  1783.  He  died  June  21,  1784, 
aged  forty-six.  In  1762  he  married  Anna 
Abbot,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Abbot,  born  Oc- 
tober 27,   1746. 

Their  eldest  son,  Ephraim,  Jr.,  better 
known  as  Deacon  Ephraim  Burge,  was  born  at 
Hollis  in  1764.  He  engaged  in  farming  and 
the  making  of  cooperage  stock,  and  spent  his 
life  on  the  old  homestead.  Like  his  father, 
he  was  a  Congregationalist.  Deacon  Burge's 
wife  was  Patty  Baldwin,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Nahum  Baldwin,  of  Amherst,  who  commanded 
a  regiment  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  was 
Treasurer  of  Hillsboro  County  for  several 
years.  She  was  the  mother  of  six  children  — 
Ephraim,  Martha,  Anna,  Clarissa,  Cyrus,  and 
Emma. 

Cyrus  Burge,  the  second  son,  born  in  1804, 
married  Joanna  Cummings,  daughter  of 
-Samuel  and  Joanna  (Wyman)  Cummings,  of 
Hudson,  N.  H.  He  was  a  well-known  farmer, 
and  spent  his  active  life  in  this  region  upon 
the  farm  bequeathed  to  him  by  his  ancestors. 
Following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  forefathers, 
he  was  a  constant  attendant  at  the  services  of 
the  Congregational  church.  He  was  a  teacher 
in  the  common  school  in  his  native  town,  in 
Bedford  and  F'rancestown,  N.H.,  and  for  years 
a  Sunday-school  teacher.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Whig  and  a  Republican.  Cyrus  Burge  had 
the  following  children:  Cyrus  Franklin,  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  born  January  17,  1838; 
Edward  Augustus,  born  July  4,  1839,  now  a 
real  estate  dealer  in  Chicago,  111.  ;  Charles 
Henry,  born  July  23,  1S41,  a  real  estate  dealer 
in  Topeka,  Kan.  ;  George  Abbot,  born  March 
5,  1843,  an  auctioneer  in  Nashua,  N.H.,  and 
livery-sale  stables  and  auctioneer,  Boston, 
Mass.  (residence,  Courtland  Street,  Nashua)  ; 
Martha  Joanna,  born  January  5,  1S45,  a 
teacher  in  Dunstable,  Rockport,  and  Boston, 
Mass.,  also  in  New  Hampshire  and  Connecti- 
cut; and  Clarissa  Abby,  born  March  21, 
1849,  a  teacher  in  New  Hampshire,  Boston 
and  other  places  in  Massachusetts,  and  Se- 
dalia,  Mo.,  and  now  living  in  Chicago. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


'99 


Cyrus  F.  Burge  grew  to  manhood  in  Hollis, 
and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  this 
town  and  at  Reed's  Ferry  and  Nashua,  N.H. 
Later  he  took  a  commercial  course  in  Boston. 
In  his  early  manhood  he  taught  school  in  his 
native  State,  Illinois,  Iowa,  and  Minnesota. 
He  was  connected  with  the  Mississippi  Ma- 
rine Brigade,  Brigadier-general  A.  W.  Ellet, 
U.  S.  v.,  from  April  to  November,  1864,  and 
then,  after  voting  in  Illinois  at  the  second 
election  of  Lincoln,  came  back  tc  New  Hamp- 
shire to  meet  George  A.,  the  returning  vet- 
eran of  Company  H,  Seventh  New  Hampshire 
Regiment.  The  various  lines  of  business  to 
which  the  life  of  Mr.  Burge  has  been  devoted 
have  brought  him  in  contact  with  a  large  num- 
ber of  men  of  widely  different  types  of  charac- 
ter, and  have  introduced  him  to  many  sides 
of  the  mercantile  and  industrial  affairs  of  the 
world,  thus  giving  him  a  large  experience  of 
human  nature  and  much  general  information 
upon  a  wide  range  of  topics.  For  two  years 
Mr.  Burge  was  travelling  agent  in  Missouri 
for  the  Fairbanks  Scales  Company.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  was  a  journalist,  and  was 
connected  with  newspapers  in  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  and  elsewhere,  writing  over  the  signa- 
ture of  "Observator.  "  In  1873,  owing  to  the 
advancing  age  of  his  parents,  Mr.  Burge  came 
back  to  Hollis  to  take  charge  of  the  farm,  and 
has  since  remained  here,  engaged  in  general 
farming. 

On  March  17,  1S80,  he  married  Mrs.  Mary 
S.  (Fierce)  Lewis,  a  native  of  Pepperell, 
Mass.,  widow  of  Albert  Lewis,  formerly  of 
Lynn,  Mass.  Like  his  ancestors,  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  church,  Mr.  Burge  is 
an  active  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Sunday-school 
worker.  In  politics  a  Republican  (1859-86) 
he  is  now  an  active  Prohibitionist,  being  a 
member  of  the  State  Committee  for  Hillsboro 
County;  and  three  times  he  has  been  candi- 
date for  Senator  on  the  Prohibition  ticket. 
Mr.  Burge  has  for  some  years  past  been  greatly 
interested  in  the  early  history  of  the  town  and 
vicinage,  has  collected  many  interesting  and 
instructive  facts  concerning  the  genealogy  of 
the  old  families,  and  is  probably  as  well  in- 
formed on  these  points  as  any  one  else  in  this 
section.      He    has    a    small,    well-selected    li- 


brary, ever  open   to   the   use   of  the  )'(iutli   and 
citizens  of  the  town  by  loan. 


FMUEL  I'ULLFR,  a  farmer  of  Am- 
herst, N.H.,  is  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Thomas  Fuller,  who  came  from 
England  to  Boston,  Mass.,  in  No- 
vember, 1638,  on  a  tour  of  observation,  not 
intending  to  take  up  his  residence  perma- 
nently in  this  countr)'.  He  purchased  three 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  that  part  of  Salem 
which  was  afterward  incorporated  as  Middle- 
ton,  and  there  built  him  a  house.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  to  petition  for  a  church  in 
Salem  village,  and,  after  its  organization, 
was  chosen  one  of  the  committee  to  carry  on 
its  affairs.  According  to  Mr.  L'pham's  "His- 
tory of  Salem  Witchcraft,"  he  belonged  to  a 
company  of  troopers  formed  for  defence,  and 
had  the  rank  of  Sergeant  in  1656  and  of  Lieu- 
tenant in  1865.  He  married  June  3,  1643, 
Elizabeth  Tidd,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mar- 
garet Tidd,  of  Woburn,  Mass.  Their  de- 
scendants have  been  numerous,  and  many  of 
them  were  men  and  women  of  note  in  the 
times   in   which    they   lived. 

Lemuel  Fuller,  the  only  son  of  Dan- 
iel P'uller,  Jr.,  and  Sarah  Patterson  Rolfe, 
was  born  February  10,  1839,  in  Hudson, 
N.  H.,  which  was  also  the  birthplace  of  his 
father  and  for  many  years  the  home  of  his 
paternal  grandfather,  Daniel  Fuller.  Left 
fatherless  at  the  age  of  five  years,  Lemuel  with 
his  mother  removed  to  Londonderry,  wiiere  he 
spent  his  youth  and  early  manhood.  After 
obtaining  his  education  in  the  schools  of  the 
town,  he  began  the  battle  of  life  on  his  own 
account,  working  for  his  first  employer  three 
years,  a  term  of  service  whose  length  was 
speaking  evidence  of  his  fidelity  and  ability. 
Having  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
various  branches  of  agriculture,  Mr.  Fuller 
was  subsequently  superintendent  of  the  farm 
of  the  Hon.  Nathan  Parker,  of  Manchester, 
N.  H.,  whose  farming  estate  was  located  in 
Litchfield.  Going  from  there  to  Merrimac, 
he  had  charge  of  the  tovi'n  farm  for  three 
years,  performing  his  duties  in  a  most  trust- 
worthy manner.      Later  he  purchased  a  farm  in 


BIOGRAPHICALJ  REVIEW 


the  same  town,  and  lived  thereon  until  1881, 
when  he  came  to  Amherst  and  bought  his 
present  farm,  which  he  is  conducting  after  the 
most  approved  methods,  carrying  on  general 
farming,  lumbering,  and  dairying  with  satis- 
factory results. 

Mr.  Fuller  is  a  self-made  man  in  the  broad- 
est sense  of  the  term,  in  that  he  has  risen  by 
his  own  energy  and  persistent  effort  to  the 
position  of  influence  he  now  occupies.  Since 
iDCcoming  a  citizen  of  Amherst  he  has  identi- 
fied himself  with  its  leading  interests,  being 
in  favor  of  all  movements  calculated  to  im- 
prove the  community  in  which  he  resides. 
He  has  served  as  Selectman  of  Amherst  three 
years,  having  been  chairman  of  the  Board  two 
years.  He  takes  an  active  part  in  religious 
work,  and  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational church. 

Mr.  Fuller  was  married  December  24, 
1 868,  to  Miss  Emeline  Perry,  who  was  born 
in  Newburyport,  Mass.,  January  14,  1845,  a 
daughter  of  William  Langlands  and  his  wife, 
Catherine  (Campbell)  Langlands,  of  Campbel- 
town, Argyllshire,  Scotland,  the  former  of 
English  and  the  latter  of  Scottish  parentage. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fuller  have  four  children,  as 
follows:  Emma  F.,  now  the  wife  of  Charles 
A.  Rogers,  of  Amherst ;  Dana  L.  ;  Walter  P.  ; 
and  Sarah  F. 


JLEY  BURNHAM  HATCH,  an  at- 
torney and  counsellor  at  law  of  Peter- 
boro  and  an  ex-member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  legislature,  was  born 
October  19,  1832,  in  Williamstown,  Vt.,  son 
of  Alvah  and  Laura -(Burnham)  Hatch.  His 
grandfather,  Asa  Hatch,  a  native  of  Alstead, 
N.H.,  was  a  pioneer  in  Williamstown;  and 
Judah  Hatch,  a  brother  of  Asa,  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Bethel,  Vt.  At  the  age  of  fif- 
teen Asa  joined  the  Continental  army  from 
Alstead,  N.H.,  and  served  as  an  orderly  under 
a  commissioned  ofiRcer  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  For  his  services  then  he  afterward  re- 
ceived a  pension  from  the  United  States 
government.  He  improved  a  good  farm  in 
Williamstown,  where  he  resided  for  the  rest 
of  his   life,   and   he   lived  to  be  eighty-eight 


years  old.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig.  By 
his  two  marriages  he  was  the  father  of  twenty- 
three  children,  nineteen  of  whom  reached  ma- 
turity. Sixteen  of  the  number,  all  now  de- 
ceased, were  the  children  of  his  first  wife, 
who  came  from  Alstead,  N.H.,  and  wdiose 
maiden  name  was  Jane  Black.  P'ourteen  of 
these  grew  up,  including  Alvah,  the  eleventh- 
born.  The  second  marriage  was  contracted 
with  Laura  Hyde,  of  whose  seven  children  by 
him  five  grew  up,  one  of  whom,  Stearns  C. 
Hatch,    is   living  in   Indiana. 

Alvah  Hatch  was  born  in  Williamstown, 
August  6,  1798.  He  resided  in  his  native 
town  until  1850,  when  he  moved  to  a  farm  in 
Barre,  Mass.,  where  he  died  June  6,  186S. 
An  industrious  and  progressive  man,  he  stood 
high  in  the  esteem  of  the  community.  He 
supported  the  abolition  movement,  acted  with 
the  Free  Soil  party,  and  joined  the  Republi- 
can party  at  its  formation.  His  religion  was 
the  Baptist.  His  first  marriage  was  made 
with  Laura  Burnham,  born  in  Williamstown, 
Vt.,  April  22,  1805.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Rufus  Burnham,  of  Williamstown,  who  was 
born  in  Windham,  Conn.  Of  her  ten  children 
four  attained  maturity;  and  Riley  B.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  is  the  only  survivor.  She 
died  November  26,  1846.  Alvah's  second 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Esther  Gates, 
had  no  children. 

Riley  B.  Hatch  was  fitted  for  college  at 
New  Salem  (Mass.)  Academy  and  at  Saxton's 
River,  Vt.,  and  was  subsequently  graduated 
from  Middlebury  College  with  the  class  of 
1857.  He  afterward  taught  school  for  a  time 
in  sundry  places,  including  a  year  spent  in 
the  capacity  of  Principal  of  the  Peterboro 
Academy.  After  pursuing  his  law  studies 
in  the  office  of  Governor  George  A.  Ramsdell 
in  Peterboro,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
September,  1862.  Since  that  time  he  has 
acquired  a  large  general  practice.  For  ten 
years  he  was  the  treasurer  of  the  Peterboro 
Savings  Bank.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Con- 
toocook  Valley  Savings  Bank  for  some  time, 
and  he  was  for  several  years  the  clerk  and 
treasurer  of  the  Monadnock  Railroad.  In 
politics  he  actively  supports  the  Republican 
party.      He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Constitu- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


201 


tional  Convention  held  in  1889.  In  the  ca- 
pacities of  member  of  the  School  Board  and 
trustee  of  the  Public  Library  he  has  rendered 
valuable  services  to  the  town.  A  member  of 
the  New  Hampshire  House  of  Representa- 
tives in  1868,  1869,  1893,  and  1894,  he  ably 
served  on  the  Judiciary  Committee  and  Com- 
mittee on  Revision  of  Statutes,  and  was  chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Elections. 

Mr.  Hatch  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife,  Ellen  M.  (Nichols)  Hatch,  a 
daughter  of  Levi  Nichols,  of  Peterboro, 
whom  he  married  April  10,  i860,  died  April 
24,  1 861.  On  November  26,  1863,  he  con- 
tracted his  second  marriage  with  Ellen  M. 
Barber,  daughter  of  John  W.  Barber,  of  Peter- 
boro. She  has  had  five  children,  of  whom  Ida 
F.  and  Plllen  M.  are  living.  Mr.  Hatch  is  a 
Past  Master  of  the  Masonic  lodge  in  Peter- 
boro and  a  member  of  the  Peterboro  Royal 
Arch  Chapter.  In  religious  belief  he  is  a 
Congregational!  St. 


L\\ 


i^3^J40t^TlRAM   WEBSTER   ELDREDGE,  the 
l-^-l       proprietor   of     the    Antrim    Reporter^ 

Jj^  I  was  born  in  South  Harwich,  Mass., 

— '  October  12,  1865,  son  of  Daniel 
\  7:>bi  Webster  and  Eliza  Ann  (Small)  Eldredge. 
His  grandfather,  James  Eldredge,  was  a  sea- 
faring man  and  a  fisherman  for  the  most  of 
his  life.  He  always  resided  on  Cape  Cod, 
where  his  later  years  were  spent  in  tilling 
the  soil.  With  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Reliance  Hopkins,  he  reared  two  chil- 
dren,  nTiTFTer  of  whom  is  now  living. 

Daniel  Webster  Eldredge,  who  was  born 
in  Chatham,  Mass.,  and  began  to  follow  the 
sea  when  very  young,  became  the  master  of  a 
vessel  engaged  in  the  fishing  industry  in  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay.  He  died  in  early  manhood, 
aged  thirty-four  years.  His  wife,  Eliza  Ann, 
is  a  native  of  Harwich  and  a  daughter  of 
Hiram  Small.  She  has  had  three  children,  of 
whom  Effie  Mabel  and  Hiram  W.  are  living. 
Effie  Mabel  is  the  wife  of  Eugene  C.  Ellis,  of 
East  Wareham,  and  has  two  children  —  Harold 
Mervin  and  Eugene  Webster.  Mrs.  Daniel 
W.  Eldredge  resides  in  Chatham,  Mass.,  and 
is  now  the  wife  of   Captain    Luther   Eldredge, 


her  second  husband.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Hiram  Webster  Eldredge  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  town.  After  com- 
pleting his  studies  he  learned  the  printer's 
trade,  and  for  four  years  was  employed  in  the 
office  of  the  Harwich  Independent.  He  then 
went  to  the  city  of  Rockville,  Conn.,  where 
he  was  foreman  on  the  Tolland  County  Leader 
for  a  time.  From  Rockville  he  went  to  Barn- 
stable, Mass.,  and  was  there  employed  by  the 
publishing  firm  of  F.  B.  &  F.  P.  Goss.  In 
November,  1892,  he  came  to  Antrim,  and  pur- 
chased the  Reporter  and  the  job  printing  busi- 
ness connected  therewith.  These  he  has 
successfully  conducted  since.  The  Antrim 
Reporter,  which  is  a  great  benefit  to  the  resi- 
dents of  this  section,  is  constantly  increasing 
in  popularity. 

On  January  24,  1889,  Mr.  Eldredge  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Rebecca  M.  Snow, 
daughter  of  Henry  M.  Snow,  of  St.  Augus- 
tine, Fla.  Mrs.  Eldredge  is  the  mother  of 
three  children,  as  follows:  Henry  Burr,  born 
in  Barnstable,  March  14,  1891  ;  Cranston 
Daniel,  born  in  Antrim,  December  3,  1893; 
and  Mabelle,  born  in  Antrim,  July  8,   1896. 

In  politics  Mr.  Eldredge  is  a  Repu-blican. 
He  has  held  the  oflRce  of  Chaplain  of  Waver- 
ley  Lodge,  No.  59,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Antrim; 
is  connected  with  Hand  in  Hand  Rebekah 
Lodge,  No.  29,  also  of  this  town;  and  with 
Commandery  No.  639,  United  Order  of  the 
Golden  Cross  of  Hillsboro  Bridge.  Both 
he  and  Mrs.  Eldredge  are  members  of  tlie 
Methodist   Episcopal   church. 


rsi-y^ICHAEL    KENNEDY,    a 
ous     farmer    of     Harrisvil 


[jrosjaer- 


native  of  County  Kilkenny,  ire- 
land.  Born  in  October,  1848, 
he  is  a  son  of  William  and  Julia  (Broderick) 
Kennedy.  His  grandfatiier  was  William 
Kennedy,  who  died  in  Ireland,  and  had  three 
sons.  Of  these  William  Kennedy,  the  father 
of  Michael,  after  spending  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  in  his  native  land,  came  with  his  fam- 
ily to  America  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years.      He   located    in    Harrisville,   where   he 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


spent  his  remaining  years.  His  wife,  Julia, 
bore  him  eight  children,  three  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.  Those  who  attained  maturity 
were:  John,  David,  Mary,  Ann,  and   Michael. 

Michael  Kennedy  came  to  America  with 
his  parents  in  1865,  being  then  seventeen 
years  of  age.  For  the  greater  part  of  the  time 
that  has  since  elapsed  he  has  resided  in 
Lowell,  Mass.,  and  at  Harrisville.  During 
the  last  twenty  years  he  has  been  a  successful 
farmer  in  Harrisville,  where  he  has  won  the 
respect  and  good  will  of  all  who  have  come  in 
contact  with  him.  He  has  been  actively  in- 
terested in  the  affairs  of  the  town,  and  has 
served  his  townsmen  with  credit  in  various 
positions  of  responsibility.  Remarried  Mary 
Burns,  who  was  born  in  1848,  daughter  of 
John  Burns,  of  Ireland.  They  have  had  five 
children,  namely:  Mary  A.  and  Julia  A., 
who  were  born  at  Marlboro,  N.H.,  and  now 
reside  with  their  parents;  William  M.,  born 
at  Harrisville,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen; Lizzie,  born  at  Harrisville,  who  lived 
only  nine  months;  and  Katie  R.,  now  a 
young  miss  of  thirteen  years,  who  was  also 
born  in  Harrisville. 

Mr.  Kennedy  is  a  man  of  sound  judgment, 
and  a  thorough  American.  He  is  devoted  to 
his  family,  and  is  never  so  happy  as  when  en- 
joying the  companionship  of  his  domestic 
circle.  Through  his  own  efforts,  aided  by  his 
careful  business  methods,  by  thrift  and  strict 
honesty,  he  has  acquired  a  comfortable  com- 
petency, and  stands  as  a  good  type  of  the  self- 
made  man. 


ENRV    KENDALL    FRENCH,   a  re- 
tired     hotel -keeper      of      Peterboro, 


Hillsboro  County,  N.H.,  was  born 
in  Jaffrey,  Cheshire  County,  Jan- 
uary 21,  1826,  son  of  Whitcomb  and  Mary 
(Kendall)  French,  and  is  a  descendant  of  early 
New  England  colonists. 

The  founder  of  the  family  in  America  was 
probably  Richard  French,  who  settled  in 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  in  1652  was  one  of 
the  grantees  of  the  "Farms,"  so  called,  soon 
named  Billerica. 

Lieutenant  Joseph  French,  son  of  Richard, 


married  Elizabeth  Knight,  daughter  of  Philip 
and  Margery  Knight,  of  Charlestown,  and  was 
a  prominent  citizen  of  Concord,  Mass.,  where 
he  appears  as  early  as  1674.  He  was  a  Se- 
lectman in  1689,  and  was  one  of  the  original 
members  of  the  early  church  in  that  part  of 
Concord  afterward  the  town  of  Bedford.  Jo- 
seph's family  consisted  of  eight  children, 
one  of  them  being  Jonathan,  born  in  i6go, 
who  by  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  had  a  son, 
John,  born  in  1727.  John  P^rench  settled 
in  HoUis,  N.H.  He  married  Mary  Whit- 
comb, of  Bolton,  who  bore  him  eleven  chil- 
dren. 

Their  eighth  child,  Whitcomb  French, 
first,  was  born  October  26,  1767.  He  settled 
in  Dublin,  N.H.,  where  he  tilled  the  soil, 
and  dealt  quite  extensively  in  cattle.  He 
was  prominent  in  public  affairs,  serving  as  a 
Selectman  in  Dublin.  In  his  religious  views 
he  was  a  Congregationalist.  He  died  in 
Keene,  N.H.,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years. 
His  wife,  Sally  Patrick,  who  was  born  in 
Fitchburg,  Mass.,  November  6,  1772,  lived 
to  be  ninety-two  years  old.  She  was  the 
mother  of  nine  children,  the  only  one  of 
whom  now  living  is  Malancy  P"rench,  born 
February  11,    18 10. 

Whitcomb  P'rench,  second,  son  of  Whit- 
comb French,  first,  and  father  of  Henry  K., 
was  born  in  Dublin,  July  g,  1794.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  began  driving  a  stage  in 
Vermont,  and  carried  many  passengers  during 
the  War  of  1812.  He  subsequently  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Dublin  for  a  time, 
but  in  1822  he  purchased  the  stage  line  be- 
tween Keene  and  Jaffrey.  He  later  became 
proprietor  of  other  lines,  and  in  1830  went 
to  Keene,  where  he  could  have  a  general  over- 
sight of  the  various  routes  under  his  control. 
In  the  spring  of  1832  he  sold  out,  and,  after 
carrying  on  the  livery  business  in  Keene  and 
a  hotel  in  Fitzwilliam  for  a  short  time,  he  in 
February,  1833,  removed  to  Peterboro.  He 
was  the  proprietor  of  F"rench's  Hotel  in  this 
town  until  some  time  in  1849,  when  he  re- 
tired to  a  farm.  Some  years  afterward  he  re- 
moved to  the  village.  He  died  June  i,  1882. 
Whitcomb  French  was  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lar  stage   drivers   of   his   day,    and   was   also  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


203 


successful  business  man.  In  politics  he  was 
originally  a  Whig  and  later  a  Democrat. 
He  held  a  Colonel's  commission  in  the  State 
militia,  and  for  many  years  was  prominent  in 
military  affairs.  He  married  November  27, 
1817,  Mary  Kendall,  a  daughter  of  Joel  Ken- 
dall, of  Dublin.  She  became  the  mother  of 
eight  children,  as  follows:  Eliza  G.,  born 
September  2,  1818;  Edson  Granville,  who 
married  Relief  Walker,  of  Vermont,  and  died 
leaving  one  son,  Fred  W. ,  born  July  ig, 
1847;  Mary  S.,  born  December  4,  1823; 
Henry  K.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mar- 
shal W.,  born  September  4,  1827;  Charles  D., 
born  March  29,  1830;  Sarah  F. ,  born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1832;  and  William  P.,  born  June  4, 
1 841.  Eliza  G.  is  now  the  widow  of  Jesse 
Little,  and  resides  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 
She  has  had  eleven  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living;  namely,  Ann,  Jedediah,  Fred, 
George,  and  Alice.  Marshal  W.  French  mar- 
ried Lizzie  T.  Wales,  of  Palmer,  Mass.,  and 
his  one  son,  Samuel  W.,  of  Newtonville, 
Mass.  Charles  D.  married  Nancy  L.  Hol- 
brook,  of  Peterboro,  and  has  three  children  — 
Henry  E.,  Minnie  M.,  and  Kate  H.  Will- 
iam P.  F"rench  married  Helen  A.  Shearer,  of 
Palmer,  and  has  four  children;  namely,  Wil- 
lis S.,  Scott  M.,  John  F.,  and  Clara.  Mrs. 
Mary  Kendall  P'rench  died  in  November,  1881. 
Henry  Kendall  French  began  to  assist  his 
father  at  an  early  age,  and  he  may  be  said 
to  have  grown  up  in  the  stage  and  hotel  busi- 
ness. In  1845  he  commenced  driving  a  stage 
between  Keene  and  Nashua,  and  he  continued 
thus  employed  until  he  succeeded  his  father 
as  proprietor  of  French's  Hotel,  Peterboro,  in 
1849.  I"  October,  1852,  he  sold  the  busi- 
ness, and  for  the  ne.\t  five  years  was  engaged 
in  running  an  express  between  Peterboro  and 
Boston.  In  1857  he  resumed  the  proprietor- 
ship of  the  hotel,  which  he  purchased  of  his 
father,  and  carried  it  on  successfully  until 
1879,  when  he  sold  the  property  to  its  present 
owner,  Thomas  B.  Tucker.  Mr.  P'rench  is 
now  residing  at  the  old  Wilson  place,  which 
is  owned  by  the  B.  P.  Cheney  estate.  Beau- 
tiful for  situation,  commanding  an  extensive 
view,  this  farm  is  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of 
agricultural  property  in  New  Hampshire. 


Mr.  French's  first  wife,  Ilarriet  N.  Gray, 
whom  he  married  July  g,  1850,  was  born  in 
Wilton,  N.H.,  August  21,  1829.  She  died 
October  13,  1852,  leaving  one  son,  Frank  G., 
born  June  10,  1852,  who  died  July  18,  1S86. 
On  November  20,  1855,  Mr.  P'rench  married 
Sarah  Amanda  Adams,  who  was  born  in 
Mason,  N.H.,  July  10,  1834.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
French  have  been  bereft  of  two  children  since 
the  death  of  his  eldest  son,  namely:  Charles 
H.,  born  December  22,  1856,  who  died  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1895;  and  Hattie  A.,  born  August 
27,  1858,  who  died  October  24,  1887.  They 
have  one  son  now  living,  George  A.,  born 
September  22,   i860. 

Mr.  P^rench  has  attained  a  substantial  busi- 
ness success,  and  there  is  probably  not  a  man 
in  this  locality  who  enjoys  a  wider  or  more 
cordial  circle  of  acquaintances. 


'AMES  S.  PARTRIDGE,  a  leading 
farmer  of  Plast  Alstead  and  a  promi- 
nent resident  of  the  town  of  Alstead, 
was  born  here,  December  29,  18 19, 
son  of  Theron  and  Lydia  (Wentworth)  Part- 
ridge. The  paternal  grandfather,  Sylvester 
Partridge,  born  P"ebruary  20,  1766,  was  a 
farmer,  spent  his  life  in  this  town,  and  was 
esteemed  as  an  active  and  progressive  citizen. 
He  was  several  times  married,  and  had  a  large 
family  of  children.  His  last  marriage  was 
contracted  with  the  widow  P^ay. 

Theron  Partridge,  who  was  born  May  20, 
1788,  died  in  February,  1858.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  school  teacher,  a  man  of  much 
ability  and  very  active  in  local  matters.  He 
was  always  ready  to  work  for  the  advancement 
of  any  measure  he  felt  to  be  for  the  good  of 
the  town  or  for  the  welfare  of  his  fellow- 
townsmen,  and  he  never  regretted  time  spent 
in  the  interests  of  progressive  or  important 
enterprises.  He  was  Selectman  of  the  town 
for  a  time.  An  exemplary  member  of  the 
Congregational  church,  he  was  known  for  his 
charity  and  the  integrity  of  his  life.  His 
wife,  Lydia,  born  March  23,  1791,  daughter 
of  Asa  Wentworth,  died  July  20,  1857,  hav- 
ing been  the  mother  of  three  children.  These 
were:   Willard  W.,  Alfred    W.,  and  James  S., 


204 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


all  of  whom  were  born  in  Alstead.  Willard 
W.,  a  teacher  of  music,  resided  in  New  York, 
Burlington,  Vt.,  and  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and 
died  in  the  latter  city.  He  married  a  Miss 
Smith,  and  had  several  children.  Alfred  W. 
"Partridge,  a  farmer  of  Alstead,  married  Calista 
Newton,  of  Worcester,  Vt.,  and  has  two 
daughters.  He  taught  for  about  one  hundred 
terms  of  singing-school. 

The  early  life  of  James  S.  Partridge  was 
spent  on  his  father's  farm.  He  received  the 
elements  of  a  practical  education  in  the  town 
schools.  For  a  while  he  was  employed  in 
Faneuil  Hall  Market,  Boston.  With  the 
exception  of  that  period  his  life  has  been 
devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  is  an 
active  member  and  Deacon  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 

Mr.  Partridge  has  been  twice  married.  On 
the  first  occasion  he  wedded  Harriett  Kent,  a 
daughter  of  Asa  Kent,  of  Alstead.  She  was 
born  in  1821,  and  died  May  6,  1870.  Her 
three  children  were:  Charles  W.,  Ella  L., 
and  Lilla  C.  Charles  W.,  born  June  29, 
1848,  lives  in  Lawrence,  Mass.,  a  successful 
dentist  of  that  city.  He  married  May,  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Palmer,  of  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Harriett.  Ella  L.,  born 
May  18,  1850,  is  the  wife  of  G.  G.  Banks,  a 
well-to-do  man  of  this  town.  Lilla  C,  born 
May  18,  1853,  married  H.  F.  Newell,  of 
Keene,  N.  H.,  who  is  a  carpenter.  On  No- 
vember 14,  1871,  Mr.  Partridge  married  for 
his  second  wife  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Whittemore, 
who  is  now  living. 


M 


AVID  MARDEN,  a  farmer  of  New 
Boston,  was  born  in  that  town,  No- 
vember II,  1820,  son  of  Greenough 
and  Sibyl  (Hadley)  Marden.  His 
grandfather,  Lemuel  Marden,  who  was  born  in 
Massachusetts,  August  30,  1745,  became  a 
resident  of  New  Boston  about  1789,  settling 
near  the  centre  of  the  town.  Having  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  farming,  Lemuel 
died  June  ig,  18 19.  His  wife,  Hannah 
(Greenough)  Marden,  born  May  21,  1750, 
passed  away  October  12,  1843,  aged  ninety- 
three    years.       They     had     eight     children  — 


Greenough,  Solomon,  Samuel,  Francis,  Jona- 
than, Hannah,  Sarah,  and  Mehitable.  Green- 
ough Marden  was  born  in  Bradford,  Mass., 
October  17,  1772.  He  was  a  farmer  and 
bricklayer,  and  he  spent  the  most  of  his  life 
in  New  Boston,  in  the  southern  part  of  which 
he  owned  land.  A  hard-working  and  industri- 
ous man,  he  was  successful  in  his  business. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  he  invari- 
ably voted  with  his  party.  He  was  an  attend- 
ant of  the  Presbyterian  church.  On  October 
10,  1802,  he  married  Sibyl  Hadley,  who,  born 
in  West  Nottingham,  N.H.,  August  24,  1780, 
died  April  13,  1866.  His  death  occurred 
June  9,  1865.  They  had  nine  children, 
namely:  Lemuel,  born  September  17,  1803, 
who  died  June  26,  1889;  Levi,  born  February 
13,  1805,  who  died  October  14,  1832;  John 
L.,  born  October  20,  1807,  who  died  February 
13,  1814;  Lyman,  born  November  13,  1809, 
who  died  September  20,  1892;  Cynthia,  born 
March  5,  18 12,  who  died  February  13,  18 14; 
Sibyl,  born  February  20,  1815,  who  died  De- 
cember 23,  1889;  Abigail,  born  November  17, 
1817,  who  died  December  15,  1896;  David, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  William  G., 
born  August  3,   1823,  who  died  May  i,  1892. 

David  Marden  attended  the  schools  of  his 
native  town  for  the  usual  period.  After  liv- 
ing at  home  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  went  into  general 
farming,  being  employed  in  the  town  for  nine 
years.  He  then  went  West  to  Trenton,  Dodge 
County,  Wis.,  where  he  took  up  land,  and  re- 
mained there  some  sixteen  years,  during  which 
time  he  folhnved  the  occupation  of  general 
farmer.  Having  sold  his  Western  property, 
he  removed  to  Mont  Vernon,  N.H.,  where  he 
lived  for  five  years.  On  May  4,  1872,  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  town,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  Besides  a  good  farm  of  about  eighty- 
four  acres,  on  which  are  substantial  buildings, 
he  owns  other  property.  In  his  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat,  and  he  has  been  Selectman  of  the 
town  for  six  years,  and  was  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  five  years. 

On  September  11,  1851,  Mr.  Marden  was 
married  to  Belinda  M.  Simonds,  who  was  born 
in  Antrim,  N.H.,  July  11,  1824,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Betsey  Simonds.      Mr.  and  Mrs. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


205 


Marden  have  three  children  —  Sibyl  B., 
Minetta  C,  and  George  D.  Sibyl  B.  and 
Minetta  C.  reside  with  their  parents.  George 
D.,  who  lives  in  his  native  town,  carries  on  a 
lumber-mill,  and  deals  largely  in  lumber. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marden  are  attendants  of 
the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Marden  has  ceased 
farming  for  the  last  four  years,  but  he  still 
resides  on  the  old  place,  and  enjoys  the  re- 
spect of  all  the  citizens  of  the  town. 


RANK  M.  FOR  R I  STALL,  a  promi- 
nent resident  and  business  man  of  Al- 
stead,  was  born  here,  April  22,  1857, 
son  of  Joseph  P.  and  Mary  A.  (Flint)  Forri- 
stall.  His  grandfather,  John  Forristall,  born 
in  Troy,  N.H.,  who  was  a  road  contractor  and 
farmer,  and  lived  for  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  in  Winchendon,  Mass.,  held  the  rank  of 
Captain  in  the  militia.  John  married  Mary 
Parker,  and  they  had  four  children — -Joseph 
P.,  John  M.,  Charles  E.,  and  Roswell  M. 
John  M.  lived  in  Winchendon,  carrying  on 
the  same  business  in  which  his  father  had 
been  engaged,  and  becoming  a  contractor  on  a 
large  scale.  Charles  E.  also  lived  in  Win- 
chendon, and  was  a  carpenter  and  builder. 
He  married  and  had  one  child.  Roswell  M., 
who  lives  in  the  same  town,  and  is  engaged  in 
the  same  business,  is  also  married. 

Joseph  P.  Forristall,  the  eldest  son  of 
John,  born  October  24,  18 16,  died  March  26, 
1897.  After  finishing  his  education  in  the 
town  schools  at  Winchendon,  he  went  to 
Orange,  Mass.,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of 
millwright,  and  remained  for  nine  years.  In 
184S  he  came  to  Alstead,  and  bought  a  mill, 
which  he  operated  during  the  rest  of  his  life. 
He  was  highly  respected  in  the  town.  In 
1867  and  1868  he  was  sent  as  Representative 
to  General  Court,  where  he  discharged  his 
duties  efficiently.  His  wife,  Mary,  who  was 
born  November  i,  1818,  and  now  resides  with 
F"rank  M.  Forristall,  had  three  children.  Of 
these  one  died  in  infancy,  and  George  P.  died 
at  the  age  of  seven  years. 

Frank  M.  P"orristall  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  Bernardston  Academy 
in  Massachusetts,  then  came  with  his  father  to 


Alstead',  and  worked  with  him  in  the  milling 
business  as  long  as  the  elder  Mr.  Forristall 
lived.  Snce  then  he  has  continued  the  busi- 
ness, carrying  out  the  plans  of  his  father. 
He  was  Selectman  of  the  town  for  three 
terms,  and  he  is  the  Representative  in  the 
State  legislature  for  1896-97,  serving  on  the 
Agricultural  College  Committee.  Mr.  Forris- 
tall attends  the  Congregational  church,  and  is 
an  active  member  of  the  grange  and  of  the  Order 
of  the  Golden  Cross.  The  first  of  his  two 
marriages  was  contracted  with  Julia  M.  Clapp, 
a  daughter  of  Alfred  Clapp,  of  Huntington, 
Mass.  liorn  August  13,  1856,  she  died  July 
26,  1894.  Her  children  were:  Leslie  P., 
born  May  4,  1879;  P'lorence  M.,  born  July 
26,  1881;  Ralph  W.,  born  October  14,  1888; 
and  Lena  J.,  born  July  22,  1894,  who  died 
November  26,  1894.  His  second  marriage 
was  made  with  Mary  S.  Cater,  who  was  born 
August  2,  1874,  daughter  of  George  E.  Cater, 
of  Alstead. 


§OHN  SCOTT,  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  Peterboro  ll\'rA/y  Transcript,  and 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born 
in  this  town,  September  9,  1844,  son 
of  William  and  Malinda  (Ward)  Scott.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Peterboro,  and  an 
account  of  the  family  history  may  be  found 
in  a  sketch  of  Colonel  Charles  Scott,  which 
appears    elsewhere  in  this  work. 

John  Scott's  opportunities  for  attending 
school  in  his  boyhood  were  very  limited,  as 
circumstances  made  it  necessary  for  him  to 
earn  his  own  living  while  still  a  mere  child. 
At  the  age  of  nine  years  he  entered  a  cotton- 
mill  in  this  town  as  a  bobbin  boy,  and  five 
years  later  he  had  advanced  to  the  position  of 
second  hand  in  the  carding -room  of  the 
Phceni.x  factory.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  be- 
came an  apprentice  in  the  office  of  the  Peter- 
boro Transcript,  which  was  then  published  by 
his  brother,  Kendall  C.  Scott;  and  here  he 
learned  the  printer's  trade.  In  July,  1864, 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Troop  G,  I'irst 
New  Hampshire  Cavalry,  and  was  soon  made 
a  Corporal.  He  was  wounded  in  the  left  foot 
while   on   picket   duty  in    Maryland,    and    dur- 


2o6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ing  his  four  months'  confinement  in  the  hos- 
pital in  Washington  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Sergeant.  He  was  hiter  made  Quarter- 
master Sergeant,  which  rank  he  held  when  he 
was  mustered  out.  In  September,  1865,  he 
became  a  partner  with  his  brother  in  the  pub- 
lication of  the  Transcript,  and  a  short  time 
later  Kendall  C.  Scott  sold  his  interest  to 
Joseph  Farnum.  The  firm  of  Farnum  &  Scott 
then  conducted  the  paper  for  twenty-four 
years,  or  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Farnum,  in 
1890,  since  which  time  Mr.  Scott  has  been  its 
editor  and  proprietor.  The  Transcript  is  a 
lively,  interesting,  and  up-to-date  newspaper, 
and  Mr.  Scott  neglects  no  favorable  oppor- 
tunity of  increasing  its  usefulness  and  advanc- 
ing its  circulation.  He  also  does  a  profitable 
job  printing  business.  An  unswerving  Re- 
publican in  politics,  he  takes  a  leading  part  in 
local  affairs,  and  in  1SS7  and  1888  he  ably 
represented  this  town  in  the  legislature. 

On  May  i,  1866,  Mr.  Scott  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Lucinda  C.  Forbush,  a  daughter 
of  Luke  O.  Forbush,  of  Peterboro,  and  has 
had  a  family  of  four  children,  of  whom  but 
one  is  now  living,  Mabel  S.,  born  August  I, 
1872.  She  married  Dr.  P'red  S.  Piper,  of 
this  town,  and  is  the  mother  of  one  child,  a 
daughter  —  Dorothy  G.,  born  November  19, 
1893. 

Mr.  Scott  is  a  member  of  Altamont  Lodge, 
No.  26,  F".  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Peterboro  Lodge 
No.  15,  I.  O.  O.  F".  He  is  also  Past  Com- 
mander of  Aaron  Y.  Stevens  Post,  No.  6, 
G.  A.  R.  He  and  his  wife  attend  the  Uni- 
tarian  church. 


SCAR  H.  BRADLEY,  M.D.,  well 
known  as  a  medical  practitioner  in 
Jaffrey  and  the  surrounding  towns, 
was  born  February  10,  1826,  in 
Louisville,  Ky.,  son  of  James  and  Jane 
(Holmes)  Bradley.  The  father,  who  was  a 
native  of  either  New  Hampshire  or  Vermont, 
and  who  was  a  mechanic  in  Londonderry, 
N.H.,  for  some  time  prior  to  his  marriage, 
afterward  spent  ten  years  in  Louisville,  Ky. , 
then  settled  in  V'ermont,  where  he  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years.      His  wife,  a  daugh- 


ter of  Jonathan  Holmes,  of  Londonderry,  was 
the  mother  of  si.\  children  —  Nathaniel,  Mar- 
garet, Mary  Ann,  Albert,  Oscar,  and  Laura 
—  of  whom  Dr.  Bradley  is  the  sole  survivor. 

Oscar  H.  Bradley  studied  for  a  time  at  the 
Black  River  Academy  in  Ludlow,  V^t.,  where 
President  Tucker,  of  Dartmouth  College,  was 
one  of  his  classmates.  He  began  to  read 
medicine  with  Dr.  Twitchell,  of  Keene,  N.H. 
Subsequently  he  pursued  his  studies  at  Bur- 
lington, Vt.,  and  at  the  Dartmouth  Medical 
College,  receiving  his  diploma  from  the  last- 
named  institution  in  due  course.  Since  then 
he  has  followed  his  profession  in  this  town, 
acquiring  a  large  practice,  and  being  for  years 
the  only  physician  here.  Naturally  of  keen, 
analytic  abilities,  his  diagnosis  of  symptoms 
is  almost  unfailing;  while  his  sympathy  for 
his  patients  and  his  ready  appreciation  of 
their  needs  have  often  been  of  more  value  than 
the  medicine  administered.  He  is  now  grad- 
ually retiring  from  active  practice,  having 
acquired  a  competency  that  enables  him  to 
enjoy  a  well-earned  rest.  Dr.  Bradley  has 
been  interested  in  various  things  outside  his 
professional  cares.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
influential  promoters  of  the  Monadnock  Rail- 
road, and  was  one  of  its  directors  until  the 
road  was  bought  out  by  the  Fitchburg  line. 
He  was  the  prime  mover  in  establishing  the 
Monadnock  Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  has 
been  the  president  for  the  past  thirty  years. 
He  is  also  a  director  of  the  National  Bank. 
The  Doctor  has  been  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic organization  for  forty  )'ears. 

Dr.  Bradley  married  Julia  A.  Spaulding, 
who  was  born  in  March,  1831,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Spaulding,  of  Fitzwilliam,  N.H.  His 
children  are:  Daniel  E.  and  Mark  S.  Daniel, 
born  in  May,  1861,  who,  after  graduating  at 
Dartmouth  College,  took  a  special  course  in 
engineering,  is  now  the  general  superin- 
tendent of  the  Berlin  Bridge  Works  at  Berlin, 
Conn.  He  married  Anna  Sampson,  of  North- 
field,  Vt.,  and  has  three  children  —  Lucille, 
Marguerite,  and  Edith.  Mark  S.  I^radley 
was  born  at  Jaffrey  in  1868.  He  graduated 
from  Yale  College  and  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  at  New  York  Citv,  took 
two  years'   work   in    the    Charity    Hospital    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


207 


New  York,  ami  then  lucated  at  South  Man- 
chestei-,  Conn.,  whore  he  became  a  leading 
ph)sician,  and  lias  an  extensive  practice.  At 
this  writing  he  is  travelling  in  luirope. 


/T^HARLES  HENRY  CUTLER,  M.U., 
I  Ky  a  popular  physician  of  Peterboro  and 
^^Hs  a   son   of   Dr.    John    H.    Cutler,    was 

born  here,  September  g,  1867. 
His  grandfather,  John  Cutler,  who  was  a 
farmer  of  Rindge,  N.H.,  lived  to  an  advanced 
age.  John  Cutler's  first  wife  died  young. 
His  second  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Marinda  Wright,  is  still  living.  His  chil- 
dren, besides  Dr.  John  H.  Cutler,  are:  Au- 
gusta, now  Mrs.  Sandford ;   Anna;   and  Emily. 

Dr.  John  H.  Cutler  was  born  in  Rindge. 
After  attending  the  schools  of  that  town  for 
the  usual  jieriod,  he  was  prepared  for  college 
in  the  Pittsfield  School  of  Pittsfield,  Mass. 
Afterward  he  graduated  from  the  School  of 
Medicine  connected  with  the  University  of 
Vermont  at  Burlington,  and  settled  in  Green- 
ville, N.H.,  where  he  practised  for  a  short 
time.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  war  he 
was  commissioned  as  surgeon,  and  served  for 
some  time  in  the  Union  army.  Coming  later 
to  Peterboro,  he  remained  here  in  active  prac- 
tice up  to  1889,  when  the  condition  of  his 
health  obliged  him  to  retire.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  and  he  has  served  the  town 
as  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  a  Repre- 
sentative to  the  State  legislature,  and  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Health.  He  is  a 
comrade  of  Aaron  F.  Stevens  Post,  No.  6, 
G.  A.  R.,  of  Peterboro;  and  a  Mason  of  Peter- 
boro Lodge.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Martha  L.  Ryan,  is  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church.  Their  children  are: 
Samuel  R.,  Charles  H.,  Castella,  Annie  L., 
and  M.   E^vangeline. 

Charles  Henry  Cutler  attended  the  Peter- 
boro schools,  and  later  Cushing's  Academy  at 
Ashburnham,  Mass.,  where  he  fitted  for  col- 
lege. He  graduated  from  the  Burlington 
Medical  School  in  the  class  of  1892,  and 
shortly  after  opened  practice  in  Peterboro. 
In  the  brief  period  that  has  since  elapsed,  he 
has  won  for  himself  quite  a  reputation  for  skill 


and  ability  in  his  profession.  In  1896  he 
married  Helen  N.  Bissell,  daughter  of  lulgar 
N.  Bissell,  of  Shorcham,  Vt.  In  politics  Dr. 
Cutler  is  a  Republican,  in  religion  an  Epis- 
copalian. He  is  a  member  of  Peterboro  Ma- 
sonic Lodge  and  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans 
organization.  At  present  he  is  surgeon  of 
the  State  Division  of  the  New  Ham[)shire 
Sons  of  Veterans. 


ON.  SAMUEL  UPTON,  now  living 
n  retirement  in  his  pleasant  home 
in  Goffstown  village,  was  born  in 
Wilmot,  Merrimack  County,  Sep- 
tember 12,  1S24,  son  of  Daniel  and  Asenath 
(Teel)  Upton.  The  Upton  family  is  traced 
to  sturdy  English  stock.  John  Upton,  the 
American  progenitor,  came  to  this  country 
from  England.  Daniel  Upton,  born  March 
6,  1783,  in  Ashby,  Mass.,  residing  in  Wil- 
mot for  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  followed 
the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  was  also  engaged 
in  general  farming.  An  honest,  temperate, 
and  industrious  man,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church,  and  in  politics  he 
supported  the  Republican  party.  The  first  of 
his  two  marriages  was  contracted  with  Re- 
becca Teel,  and  the  second  with  Asenath 
Teel,  his  first  wife's  sister.  Asenath,  born 
in  Goffstown,  May  5,  1799,  died  December 
26,  1869.  Daniel  s  death  occurred  Novem- 
ber 4,  1856.  There  were  fourteen  children 
by  the  two  marriages,  four  by  the  first,  and 
ten  by  the  last.  Seven  of  the  number  are 
still  living,  namely:  Martha  N.,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Griffin,  of  Lowell,  Mass.;  Asenath, 
the  wife  of  Amos  P.  Stevens,  of  Wilmot, 
N.H.;  Elvira,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Stevens,  of 
Meriden,  la.;  Harriet  J.,  the  wife  of  George 
W.  Prescott,  of  Meriden,  la.  ;  Eliza  F. ,  the 
wife  of  E.  R.  Poor,  of  Goffstown;  Samuel 
Upton,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  J. 
Kendrick  Upton,  a  resident  of  Washington, 
D.  C.  The  deceased  were:  Rebecca  J.,  Dan- 
iel, Mary  C,  Betsy,  Lydia  A.,  Elmira,  and 
Emily  A.  Rebecca  J.  married  James  F.  Tay- 
lor; Mary  C.  married  A.  J.  George;  Lydia  A. 
married  G.  W.  Prescott;  and  Emily  A.  died 
unmarried. 


208 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


Samuel  Upton  jjassed  the  early  years  of  his 
life  in  Wilmot,  his  native  town.  His  educa- 
tion was  begun  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
place. '  Afterward  he  went  to  the  academy  at 
New  London  for  one  term,  and  then  took  a 
complete  course  at  Kimball  Union  Academy, 
Meriden,  N.H.,  paying  his  way  by  teaching 
and  doing  such  other  work  as  he  could  obtain 
in  vacation  time.  He  successfully  followed 
the  occupation  of  teacher  for  several  terms  in 
district  and  high  schools,  and  in  academies  at 
Ashby,  Mass.,  Corinth,  Vt.,  and  Deering, 
N.H.  His  ambition,  however,  was  to  be- 
come a  lawyer,  and  in  the  spring  of  185 1, 
when  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  he  entered 
the  law  office  of  Butterfield  &  Hamlin.  He 
completed  his  law  studies  in  the  office  of  D. 
&  D.  J.  Clark  in  Manchester,  N.H.,  in  the 
spring  of  1852.  After  his  admission  to  the 
bar  in  September,  1854,  he  opened  an  ofiice 
in  Manchester.  Here  three  years  later  he 
was  appointed  a  Justice  of  the  Police  Court, 
which  office  he  held  until  1874,  a  period  of 
seventeen  years.  In  1855-56  he  represented 
old  Ward  Five  of  Manchester  in  the  legislature; 
he  served  on  the  School  Board  from  Ward  Four 
for  three  years;  and  in  December,  1863,  Pres- 
ident Lincoln  appointed  him  Commissioner 
of  the  Board  of  Enrolment  for  the  Second 
Congressional  District,  the  duties  of  which 
position  he  efficiently  discharged  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  In  1875  Judge  Upton  left 
Manchester,  and  settled  in  Cherokee  County, 
Iowa,  in  the  hope  that  the  change  would  prove 
■beneficial  to  his  wife's  health  and  enable 
him  to  free  himself  from  politics.  Here, 
with  his  brother-in-law,  G.  W.  Prescott, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Prescott  &  Upton, 
he  conducted  a  general  store  for  a  time.  In 
1883  he  returned  to  New  Hampshire,  and  set- 
tled in  Goffstown.  After  two  years  spent  in 
business  in  Goffstown  he  again  took  up  legal 
work  to  some  extent  for  a  short  time,  and 
then  practically  retired  from  active  business. 

On  June  17,  1857,  Judge  Upton  married 
Miss  Jennie  L.  Meriam,  who  was  born  in 
Harvard,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Jonas  Meriam. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Fannie  S.  LTpton. 
Judge  Upton  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He  is 
a  member  of  Mechanics   Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F., 


at  Manchester;  and  of  Bible  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M. ,  at  Goffstown.  While  in  the  West  he 
did  effective  work  in  the  cause  of  temper- 
ance, and  was  active  in  Sunday-school  teach- 
ing. Since  coming  to  Goffstown  he  has  iden- 
tified himself  with  the  Congregational  church 
here,  and  is  now  the  superintendent  of  its 
Sunday-school.  For  the  last  twelve  years  he 
has  been  a  member  of  the  School  Board. 
When  the  water  system  was  put  into  the  vil- 
lage he  acted  as  Water  Commissioner.  He  is 
a  trustee  of  the  Public  Library.  Of  a  frank 
and  genial  nature,  the  Judge  has  a  large  circle 
of  friends. 


<^  •  ^» 


r^TON.      WALTER     LUCIUS     GOOD- 

l^       NOW,     of    Jaffrey,    founder   of    the 

|ls  I  firm    of    Goodnow   Brothers    &   Co., 

and    an     ex-member    of    the    New 

Hampshire  Senate,  was  born   in  Winchendon, 

Mass.,  March  i,  185  i,  son  of  William  Everett 

and  Abigail  (Beaman)  Goodnow.      His  father 

was   the    only    son    of    William    Goodnow,    of 

Camden,    Me.,    and    was   one    of    a    family   of 

Ihree,     the     daughters      being     Jerusha     and 

Pamelia. 

William  Everett  Goodnow  was  born  in 
Camden,  Me.,  July  9,  181 2.  When  a  young 
man  he  settled  upon  a  farm  in  Princeton, 
Mass.,  where  he  resided  a  number  of  years; 
and  he  then  engaged  in  the  lumbering  busi- 
ness in  this  State.  He  has  been  a  resident  of 
Jaffrey  since  1856,  and,  although  he  is  now  in 
his  eighty-sixth  year,  he  manages  two  large 
farms,  and  is  exceedingly  active  for  one  of  his 
age.  He  has  been  a  Deacon  of  the  Baptist 
church  for  upward  of  fifty  years,  and  takes  a 
deep  interest  in  religious  and  benevolent 
work.  His  wife,  Abigail  Beaman,  who  was 
born  in  Princeton,  Mass.,  in  1S18,  daughter 
of  Gamaliel  Beaman,  became  the  mother  of 
five  children:  William  S.  ;  Cordelia  L. ; 
Walter  L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Way- 
land  H.  ;  and  Windsor  H.  William  S.  Good- 
now, who  is  a  merchant  in  Peterboro,  N.H., 
has  been  twice  married,  and  has  one  son  by 
his  first  union.  His  second  wife  was  Mrs. 
Nellie  Fish,  born  Howard.  Cordelia  L., 
who  died   in    1865,  was   the  wife  of  Newhall 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


209 


Flint,  of  Lyme,  N.H.  Wayland  II.  is  a 
member  of  tlie  firm  of  Goodnow  Brotliers  & 
Co.,  and  resides  in  Jaffrey.  Windsor  H. 
Goodnow,  who  is  also  a  member  of  the  firm, 
and  has  charge  of  their  store  in  Keene,  N.H., 
married  Anna  Putnam,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren. 

Walter  Lucius  Goodnow  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  Lyme  and  Jaffrey,  N.H.,  and 
after  completing  his  studies  he  began  his  busi- 
ness career  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Fitzwill- 
iam,  remaining  there  three  years.  He  next 
went  to  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  where  he  was 
employed  in  the  same  capacity  a  year;  and  in 
September,  1873,  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Peter  Upton  and  Benjamin  Pierce,  under 
the  firm  name  of  W.  L.  Goodnow  &  Co.  That 
concern  carried  on  a  general  store  in  Jaffrey 
until  1875,  when  Mr.  Goodnow  purchased  the 
interests  of  his  partners,  and  associated  him- 
self with  Alvin  J.  Bemis.  The  partnership 
continued  under  the  name  style  until  1881, 
when  he  bought  Mr.  Bemis  out,  and  after  that 
he  conducted  business  alone  until  1891.  The 
W.  L.  Goodnow  Company  was  then  formed, 
and  continued  in  business  until  1894,  when 
the  present  firm  of  Goodnow  Brothers  &  Co. 
was  established.  This  concern  own  five  large 
stores,  located  as  follows:  one  in  East  Jaffrey, 
one  in  Peterboro,  one  in  West  Swanzey,  one 
in  Keene,  and  one  in  Winchester.  They  are 
doing  an  extensive  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness, besides  handling  quantities  of  hay  and 
grain,  and  operating  a  grist-mill  in  Jaffrey. 
Mr.  Goodnow  has  represented  his  district  in 
the  lower  house  of  the  State  legislature,  and 
has  served  one  term  in  the  Senate.  While 
serving  as  a  Representative  in  1889-91,  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Committees  on  Banks 
and  Insurance;  and  in  the  Senate  in  1893-94 
he  was  assigned  to  the  Committees  on  Banks, 
Labor,  and  Soldiers'  Home.  He  has  been  a 
director  of  the  First  National  Bank  since 
1885,  and  is  actively  interested  in  developing 
the  business  resources  of  this  section.  Mr. 
Goodnow  has  advanced  in  Masonry  to  the  Com- 
mandery,  is  connected  also  with  the  Patrons 
of  Husbandry,  and  the  United  Order  of  the 
Golden  Cross.  In  his  religious  views  he  is  a 
Baptist. 


Mr.  Goodnow's  first  wife,  I'juma  S.  Bcniis, 
whom  he  married  in  July,  1874,  died  the  day 
following  the  marriage  ceremony.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Alvin  J.  Bemis,  later  his 
business  associate.  For  his  second  wife  he 
married  M.  Adelaide  Upton,  born  in  Jaffrey, 
November  4,  1856,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Peter 
Upton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodnow  have  three 
children  now  living,  as  follows:  Jessie  E., 
born  November  10,  1879,  a  graduate  of  Cu.sh- 
ing  Academy,  Ashburnham,  Mass.;  Hazel 
M.,  born  October  17,  1882;  and  RutJi  L., 
born  December  12,  1886.  Their  youngest 
child,  Ralph  W.,  born  June  27,  1890,  died  in 
infancy. 


OSEPH  FITCH  CROSBY,  a  venerable 
and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Hills- 
boro  County,  residing  in  Milford,  was 
born  in  Amherst,  N.H.,  September  16, 
1 819,  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Richardson) 
Crosby. 

The  Crosby  family  is  of  English  origin. 
Joseph  Crosby,  son  of  Josiah,  who  was  an  early 
settler  of  Hillsboro,  was  born  in  Milford, 
N.H.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and 
lived  for  a  time  in  Jaffrey  and  later  in  Am- 
herst. He  was  residing  in  the  former  place 
when  the  Revolutionary  War  began.  He  at 
once  enlisted,  and  was  one  of  those  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  The 
son  still  has  the  old  powder-horn  used  by  his 
father.  Joseph  Crosljy  lived  to  be  nearly 
ninety,  dying  October  9,  1842,  in  his  nineti- 
eth year.  In  politics  he  was  a  \\'hig,  in  re- 
ligion a  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
Joseph  Flitch  Crosby,  the  only  SLirvivor  of 
the  seven  children  born  to  Joseph  and  Sarah 
Crosby,  spent  the  early  years  of  his  life  on  a 
farm  in  Amherst.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  that  place,  and  was  for  a  time  a 
student  at  a  private  school  in  Milford.  He 
now  owns  a  one-hundred-and-twenty-acre  farm 
in  Milford,  besides  forty  acres  of  land  in  the 
town  of  Amherst.  In  connection  with  farm- 
ing, he  has  been  engaged  in  quarrying  granite. 
He  assisted  in  building  the  fine  stone  bridge 
which  spans  the  Souhegan  River  at  Milford. 
He    also    contracted    for     and    furnished    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIKW 


stone  used  in  the  coustruction  of  the  Amherst 
High  School. 

On  March  28,  1847,  Mr.  Crosby  married 
Miss  Helen  M.  Averill,  who  was  born  in  Mont 
Vernon,  a  daughter  of  James  J.  Averill,  a 
former  resident  of  that  place,  but  who  is  now 
deceased.  The  Averill  family  is  one  of  the 
oldest  in  Hillsboro  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Crosby  had  two  children;  namely,  Grace  H. 
and  Kate  Belle.  The  latter  has  passed  away. 
Mrs.  Crosby  died  November  14,   1879. 

Mr.  Crosby  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  While 
not  caring  for  official  honors,  he  commands  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  his  townsmen,  who 
feel  that  his  influence  will  be  given  to  the  sup- 
port of  any  worthy  object. 


•OHN  B.  JONES,  of  Goffstown,  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  who  is  also  success- 
fully engaged  in  farming,  was  born 
August  2,  1840,  in  Manchester,  Hills- 
boro County,  son  of  Eliphalet  and  Abigail  C. 
(Butler)  Jones.  Phillip  Jones,  the  great- 
grandfather of  John  B.,  was  a  pioneer  farmer 
of  Goffstown,  where  he  reclaimed  from  the 
wilderness  the  farm  upon  which  he  afterward 
lived.  His  son,  Eliphalet,  Sr. ,  who  was  en- 
gaged in  farming,  and  also  owned  and  con- 
ducted the  saw-mill  known  as  the  Jones  Mill, 
died  here  when  about  seventy-seven  years  of 
age.  The  grandmother,  Polly  Ladd  Jones, 
who  was  born  in  Dunbarton,  also  lived  to  a 
good  age. 

Eliphalet  Jones,  Jr.,  learned  the  trade  of  a 
mason,  and  afterward  worked  at  it  besides  con- 
ducting a  farm.  He  died  January  3,  1883, 
sixty-nine  years  of  age.  His  wife,  Abigail, 
who  was  a  Baptist,  died  April  28,  1885,  aged 
si.xty-six  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republi- 
can from  the  formation  of  the  party.  In  his 
earlirr  days  he  was  a  Universalist,  but  after- 
ward  he  became  a  Spiritualist,,  Of  his  seven 
children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  five 
are  living,  namely:  John  B.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Abbie  S.  Jones,  born  April  12, 
1846,  residing  in  Goffstown;  Moody  B.,  born 
April  12,  1848,  engaged  in  farming  in  Dun- 
barton;  Albert  E.,  born  August  27,  1853, 
a    farmer    and    a    mason    in     Dunbarton;    and 


Henry  C,  born  March  5,  1859,  who  is  the 
proprietor  of  a  hotel  at  York  Beach,  Me. 
Lydia  M.,  born  December  20,  1842,  who  mar- 
ried Daniel  L.  Woodbury,  died  May  10,  1896; 
and  Lizzie  S.  Jones,  born  October  7,  1856, 
died  February  14,   1867. 

John  B.  Jones  grew  to  manhood  and  was 
educated  here  in  Goffstown.  When  twenty- 
two  years  old,  he  began  learning  the  trade  of  a 
carpenter,  which,  more  or  less,  he  has  since 
followed.  In  1872,  when  about  thirty-two 
years  old,  he  purchased  the  farm  he  now  owns. 
This  he  has  since  conducted,  making  a  spe- 
cialty of  dairying,  keeping  grade  Holstein 
cattle  principally.  On  August  25,  1S63,  be 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  First  New  Hampshire 
Regiment  of  Heavy  Artillery,  under  Captain 
Ira  McBarton,  and  subsequently  served  in  the 
Civil  War  until  its  close.  He  was  honorably 
discharged  September  11,  1865.  On  May  7, 
1864,  while  in  the  army,  he  was  promoted  for 
faithfulness  in  the  performance  of  duty  to  the 
rank  of  Corporal. 

On  October  4,  1876,  Mr.  Jones  was  mar- 
ried to  Sophronia  Johnson.  They  had  one 
son  —  Joseph  Clinton  Jones,  born  January  26, 
1880,  who  died  October  3,  1884.  Mr.  Jones 
is  an  adherent  of  the  Republican  party.  In 
religion  he  is  a  Universalist.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Bible  Lodge,  No.  93,  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  Goffstown,  and  a  comrade  of  Louis  Bell 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Manchester. 


RS.  STEPHEN   KIMBALL,  a  well- 
known     resident    of    Alstead,    was 


born  December  9,  18 14,  daughter 
of  John  and  Luna  Fletcher  Harris. 
In  early  life  she  attended  the  public  schools. 
Upon  reaching  womanhood,  she  married  Law- 
son  Robertson.  Mr.  Robertson,  a  native  of 
Chesterfield,  N.H.,  who  was  born  April  23, 
181 1,  died  October  31,  1863.  A  man  of 
great  energy  and  business  ability,  he  became 
one  of  the  wealthy  merchants  of  Chesterfield 
and  later  of  Alstead.  Not  allowing  his  per- 
sonal affairs  to  absorb  his  attention  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  everything  else,  he  took  an  active 
part  in  town  affairs.  Whatever  measure  he 
believed  to  be  for  the  benefit   of   the  town  as  a 


LAWSON     ROBERTSON. 


STEPHEN     KIMBALL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


2'S 


vvliole  received  at  once  not  only  his  cordial 
support,  but  his  active  co-operation.  His 
business  career  had  given  him  the  best  pos- 
sible training  for  the  public  service,  and  he 
was  chosen  to  fill  about  every  office  in  the 
gift  of  the  town,  including  those  of  Selectman 
and  Town  Treasurer.  Personal  considerations 
were  never  allowed  to  interfere  in  any  way 
with  his  official  duties,  and  he  had  the  good  of 
his  townsmen  always  at  heart,  considering 
himself  the  servant  of  the  public.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Universalist  church,  and  his 
life  beautifully  illustrated  the  teachings  of 
that  body  in  that  he  desired  to  do  good  to  all 
men. 

Mr.  RobertS(jn  and  his  wife  had  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Herman,  born  October  ig, 
1838,  who  died  December  30,  1868;  Stella, 
born  September  18,  1841,  who  died  July  16, 
1843;  Edward  H.,  born  June  19,  1844,  who 
died  February  12,  1849;  and  Frank  H.,  born 
June  18,  1853,  who  was  a  merchant,  and  died 
February  3,   1886. 

Mrs.  Kimball's  second  husband,  to  whom 
she  was  married  on  July  28,  1870,  after  nearly 
seven  years  of  widowhood,  was  the  late  Ste- 
phen Kimball,  who  for  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  was  an  esteemed  resident  of  this 
town.  Mr.  Kimball,  a  native  of 'Chesterfield, 
born  in  December,  1808,  died  June  4,  1896. 
He  removed  to  Alstead  at  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, and  became  active  in  town  affairs  and 
prominent  as  a  Republican.  Of  a  genial, 
warm-hearted  nature,  ever  ready  to  oblige,  and 
deeming  no  sacrifice  for  principle  or  for  honor's 
sake  too  great,  he  won  general  esteem  and  the 
friendship  of  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 


LIVER  TENNEY,  a  prominent  resi- 
dent of  New  Ipswich,  was  born  here, 
July  6,  T846,  son  of  Barnard  and  Har- 
riet (Wallace)  Tenney.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  John  Tenney,  who  was  a  native 
and  a  leading  farmer  of  Littleton,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried Lucy  Read.  Of  their  eight  children, 
Barnard,  the  fifth  son,  is  the  only  one  now 
living. 

Barnard  Tenney,  born  at   Littleton,  May  16, 
1809,   is   still    living,    being   now   eighty-eight 


years  old.  His  wife  died  in  her  si.xtieth  year. 
In  early  life  he  learned  the  cooper's  trade. 
When  thirty  years  old,  he  came  to  New  Ips- 
wich and  piuchascd  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres,  the  cultivation  of  which  thereafter 
occupied  his  time.  In  addition  to  this  estate, 
he  owns  other  property.  Having  given  close 
attention  to  his  affairs  throughout  his  life,  he 
has  been  quite  prosperous.  He  is  now  enjoying 
the  fruits  of  his  early  industry.  Of  his  four 
children  Oliver  is  the  only  survivor. 

After  obtaining  a  good  training  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  New  Ipswich,  Oliver  Tenney 
worked  at  farming  with  his  father.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land.  Besides  carrying  on  general  farming,  he 
transacts  a  large  business  in  lumbering.  In 
January,  1885,  he  married  Ella  F.  Hale,  who 
was  born  March  17,  1859,  daughter  of  Julius 
A.  Hale,  of  Rindge,  N.H.  Their  first  child, 
Llattie  E.,  was  born  June  6,  1S86.  P^our 
others  followed,  namely:  Wallace  O.,  born 
July  10,  1889;  Wilbur  H.,  born  June  29, 
1892;  Alice  F.,  born  February  20,  1894;  and 
Ruth  Marion,  born  November  16,   1S96. 

In  religion  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tenney  are 
liberals,  and  they  attend  the  Baptist  church. 
In  politics  Mr.  I'enney  is  a  Democrat.  I"or 
some  years  past  he  has  been  Selectman  of  the 
town.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of 
this  section  of  the  State  and  a  man  of  high 
character  and  reputation. 


"I^Tin^l^ERT  S.    HUTCHINSON,  M.D., 
L^-l       one    of   the   foremost   physicians    and 

lU  I  surgeons  of  Milford,  N.  H.,  is  a  fine 

— '  representative  of  the  native-born 
citizens  of  the  town,  where  his  birth  occurred 
September  15,  1849.  He  is  of  English  ances- 
try, being  descended  from  a  family  of  Hutch- 
insons  that  trace  their  lineage  back  to  the 
eleventh  century.  The  founder  of  the  family 
in  Milford  was  Elisha  Hutchinson,  who  came 
to  New  Hampshire  from  a  part  of  old  Salem 
(now  Danvers),  Mass.  Selecting  a  tract  of 
land  north  of  the  Souhegan  River,  he  made 
a  clearing,  built  a  log  house,  and  thereafter 
was  engaged  in  farming.  He  left  two  sons  — 
Jesse  and  Andrew  —  to  each  of  wIidui   he  be- 


!l6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


qiieathetl  one-half  of  bis  estate.  Jesse  was  the 
father  of  the  celebrated  "  Ilutcbinsoii  Family  " 
of  singers,  so  widely  and  justly  celebrated  for 
their  musical  abilities. 

Andrew  Hutchinson,  the  paternal  grand- 
father of  the  Doctor,  was  a  prominent  man  in 
the  town.  He  was  very  active  in  the  building 
of  the  Baptist  church,  being  master  workman, 
and  subsequently  served  as  Deacon  of  the 
church  for  many  years.  He  reared  a  numerous 
family  of  daughters  and  sons.  His  son,  Still- 
man  Hutchinson,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of 
Milford,  being  here  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  during  his  active  years.  Stillman 
was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  untiring 
industry.  He  married  Emeline  Gove,  who 
was  born  in  Weare,  N.  H.  They  had  four 
children,  of  whom  Dr.  Hutchinson  is  the 
youngest. 

Herbert  S.  Hutchinson  obtained  his  ele- 
mentary education  in  Milford,  being  gradu- 
ated from  the  high  school  with  an  excellent 
record  for  scholarship.  When  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  he  entered  Dartmouth  College, 
and  during  the  time  he  was  there  he  taught 
school  in  the  winter  seasons  to  defray  his  ex- 
penses, and  at  the  same  time  kept  up  with  his 
class  in  his  studies.  He  graduated  from  that 
institution  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 
in  1875.  After  continuing  his  pedagogical 
labors  for  a  time  in  New  England,  in  the 
spring  of  1876  he  took  a  course  of  lectures  at 
the  Maine  Medical  College  in  Brunswick. 
Going  then  to  Toledo,  Ohio,  he  accepted  the 
position  of  principal  of  the  Mitchell  High 
School,  of  which  he  had  charge  two  years. 
By  this  time  he  had  saved  some  money;  and 
he  went  to  New  York  as  a  student  in  the 
Bellevue  Hospital  College,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  March  i,  1880.  The  Doctor 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Fran- 
cestown,  N.H.,  continuing  prosperously  en- 
gaged there  for  five  years.  On  May  i,  1885, 
he  returned  to  his  native  town,  where  by  his 
skill  in  his  profession  he  has  built  up  a  fine 
practice  and  won  in  an  eminent  degree  the 
confidence  of  the  community. 

Dr.  Hutchinson  was  for  a  number  of  years 
a  member  of  the  Milford  Town  Board  of 
Health.      Politically,  he  is  a  stanch   Republi- 


can; and,  socially,  he  is  prominently  identified 
with  the  Odd  Fellows  Order,  taking  an  active 
interest  in  promoting  the  good  of  the  society. 
He  is  likewise  a  member  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Medical  Society.  The  Doctor  was  mar- 
ried July  17,  1883,  to  Miss  Harriet  A.  Wil- 
son, daughter  of  the  late  Elias  Wilson,  of 
Francestown,  N.H.  Their  children  are: 
Herbert  L.  and  Rollo  W. 


/STeORGE  carpenter,  who  occupies 
y  '*)  I  one  of  the  oldest  farms  in  Swanzey, 
^ —  Cheshire  County,  N.H.,  was  born 
where  he  now  resides,  September  13,  1828, 
son  of  the  Hon.  Elijah  and  F"anny  (Partridge) 
Carpenter.  His  first  American  ancestor  was 
William  Carpenter,  who  arrived  from  Eng- 
land in  1638,  and  moved  from  Weymouth  to 
Rehoboth,  Mass.,  in  1643. 

The  Rev.  Ezra  Carpenter,  a  descendant  of 
William  and  great-grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Rehoboth,  April 
I,  1698,  and  was  graduated  at  Harvard  Col- 
lege in  1720.  He  was  installed  pastor  of  the 
church  in  Hull,  November  24,  1725,  and 
preached  there  until  November  23,  1746.  In 
1753  he  was  called  to  Swanzey;  and  on  Octo- 
ber 14  of  that  year  the  churches  of  Keene  and 
Swanzey  were  united,  with  the  Rev.  Ezra 
Carpenter  as  pastor.  After  the  church  union 
was  discontinued  seven  years  later,  he  re- 
mained as  pastor  of  the  church  in  Swanzey 
until  1765.  He  died  at  Walpole,  N.H.,  Au- 
gust 26,  1785.  In  Swanzey  he  resided  upon 
the  farm  that  is  now  occupied  by  his  great- 
grandson,  and  he  is  said  to  have  at  one  time 
owned  slaves.  He  married  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Greenwood,  and 
reared  a  family  of  eight  children. 

Greenwood  Carpenter,  George  Carpenter's 
grandfather,  was  born  in  Hull,  March  31, 
•733-  He  was  twice  married,  and  was  the 
father  of  thirteen  children,  three  by  his  first 
wife,  Sarah  Leathers,  and  ten  by  his  second 
wife,  Susan  Hammond,  of  Swanzey,  Elijah, 
Mr.  George  Carpenter's  father,  being  among 
the  latter. 

Elijah  Carpenter  was  born  at  the  homestead 
in    Swanzey,    December    23,     1779.       He    in- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


217 


hcritcd  the  ancestral  farm,  which  he  culti- 
vated thiring  his  active  years,  and  by  industri- 
ous toil  and  sagacious  management  made  his 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  yield  him 
a  good  income.  He  was  an  upright,  con- 
scientious man,  adhering  closely  to  the  Golden 
Rule;  and  through  his  natural  ability  and 
legal  knowledge  he  acquired  a  wide  influence 
among  his  fellow-townsmen.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  legislature  for  a  number  of  terms, 
was  a  State  Senator  one  year,  served  as  High 
Sheriff  for  ten  years,  and  as  Deputy  Sheriff 
until  he  was  about  eighty  years  old.  He  was 
spoken  of  and  addressed  as  Squire  Carpenter, 
and  while  holding  the  office  of  High  Sheriff 
he  carried  a  sword  at  court,  as  was  customary 
in  those  days.  He  married  Fanny  Partridge, 
who  was  born  in  Montague,  Mass.,  November 
I,  1787.  Of  their  seven  children  one  died 
young,  and  two  in  middle  life.  The  sur- 
vivors are:  a  son,  George,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  and  three  daughters,  one  of  whom  re- 
sides in  Denver,  Col.,  aged  eighty;  another 
in  Iowa,  aged  seventy-eight;  and  the  third  in 
Wisconsin,  aged  seventy-five  years. 

George  Carpenter  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  town.  He  has  resided  at  the 
homestead  most  of  his  life,  caring  for  his  par- 
ents in  their  declining  years;  and  he  takes 
much  pride  in  keeping  the  ancestral  acres  in  a 
good  state  of  cultivation  and  the  buildings  in 
excellent  repair.  The  farm  is  a  landmark  in 
the  town,  as  a  fort  for  the  defence  of  the  set- 
tlers once  stood  upon  it,  and  also  the  first 
meeting-house,  which  was  built  of  logs,  and 
the  first  framed  meeting-house.  The  present 
residence,  which  was  remodelled  from  the  sec- 
ond house  built  on  the  farm,  bears  evidence 
of  its  antiquity,  being  about  ninety  years  old; 
and  the  old-fashioned  outside  door  is  hung  on 
solid  barn-door  hinges.  In  politics  Mr.  Car- 
penter was  formerly  a  Democrat,  but  in  1878 
he  joined  the  Greenback  movement,  and  he  is 
now  a  prominent  supporter  of  the  People's 
party.  In  1882  he  was  nominated  for  Repre- 
sentative to  Congress,  and  in  1884  and  again 
in  1886  he  was  a  candidate  for  Governor. 

Mr.  Carpenter  married  Lucy  J.  Whitcomb, 
born  at  Sa.xton's  River,  Vt.,  daughter  of 
Colonel  Carter  and   Lucy   (Baker)  Whitcomb. 


Mrs.  Carpenter  was  educated  in  Mount  Cresar 
Seminary,  Swanzcy,  under  the  direction  of 
Professor  Joseph  C.  Barrett  and  the  Rev. 
S.  H.  McCollester,  D.D.,  and  has  since  taken 
the  full  Chautauqua  course.  She  has  acquired 
considerable  reputation  as  a  writer  of  prose 
and  poetry,  and  many  of  her  compositions  have 
found  their  way  into  print.  She  is  a  charter 
member  of  Golden  Rod  Grange,  has  filled  the 
office  of  lecturer  for  the  Cheshire  County 
Pomona  Grange,  and  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 
After  the  Mount  Caesar  Seminary  building 
was  abandoned  as  a  school,  Mr.  Carpenter  in 
1885  purchased  and  presented  it  to  the  Mount 
Cassar  Union  Library  Association,  to  be  used 
as  a  library.  Mrs.  Carpenter  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  the  undertaking,  acting  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees;  and  through 
the  efforts  of  this  worthy  couple  the  library 
is  already  well  filled  with  standard  works. 
There  is  a  museum  of  antiquarian  relics  also 
connected  with  the  institution,  that  already 
contains  nearly  twelve  hundred  articles  of  in- 
terest and  value. 


/T^HARLES    H.    HADLEY,    one    of    the 
I  Vr^   oldest    and    best    known    residents    of 

^Is^^  Goffstown,  was  born  here,  October 
20',  1823,  son  of  Plummer  and 
Polly  (Hadley)  Hadley,  and  grandson  of 
Plummer,  Sr.,  and  Mehitable  (Messec)  Had- 
ley. The  grandfather  came  to  Goffstown  from 
Hampstead,  N.H.,  and  settled  in  the  western 
part  of  the  town  on  a  tract  of  unimproved 
land.  After  making  a  clearing  and  building 
a  log  house,  he  went  back  to  Hampstead,  mar- 
ried Miss  Mehitable  Messec,  and  returned 
with  his  bride  to  the  home  he  had  prepared. 
Her  wedding  present,  a  heavy  draft  chain 
used  in  logging,  proved  very  useful  in  the 
work  of  clearing  their  land.  He  was  very 
successful,  and  added  to  his  original  purchase 
from  time  to  time.  He  served  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  and  in  the  War  of  1812,  and 
died  here  in  Goffstown  when  about  eighty 
years  of  age.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife 
he  entered  a  second  union  with  Miss  Nabby 
Stevens,  who  had  no  children.     The  children 


2l8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


of  his  first  marriage  were:  Plummer,  Nathan- 
iel, Richard,  Betsy,  Sally,  and  Mehitable. 

Plummer  Hadley,  Jr.,  who  was  born  No- 
vember 9,  1 77 1,  became  a  representative 
farmer  of  this  town  and  a  large  land-owner. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  was  not  an 
office-seeker,  devoting  his  time  exclusively  to 
his  farm.  In  religion  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church.  He  died  on  the  farm 
his  father  gave  him,  January  25,  1861.  His 
wife  died  January  31,  1856.  They  had  twelve 
children,  born  as  follows:  Clifton,  November 
27,  1804;  Peter  E.,  September  27,  1806; 
Mary,  January  31,  1S08;  Amiline,  July  27, 
1809;  George  P.,  November  29,  1811;  Will- 
iam, September  11,  1813;  Martha,  January  3, 
1815;  Clark,  August  21,  18 16;  Eliza,  Janu- 
ary 28,  1819;  Sarah  ].,  March  27,  1821; 
Charles  H.,  October  20,  1823;  and  Ann  M., 
August  17,  1825.  Of  these  the  survivors  are: 
Clark,  a  resident  of  West  Manchester; 
Martha,  now  living  on  the  old  farm  in  Goffs- 
town;  and  Charles  H.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Charles  Henry  Hadley  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools.  In  his  early  days 
he  engaged  in  mechanical  labor.  For  the 
past  fifteen  years  he  has  resided  here,  occupied 
in  general  farming.  Besides  the  old  home 
farm,  which  was  inherited  from  their  father, 
he  and  his  sister  own  a  large  tract  of 
land.  In  politics  Mr.  Hadley  is  a  Democrat. 
He  is  a  member  of  Bible  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M., 
at  Goffstown.  Both  he  and  Martha  are  attend- 
ants of  the  Congregational  church. 


rm^ 


EORGE  W.  COLBY,  an  esteemed 
\  '*)  I  resident  of  Goffstown,  and  a  native 
^ —  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  was  born  February 
6,  1830,  son  of  Jonathan  G.  and  Asenath 
(Morrill)  Colby.  Samuel  Colby,  the  father 
of  Jonathan  G.,  served  in  the  War  of  1S12. 
He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  he  followed 
that  occupation  during  his  active  life  in 
Unity  and  Weare,  N.H.  Jonathan  G.  learned 
blacksmithing  when  a  young  man,  and  worked 
at  that  trade  for  a  time.  He  afterward  took 
up  shoemaking,  which  he  also  followed  for  a 
period.     The  greater  part  of  his  life  was  spent 


in  Weare.  In  politics  he  was  a  Jacksonian 
Democrat,  and  he  served  the  community  as 
a  Representative  to  the  legislature  and  as 
Selectman.  He  died  at  Weare,  December  30, 
1843.  His  wife,  Asenath,  died  March  25, 
1848.  They  had  three  sons,  namely:  An- 
drew J.,  born  May  15,  1834,  who  died  April 
16,  1853;  George  W.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Charles  W.  born  March  14,  1831. 

George  W.  Colby  was  about  twelve  years 
old  when  his  father  died.  The  early  years  of 
his  life  were  spent  in  Weare,  Manchester,  and 
Concord.  He  attended  school  in  the  differ- 
ent places,  finishing  with  the  high  school  at 
Concord.  When  eighteen  years  old  he  be- 
came a  carpenter's  apprentice.  Having 
learned  the  trade,  he  has  since  become  a 
master  workman.  After  his  marriage  he  set- 
tled in  Weare,  where  he  carried  on  busines- 
until  18S2,  erecting  many  of  the  best  builds 
ings  in  the  town  and  vicinity,  including  the 
Union  Congregational  Church  edifice  at 
Weare.  About  fifteen  years  ago  he  came  to 
Goffstown,  where  he  has  continued  in  the 
building  business.  He  gives  employment  to 
from  four  to  twelve  workmen,  according  to 
the  contracts  on  which  he  is  engaged.  His 
work  is  principally  in  Goffstown,  New  Boston, 
and  vicinity.  He  has  a  nice  residence  in 
Goffstown. 

On  March  3,  1857,  Mr.  Colby  married 
Melissa  Cilley,  who  was  born  in  Weare,  Oc- 
tober 10,  1830.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Amos 
W.  and  Mehitable  (Melvin)  Cilley,  both  of 
whom  have  passed  away.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Colby  have  two  daughters,  namely :  Elvira 
J.,  who  married  Almus  W.  Morse,  of  East 
Manchester,  and  has  one  daughter,  Ada  B. : 
and  Lucy  A.,  the  wife  of  John  G.  Dodge,  of 
Goffstown.  Constantly  active  in  politics, 
Mr.  Colby  is  now  the  president  of  the  Lin- 
coln Republican  Club.  In  1872-73,  while  a 
resident  of  Weare,  he  was  a  legislative  Rep- 
resentative at  Concord.  He  held  the  office  of 
Selectman  five  years,  and  he  served  as  Moder- 
ator for  ten  years.  In  Goffstown  he  has  been 
a  Selectman  for  three  years,  and  assisted  ma- 
terially in  the  establishment  of  the  fire  and 
water  system.  On  April  i,  1897,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Deputy  Sheriff;  and  he  is  a  prominent 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


member  of  Bible  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  be- 
longs to  Mount  Horeb  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. 
He  has  also  membership  in  Webster  Lodge, 
No.  24,  L  O.  O.  F.,  of  which  he  is  a  Past 
Grand  and  District  Deputy;  and  in  Uncanoo- 
nuck  Lodge,  P.  of  H.  Both  he  and  Mrs. 
Colbv  are  attendants  of  the  Congregational 
church. 


URT  BACON,  carpenter,  stone 
mason,  and  farmer,  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Jalfrey,  N.PL,  was  born  in 
this  town  on  February  13,  1851,  son 
of  Charles  and  Eliza  J.  (Leathers)  Bacon. 
He  belongs  to  one  of  the  old  families  of 
Jaffrey,  and  is  a  scion  of  Colonial  and  patriotic 
stock,  being  a  great-grandson  of  Oliver  Bacon, 
born  probably  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  in  1755, 
who  is  mentioned  in  Heitman's  "Register  of 
the  Officers  of  the  Continental  Army  during 
tjie  Revolutionary  War,"  as  Sergeant,  ijeconj 
New  Hampshire  Regiment,  in  1777;  Iinsign, 
1781  ;  and  Lieutenant,  ^April  ~I3,  17S2,  to 
close  of  the  war ;  and  who  died  Tn  1835. 
Lieutenant  Bacon's  name  also  occurs  in  the 
State  papers  of  New  Hampshire  Revolutionary 
rolls.  His  father  was  the  Rev.  Jacob  Bacon, 
graduate  of  Harvard  College,    1731. 

Mr.  Burt  Bacon's  grandfather,  Jacob  Bacon, 
son  of  Oliver,  was  among  the  well-known  citi- 
zens of  this  town  in  the  early  half  and  middle 
of  the  century.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion and  in  religious  faith  a  Universalist. 
His  wife  was  before  her  marriage  a  Sawyer. 
They  had  four  children  —  Oliver,  Martha, 
Charles,  and  Rebecca. 

Charles  Bacon,  the  father,  above  named, 
was  born  in  September,  181 5.  He  received 
his  school  training  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
town;  and,  when  it  came  time  for  him  to  de- 
cide what  should  be  his  work  in  life,  he  chose 
to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father  and  to 
become  a  farmer.  He  married  Eliza  J., 
daughter  of  James  Leathers,  of  Peterboro, 
this  State;  and  she  bore  him  si.x  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living,  the  son"^l^u4t  'being  the 
only  one  residing  in  Jaffrey.  The  following 
is  a  brief  record  of  his  brothers  and  sisters: 
Frank  died  at  the  age  of  four,  and  Omar  at  the 


age  of  eight  years;  Abbie  J.  has  been  twice 
married,  is  now  Mrs.  Winslow  Chaffin,  and 
lives  at  Worcester;  Hattie  and  Fred  also  re- 
side at  Worcester,  the  former  unmarried. 
Fred  is  married  and  has  one  child.  Mrs. 
Charles  Bacon  died   in    1897,  the  present  year. 

Burt  Bacon  attended  the  common  schools,  and 
after  completing  his  studies  worked  for  a  time 
in  general  merchandise  stores  in  Peterboro, 
N.  H.,  and  Worcester,  Mass.  Subsequently 
he  was  employed  in  a  shop  at  Worcester, 
Mass.,  and  then  he  came  to  Jaffrey  and  bought 
a  farm.  Since  settling  in  Jaffrey,  he  has 
worked  at  carpentering  and  stone  masonry,  and 
has  also  continued  to  carry  on  agricultural 
labors.  Mr.  Bacon  has  been  quite  active  in 
town  affairs.  He  is  now  holding  the  office  of 
Selectman,  and  has  been  in  the  same  position 
several  times  before.  Any  movement  for  the 
improvement  of  the  town  or  for  the  general 
welfare  of  the  public  finds  in  him  a  ready 
champion,  and  he  never  allows  personal  pref- 
erence or  private  considerations  to  interfere 
with  his  judgment  in  looking  after  the  in- 
terests of  the  town.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

Mr.  Bacon  married  Emma  F. ,  daughter  of 
David  A.  Coburn,  of  Jaffrey.  She  was  born 
in  1852  at  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  died  in  Novem- 
ber, 1896,  having  been  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren; namely,  Maud  E. ,  Alice  E.,  David  C, 
Charles  W. ,  and  Burt,  Jr.  All  these  children 
are  living  at  home  with  their  father.  Mr. 
Bacon  is  a  P'ree  Mason  and  an  active  member 
of  the  grange,  and  has  been  through  the  chairs 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  P'ellows. 
He  attends  the  Universalist  church. 


ARREN  J.  AVER,  a  well-known 
merchant  of  Manchester,  also  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Goffstown,  was 
born  here,  June  25,  1847,  son  of  Robert  and 
Elizabeth  J.  (Paige)  Ayer.  Robert  Ayer,  a 
native  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  born  August  14, 
1791,  spent  the  earlier  years  of  his  life  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  business  in  different 
places.  From  1841  to  1853  he  conducted  a 
store  in  Manchester.  In  the  following  year  he 
purchased  and  settled  on  a  farm   in   Goffstown, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


where  he  afterward  carried  on  general  farming. 
He  was  twice  married,  his  first  union  being 
with  Miss  Louisa  Sanborn,  of  Kingston, 
N.H.,  who  bore  him  six  children.  By  his 
last  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
J.  Page,  and  who  died  P'ebruary  lo,  1893, 
there  were  four  children.  The  surviving  chil- 
dren are:  Benjamin  1''.,  of  Chicago,  111.  ;  Em- 
ily J.,  the  widow  ofD.  C.  Warner,  M.D.,  late 
of  Plaistow,  N.  H.  ;  and  Warren  J.  and  Clara 
I.  Ayer,  who  live  together.  The  others  were: 
Andrew  J.,  Horace  C,  George,  and  three  that 
died  in  infancy. 

Warren  J.  Ayer  grew  to  manhood  in  Man- 
chester, acquiring  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Manchester,  Goffstown,  and  at  Henniker 
Academy.  Beginning  his  career  as  a  workman 
in  a  sash  and  blind  factory,  he  was  for  ten 
years  employed  at  different  kinds  of  mechani- 
cal labor.  In  1879  he  engaged  in  business  on 
his  own  account  in  Merrimac,  N.  H.,  where 
he  remained  until  1S93.  Then  he  came  to 
Manchester  and  started  the  general  store  he 
now  conducts.  He  deals  principally  in  farm 
produce  and  groceries.  He  also  carries  on  a 
farm  that  he  owns  in  Goffstown,  where  the 
family  spend  the  summer,  their  winter  home 
being  the  residence  which  he  owns  at  West 
Manchester.  The  farm  home  commands  one 
of  the  finest  views  in  Hillsboro  County. 
Looking  from  it,  before  one  lies  the  city  of 
Manchester;  near  at  hand  are  snug  farm- 
houses, woodlands,  and  cultivated  fields;  be- 
yond are  streams  and  villages.  On  a  clear 
day  the  White  Mountains  may  be  seen,  while 
in  other  directions  smaller  ranges  are  nearly 
always  visible.  There  is  a  good  orchard  on 
the  farm,  and  many  choice  varieties  of  fruit 
are  grown. 

On  May  21,  1871,  Mr.  Ayer  and  Miss  Hat- 
tie  Hart,  of  Amherst,  Me.,  were  united  in 
marriage.  They  have  two  sons  and  three 
daughters  —  Mary  L.,  Frances  P.,  Clara  J., 
George  W. ,  and  Thomas  P.  Mr.  Ayer  has 
always  been  a  Republican  partisan.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Golden  Cross  Order  at  Merri- 
mac, also  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  at 
Grasmere.  In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Congre- 
gational ist,  and  he  has  been  a  Deacon  in  the 
church     of    that    denomination    at    Merrimac. 


A  zealous  church  worker,  he  is  superintendent 
of  the  South  Main  Street  Congregational  Sun- 
day-school, Manchester.  Mr.  Ayer  is  also  a 
member  of  the  West  Central  Congregational 
Club. 


ANDEL  A.  SMITH,  a  well-known 
citizen  of  Milford,  was  born  in 
this  town,  February  1,  1830.  His 
grandfather,  Sylvanus  Smith,  who 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  came  here  from 
Shirley,  Mass.  With  him  was  Abbott  Smith, 
then  four  years  old,  who  subsequently  en- 
gaged in  the  same  occupation  as  his  father. 
Abbott  married  Betsey  Gray,  of  Wilton, 
N.H.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Chloe  (Abbot) 
Gray.  Joseph  Gray,  who  was  known  as  Ad- 
jutant Gray,  served  with  that  rank  in  the 
Revolutionary  War. 

Handel  A.  Smith  is  a  son  of  Abbott  Smith. 
He  was  brought  up  in  Milford  on  his  father's 
farm,  attending  the  public  schools,  where  he 
acquired  the  most  of  his  education.  After- 
ward, through  an  extensive  reading,  he  largely 
increased  his  knowledge.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  obtained  employment  on  the  Boston 
&  Lowell  Railroad,  where  he  remained  but  a 
limited  period.  Owing  to  his  father's  ill 
health  and  subsequent  death  he  returned  to 
Milford,  and  took  charge  of  the  homestead 
farm,  which  was  sold  shortly  after.  He  then 
came  to  Milford  village,  where  for  a  short 
time  he  was  engaged  in  the  manutacture  of 
shoes.  He  next  took  up  farming  in  the  town 
of  Milford,  but  soon  resumed  shoemaking  in 
the  village.  After  this  he  was  employed  as  a 
clerk  in  various  lines  of  business  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  but  since  1894  he  has  been  prac- 
tically retired.  At  present  he  is  a  trustee  of 
the  Milford  Savings  Bank. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  June  6,  1855,  to 
Marinda  A.  Burns,  a  native  of  Milford.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  the  late  John  Burns,  of  Mil- 
ford, who  died  in  1875.  Mr.  Burns  had  three 
other  children,  namely:  Susan  E. ,  now  the 
widow  Converse,  of  East  Kingston,  N.H.; 
Daniel  W.,  a  resident  of  Milford;  and  Maria 
A.,  the  widow  Hamblett,  of  Milford.  Mrs. 
Smith    is    a    distant    connection    of    Prudence 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


221 


Cummings  of  Revolutionary  fame,  who,  when 
defending  the  bridge  at  •  Pepperell,  Mass., 
captured  Captain  Whiting,  the  Tory,  who  was 
carrying  despatches  for  the  British. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  had  two  children  — 
Edwin  H.  and  Charles  VV. — -both  of  whom 
are  deceased.  Mrs.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics.  He  is  a  public-spirited 
man,  and  is  always  ready  to  assist  in  improv- 
ing his  native  place.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  highly  esteemed  in  Milford. 


-OHN  B.  BISHOP,  a  stirring  and  suc- 
cessful business  man  of  Hillsboro 
County,  is  well  performing  his  part  in 
developing  the  native  resources  of  this 
part  of  New  Hampshire,  owning  and  working 
a  granite  quarry  in  the  town  of  Milford,  be- 
sides which  he  makes  a  specialty  of  handling 
the  "light  new  Westerly  granite."  He  was 
born  January  ii,  1857,  in  the  Province  of 
Quebec,  Canada,  which  was  also  the  birth- 
place of  his  parents,  John  B.  and  Adelaide 
Bishop,  the  former  of  whom,  now  past  seventy 
years  of  age,  is  a  resident  of  Milford,  while 
the  latter  is  no  longer  living. 

John  B.  Bishop,  Jr.,  resided  in  the  Province 
of  Quebec  until  fourteen  years  old,  when  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Milford,  N.H. 
Here  he  completed  his  school  studies,  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  years  began  the  battle  of  life 
on  his  own  account.  He  worked  for  many 
years  during  seed-time  and  harvest  as  a  farm 
laborer,  while  in  the  winter  seasons  he  was 
engaged  as  a  wood-chopper.  In  188.1  he 
began  working  as  a  quarryman,  being  em- 
ployed for  some  time  in  getting  out  stone, 
and  later  working  at  stone  cutting.  In  1886 
Mr.  Bishop  purchased  the  thirty-five  acres  of 
land  on  which  his  quarry  is  located,  and  which 
he  has  since  operated  with  ]3rofitable  financial 
results.  Among  the  manufactures  of  granite 
for  which  he  is  famed  are  edgestones, 
window-sills,  flagging,  and  general  building 
materials.  He  has  been,  in  truth,  the  archi- 
tect of  his  own  fortunes,  his  present  prosperity 
being  entirely  due  to  his  own  persistent 
energy  and  wise  foresight. 


December  25,  18S0,  Mr.  Bishop  married 
Miss  Stephanie  Belanger,  of  South  Lyndeboro, 
N.H.,  and  they  have  one  child,  a  daughter 
named  Eugenia.  Politically,  Mr.  I5ishop  sup- 
ports the  principles  of  the  Republican  party 
by  voice  and  vote.  Religiously,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 


LVIN  JOSIAH  BEMIS,  for  many 
years  a  leading  business  man  of 
Jaffrey,  N.H.,  where  he  is  still  a 
resident,  was  born  in  the  adjoining 
town  of  Dublin  on  August  18,  1821,  son  of 
Josiah  and  Sybil  (Emery)  Bemis.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather  was  James  Bemis,  who  was 
born  at  Marlboro,  N.  H.,  and  lived  in  that 
town  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  ran  away,  and  became  a  soldier  in  the  Con- 
tinental army  during  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. After  the  war  he  settled  in  Dublin, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  highly  respected.  At  one 
time  he  served  as  Sheriff.  He  was  twice 
married,  his  first  wife  being  Hannah,  daugh- 
ter of  Jonathan  Frost,  and  his  second  wife 
Lois  Walker.  By  the  second  marriage  were 
eight  children;  namely,  Hannah,  James, 
Lois,  Thomas,  Josiah,  Betsey,  Eli,  and 
Mercy. 

Josiah  Bemis,  father  of  Alvin  J.,  was  born 
in  Dublin,  N.H.,  on  August  20,  1795,  and 
died  on  March  12,  1852.  He  was  a  lifelong 
farmer  and  shoemaker,  and  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church.  His  first  wife  was  Esther 
Riggs.  His  second  was  Sybil  Emery,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Emery,  of  Jaffrey.  Mrs. 
Sybil  Emery  Bemis  was  born  on  March  25, 
1794,  and  died  on  December  21,  1832.  Her 
two  children  were:  Alvin  J.  and  James  E. 
Bemis.  James  E.,  the  younger  son,  who  was 
born  in  Dublin,  N.  H.,  in  1S24,  died  in  May, 
1896.  He  was  married,  but  had  no  children. 
He  resided  for  some  forty  years  at  Jaffrey,  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  woodenware. 

Alvin  J.  Bemis  attended  the  public  schools 
of  the  town  of  Dublin,  and  began  his  working 
life  by  learning  the  trade  of  making  pails  at 
Hinsdale,  N.H.  He  was  at  Hinsdale  for 
about  two  years,  and   he  subsequently  worked 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


for  two  years  in  a  box  shop  at  Jaffrey.  In 
company  with  his  brother  he  then  began  mak- 
ing woodenware  at  Jaffrey,  and  was  for  forty- 
one  years  successfully  engaged  in  that  busi- 
ness. In  addition  to  this  he  carried  on  for 
about  six  years,  in  partnership  with  Walter  L. 
Goodnow,  a  large  general  store,  his  interest 
in  which  he  sold  out  to  Mr.  Goodnow  in  1881. 

Mr.  Bemis  married  May  Greenwood,  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  Greenwood,  of  Marlboro.  She 
was  born  on  December  22,  1823,  and  has  been 
the  mother  of  two  daughters;  namely,  Mary 
J.  and  Emma  S.  Mary  J.  Bemis  was  born  at 
Jaffrey  on  October  5,  1845,  and  died  in  1873. 
She  married  in  1865  Fred  Prescott,  and  be- 
came the  mother  of  a  daughter,  Mabel,  who 
was  born  on  August  26,  1866.  Mabel  Pres- 
cott married  Will  C.  Coolidge,  of  Boylston, 
Mass.  They  have  three  children,  namely: 
Alvin  J.,  born  August  5,  1889;  Winifred, 
born  April  22,  1891;  and  Doris,  born  May 
II,  1895.  Emma  S.  Bemis  was  born  on  June 
21,  1853,  and  was  married  to  Walter  L.  Good- 
now on  July  25,  1874,  the  day  previous  to  her 
death. 

Mr.  Bemis  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Savings 
Bank  for  some  years.  An  energetic,  enter- 
prising, and  capable  man  of  business,  one  who 
has  been  an  important  factor  in  developing 
the  industrial  interests  of  Jaffrey,  he  is  a 
highly  esteemed  citizen. 


RANK  O.  LAMSON,  the  present 
treasurer  of  the  Mont  Vernon  (Hills- 
boro  County)  School  Board,  and  a  rep- 
resentative citizen  of  this  town,  was  born 
here,  October  20,  1S58,  a  son  of  William  O. 
and  Orindia  (Odell)  Lamson. 

His  great-grandfather  was  a  pioneer  in  Mont 
Vernon,  settling  on  the  farm  where  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  now  resides,  when  it  was 
covered  with  timber.  This  farm  has  since  re- 
mained in  the  family,  William,  son  of  the 
pioneer,  succeeding  him  in  its  ownership,  and 
he  in  turn  being  succeeded  by  William  O., 
the  father  of  Frank  O.  William  O.  Lamson 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Mont 
Vernon.  He  was  successful  as  an  agricultu- 
rist, and    during    the  winter   season   was    for 


many  years  engaged  also  in  lumbering.  For 
some  years  he  was  a  member  of  Prospect 
Grange  of  Mont  Vernon.  He  died  July  12, 
1896,  his  wife,  Orindia,  having  passed  away 
many  years  before,  November  24,  1874. 
Five  of  their  children  are  living,  namely: 
Harriet  V.,  wife  of  Henry  Kelso,  of  New  Bos- 
ton, N.H.;  Mariette  A.,  a  resident  of  Mont 
Vernon;  Ellen  O.,  wife  of  Lendall  Dodge, 
of  New  Boston;  Ida  H.,  wife  of  Woodbury  L. 
Perham,  of  Wilton,  N.H.;  and  F"rank  O. 
The  father  was  a  stanch  Republican,  po- 
litically. 

Frank  O.  Lamson  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
homestead,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Mont  Vernon  and  at  McCollom  In- 
stitute. The  homestead,  of  which  he  has  be- 
come the  owner,  contains  over  two  hundred 
acres  of  land,  and  he  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing with  excellent  success. 

On  January  9,  1890,  Mr.  Lamson  married 
Miss  Marcia  E.  Batchelder,  who  was  born  in 
Mont  Vernon,  daughter  of  George  G.  and 
Mary  E.  Batchelder.  Her  father  has  passed 
away,  but  her  mother  survives,  and  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Mont  Vernon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lamson 
have  a  son  and  a  daughter,  namely:  Albert  B., 
bom  July  31,  1891;  and  Ella  M.,  born 
March  5,  1895. 

Mr.  Lamson  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
He  has  served  in  various  town  offices.  He 
has  been  Selectman,  was  six  years  on  the 
School  Board,  a  portion  of  the  time  as  treas- 
urer and  as  chairman,  and  has  served  as  Road 
Commissioner.  He  is  a  member  of  Prospect 
Grange. 


/IXo 


EORGE  A.  PORTER,  a  prosperous 
\  |5X  farmer  of  Marlboro,  was  born  upon 
the  farm  he  now  owns  and  occupies, 
January  9,  1828,  son  of  Levi  W.  and  Sally 
(Sawyer)  Porter.  His  grandfather,  Asa  Por- 
ter, who  was  born  in  Weymouth,  Mass.,  No- 
vember 3,  i7';6,  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  participating  in  several  of  the  famous 
battles.  Asa  came  here  about  the  year  1780, 
and  for  a  time  resided  in  a  dugout,  called  the 
tomb.  Later  he  bought  a  tract  of  wild  land, 
now   known    as    the   farm    of    the    late  Fuller 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


223 


Clark.  This  he  cleared  and  cultivated,  and  on 
it  erected  a  house,  which  is  still  standing. 
His  death  occurred  December  i,  1852,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-six  years.  He  married  Eunice 
Williams,  who,  born  in  Groton,  Mass.,  July 
23,  1760,  died  December  iS,  1821,  aged  si.\ty- 
one  years,  four   months,    and   twenty-si.\   days. 

Levi  W.  Porter,  a  native  of  Marlboro,  born 
March  21,  1795,  was  reared  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  After  his  marriage  he  settled  upon 
the  farm  where  his  son  now  resides,  tilled  the 
soil  successfully  during  the  rest  of  his  active 
period,  and  kept  a  hotel  in  the  days  when 
stages  ran  from  Keene  to  Boston.  He  served 
on  the  Board  of  Selectmen  for  several  years, 
represented  his  district  in  the  legislature  for 
three  terms,  was  highly  esteemed  by  his  fel- 
low-townsmen, and  died  April  6,  1867.  His 
wife,  Sally,  who  was  a  native  of  Sharon, 
N.  H.,  and  a  daughter  of  Moses  Sawyer,  be- 
came the  mother  of  three  sons.  These  are: 
Moses  S. ,  who  resides  in  Leominster,  Mass.  ; 
Levi  W. ,  a  resident  of  the  same  place,  who  is 
engaged  in  a  manufacturing  industry;  and 
George  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs. 
Levi  W.  Porter  died  August  19,  1866,  aged 
sixty-eight  years,  ten  months,  and  eight  days. 

After  acquiring  his  education  in  a  district 
school  and  an  academy,  George  A.  Porter 
taught  school  at  Jaffrey,  N.H.,  for  one  term. 
When  his  mother  died,  he  bought  the  home 
farm,  and  he  has  since  carried  it  on  success- 
fully. Besides  the  homestead  of  one  hundred 
and  si.xty  acres  and  fifty  acres  of  adjoining 
land,  he  owns  some  valuable  timberland  near 
the  village,  and  three  houses  in  the  village, 
which  he  rents  to  advantage.  His  ability  and 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  town  are  appre- 
ciated. He  served  upon  the  Board  of  Select- 
men during  the  Civil  War,  was  Collector  for 
one  year,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  local 
grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry. 

On  October  24,  1861,  Mr.  Porter  njarried 
Lucy  A.  Smith,  who  was  born  June  22,  1839, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Anna  M.  (Gates) 
Smith,  of  Fitchburg,  Mass.  She  is  the 
mother  of  two  sons:  George  Wilbur,  who  is 
employed  on  the  electric  street  railway  of 
Fitchburg;  and  Joseph  Warren,  who  resides 
at  home    with    his    parents.      In    politics  Mr. 


Porter  is  a  Republican,  and  he  cast  his  first 
vote  for  General  Winficld  Scott  in  1852. 
The  family  attend   the  Congregational  church. 


'OHN  M.  BURNS,  a  well-to-do  agri- 
culturist of  the  town  of  MUfonl,  was 
born  May  17,  1829,  on  the  old  Burns 
homestead,  where  he  now  resides,  son 
of  the  late  Captain  Peter  and  Sallie  (Dunck- 
lee)  Burns.  The  Burns  family  from  which 
he  springs  was  prominent  for  many  years  in 
Scotland,  and  was  distinguished  by  a  coat  of 
arms.  A  more  extended  account  of  this  fam- 
ily will  be  found  in  the  biography  of  Luther 
M.  Burns. 

Mr.  Burns  was  reared  to  man's  estate  on 
the  home  farm,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
district  school.  Then  he  learned  the  trade  of 
millwright,  which  he  afterward  followed  for 
many  years  in  New  England.  In  1861  he 
went  to  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  was  there  identi- 
fied with  a  company  engaged  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  fla.x  machinery.  In  Pittsburg  he  in- 
vented and  manufactured  a  machine,  said  to 
be  the  first  of  its  kind,  for  spinning  flax  tow. 
Returning  then  to  Milford,  Mr.  Burns  was 
here  employed  for  a  time  as  a  builder  and  con- 
tractor. In  1 87 1  he  went  to  Boston,  Mass., 
where  he  was  subsequently  employed  for  sev- 
eral years  in  the  construction  department  of 
the  Boston  &  Lowell  Railroad,  superintend- 
ing in  that  period  the  erection  of  the  com- 
pany's large  passenger  station.  From  Boston 
Mr.  Burns  went  to  Manchester,  this  State, 
having  accepted  the  position  of  superintendent 
of  the  construction  department  of  the  Amos- 
keag  Mills.  Since  his  retirement  from  me- 
chanical occupations  some  time  ago,  he  has 
made  his  home  in  Milford,  living  on  the  old 
homestead  of  which  John  Burns,  his  ancestor 
some  five  generations  removed,  was  the  origi- 
nal owner.  This  property  contains  si.xty-five 
acres  of  land.  He  also  owns  village  property 
in  Milford.  In  politics  he  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party. 

Mr.  Burns  was  united  in  marriage  April  15, 
1852,  with  Miss  Adaline  F.  Wyatt.  She  is 
a  daughter  of  Foster  and  Mary  (Gregg)  W^yatt, 
and  a  sister  of  the  wife  of   Lutlier  M.  Bums, 


224 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


his  brother,  whose  marriage  took  place  at 
the  same  time.  Samuel  Wyatt,  the  paternal 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Burns,  was  Lieutenant  of 
a  company  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Burns  have  but  one  child,  Willis  L. 
Burns,  who  resides  with  his  parents  on  the 
home  farm,  assisting  in  its  management.  A 
young  man  of  unusual  ability  and  intelli- 
gence, Mr.  Willis  L.  Burns  represented  the 
town  in  the  State  legislature  for  two  terms. 
He  married  Miss  Amanda  M.  McDougal,  and 
has  three  children  —  Margie  I.,  Daisy  M., 
and  Gladys  A. 


(5 1  HOMAS     D.     WINCH,     a    well-known 

*  I  merchant  of  I'eterboro,  was  born  in 
-*-  Sullivan,  this  State,  October  10,  1847, 
son  of  Thomas  and  Clarissa  (Towne)  Winch. 
His  grandfather,  who  was  a  farmer  of  Sulli- 
van, had  seven  children  that  reached  maturity. 
Thomas  Winch,  born  in  Sullivan  in  181 5, 
was  chiefly  engaged  in  farming.  From  Sulli- 
van he  removed  to  Langdon  in  1854;  and  he 
died  in  Marlow,  N.H.,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
one.  His  wife  still  lives  in  Marlow.  In  re- 
ligious belief  Mr.  Winch  was  a  Congregation- 
alist,  and  his  daily  life  eviden'ced  the  fact  that 
he  practised  as  well  as  believed  in  the  Golden 
Rule.  Previously  a  Whig,  he  became  a  Repub- 
lican upon  the  formation  of  that  party,  and 
thereafter  ardently  supported  its  principles. 
He  was  Selectman  of  Langdon  for  a  time,  and 
also  represented  it  in  the  legislature  in  1861- 
62.  Of  his  four  children  three  are  living, 
namely;  Charles,  who  married  Abbie  Hub- 
bard, and  has  five  children  ;  George,  who  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Holden,  and  has  one  child;  and 
Thomas  D.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  After 
graduating  from  Dartmouth  College,  George 
took  up  the  profession  of  teacher,  and  for  the 
last  four  years  has  been  master  of  a  grammar 
school  in  Manchester,  N.  H. 

After  leaving  the  schools  of  Langdon, 
Thomas  D.  Winch  worked  for  two  years  in  a 
general  merchandise  store  of  Peterboro,  and 
for  one  year  each  respectively  in  a  store  at 
Ayer  Junction  and  one  in  Keene,  N.  H.  Fol- 
lowing this,  he  went  to  Marlow,  N.  IL,  and 
started   in    business    under    the    firm    name    of 


Towne  &  Winch.  Having  remained  there  two 
years,  he  returned  to  Peterboro  in  1872,  and 
was  engaged  in  a  milling  business  up  to  1884. 
Then,  after  a  year  spent  in  Boston,  he  formed 
with  Mr.  M.  E.  Field  the  partnership  that 
still  exists.  Messrs.  Winch  &  Field  conduct 
a  general  merchandise  store,  to  which  the 
exceptional  quality  of  their  goods  and  their 
accommodating  business  methods  have  at- 
tracted a  large  number   of  customers. 

On  June  15,  1870,  Mr.  Winch  married  Jo- 
sephine A.  Nichols,  daughter  of  Luther 
Nichols,  of  Peterboro.  Mr.  Winch  is  a  Uni- 
tarian in  religious  belief.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  belongs  to  Golden  Cross  of 
Peterboro.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Winch  are 
ever  ready  to  aid  any  movement  for  the  gen- 
eral good. 


§OHN  A.  BOUTELLE,  an  experienced 
agriculturist  and  a  capable  business 
man  of  Amherst,  was  born  November 
I,  1836,  in  Antrim,  N.  H.,  son  of  the 
late  James  C.  Boutelle,  Jr.  His  grandfather, 
James  C.  Boutelle,  Sr. ,  was  for  many  years 
an  esteemed  resident  of  Antrim.  The  father 
was  born  and  reared  in  Antrim.  In  1844  he 
removed  to  Milford,  this  county,  where  he 
died  while  yet  in  the  vigor  of  manhood,  March 
27,  1S55.  He  left  with  their  mother  five 
children,  of  whom  James  C,  of  Milford,  and 
John  A.  are  living. 

John  A.  Boutelle  received  his  school  educa- 
tion in  Hillsboro  County.  He  was  eight  years 
old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Mil- 
ford. At  the  age  of  sixteen,  soon  after  the 
death  of  his  father,  he  came  to  Amherst, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Beginning  life  as 
a  laborer,  he  saved  his  money  until  he  had 
sufficient  to  warrant  him  in  buying  the  one 
hundred  acres  constituting  his  present  home- 
stead. Since  then  he  has  carried  on  mixed 
husbandry  and  lumbering  with  signal  success. 
By  his  honorable  methods  of  business  he  has 
won  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has  come 
in  contact.  Mr.  Boutelle  is  an  adherent  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  is  a  member  of  Souhe- 
gan  Grange  of  Amherst  and  of  the  Masonic 
Lodge  of  Milford. 


ZACHARIAH     SHATTUCK. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


!27 


On  October  27,  i860,  Mr.  Boiitelle  married 
Miss  Chastina  Diincklee,  daughter  of  Porter 
and  Mary  A.  (Bnxton)  Dunci<lee.  Both  par- 
ents of  Mrs.  Bontelle  were  born  and  reared  in 
Milford,  and  there  spent  nearly  a  half-century. 
About  1849  they  removed  with  their  family 
to  Amherst,  where  they  spent  their  remaining 
years.  When  they  had  been  husband  and  wife 
for  fifty  years,  they  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding.  Shortly  after  they  died,  the  hus- 
band in  1884,  and  the  wife  in  1887.  Of  their 
children  three  others  are  living,  namely: 
Mrs.  Caroline  McGaffey,  of  Milford;  Kate  A., 
of  the  same  town;  and  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of 
Brooks  R.  Came.  Carrie  L.,  the  only  child  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boutelle,  died  January  26, 
1884,  leaving  one  child —  Lizzie  Boutelle 
MacKay,  who  lives  with  her  grandparents. 


^♦•^»- 


'RANK  S.  HARRIS,  of  Harrisville, 
the  well-known  manufacturer  of  boxes 
and  woodenware  novelties,  was  born 
March  16,  1862,  at  Troy,  N.H..  son  of  Will- 
iam A.  and  Sarah  E.  (Fife)  Harris.  His 
grandfather,  Stephen  Harris,  who  was  born  in 
Richmond,  N.H.,  removed  when  a  lad  with 
his  parents  to  Swanzey.  Subsequently  Ste- 
phen became  a  resident  of  Troy,  where  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  His  children  were: 
Elisha,  Stephen,  Jr.,  Willard,  William  A., 
Lucy  Emeline,  and  Lydia. 

William  A.  Harris,  born  at  Swanzey,  Au- 
gust 29,  1825,  died  July  10,  1885.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  a  painter,  and  he  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  active  business  life 
in  Troy.  He  served  the  town  as  Selectman 
and  Tax  Collector,  and  was  a  constant  at- 
tendant at  the  services  of  the  Universalist 
church.  His  wife,  Sarah,  a  daughter  of 
Timothy  I^"ife,  of  Troy,  was  born  May  23, 
1826,  and  died  July  28,  1897.  She  was  the 
mother  of  five  children,  namely  :  William 
v.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Fred  A.,  born 
May  13,  1856;  Will  H.,  born  Septem- 
ber 18,  1857;  Aurilla  M.,  born  October  2, 
1859;  and  Frank  S.,  born  March  16,  1862. 
Fred  A.,  who  resides  at  Keene,  where  he  is 
employed   in   a   box   manufactory,    married   Ida 


E.  Bliss,  of  Jacksonville,  Vt.  She  was  born 
August  II,  1S57,  and  is  the  mother  of  three 
children.  Will  H.  resides  at  East  Sullivan, 
N.H.,  and  is  engaged  in  milling  and  farming. 
He  married  Lizzie  M.  Davis,  of  Stoddard, 
who  was  born  March  12,  1858,  and  has  two 
children.  Aurilla  M.,  now  residing  in  Troy, 
has  been  on  the  School  Board  of  that  place 
for  some  time,  and  devotes  considerable  atten- 
tion to  school  affairs. 

Frank  S.  Harris  began  to  work  for  his  liv- 
ing as  a  telegraph  operator  and  assistant  sta- 
tion agent  at  Troy  on  the  Fitchburg  Railroad. 
After  five  years  spent  in  that  position  he  en- 
gaged in  his  present  business  with  O.  C. 
Whitcomb.  In  1892  the  business  was  re- 
moved from  Troy  to  Harrisville,  where  it  is 
at  present  located.  Messrs.  Harris  &  Whit- 
comb manufacture  blocked-corner  wooden 
packing  boxes,  fancy  boxes,  children's  tool 
chests,  scholars'  companions,  and  many  toys 
and  novelties.  Their  goods  are  sold  all  over 
the  United  States,  and  some  are  sent  to  for- 
eign markets.  Mr.  Harris  married  Addie 
Eleanor  Willard,  who  was  born  in  January, 
1857,  daughter  of  Zophar  Willard,  of  Harris- 
ville. She  and  her  husband  attend  the  Con- 
gregational church.  Mr.  Harris  is  a  member 
of  the  fraternity  of  F'ree  &  Accepted  Masons. 


;ACHARIAH  SHATTUCK,  an  ex- 
tensive farmer  and  a  lifelong  resident 
of  Nashua,  who  died  I-'ebruary  20, 
1893,  was  born  January  24,  18 16. 
His  parents,  Abel  and  Alice  L.  Shattuck, 
resided  in  Nashua  for  the  greater  jjart  of  their 
lives.  Abel  Shattuck  was  for  many  years 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  this  town, 
and  also  carried  on  a  farm.  He  was  an  able, 
energetic  business  man,  and  his  sturdy  adhe- 
rence to  principles  of  honesty  and  integrity  was 
appreciated  and  commended  by  his  fellow- 
townsmen.  His  last  days  were  passed  upon 
his  farm.  He  was  the  father  of  four  sons  and 
three  daughters.  The  only  one  of  his  chil- 
dren now  living  is  his  son,  George  Shattuck, 
a  resident  of  Pepperell.  The  others  were: 
Joseph,  Mary,  Abel  G.,  Sophronia,  Esther 
S.,  and  Zachariah,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Zachariah  Shattuck  was  reared  at  the  home- 
stead, and  his  education  was  acquired  in  the 
schools  of  Nashua.  At  an  early  age  he  began 
to  assist  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm,  and  the 
practical  training  he  received  in  his  youth  was 
the  means  of  his  attaining  marked  proficiency 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  Succeeding  to  the 
possession  of  the  homestead,  which  contains 
four  hundred  acres  of  e.vcellent  pasturage  and 
tillage  land,  he  devoted  himself  diligently  to 
its  management.  His  progressive  tendencies 
led  him  to  enhance  its  value  by  the  introduction 
of  improvements;  and  he  not  only  erected  the 
present  substantial  residence,  but  remodelled 
the  other  buildings.  He  was  regarded  as  one 
of  the  leading  farmers  and  representative  men 
of  this  community;  and  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  his  seventy-eighth  year,  was  the 
cause  of  sincere  regret.  He  possessed  to  a 
high  degree  sterling  characteristics  that  neces- 
sarily won  the  esteem  and  admiration  of  his 
neighbors  and  business  associates,  and  his 
family  have  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  his 
honorable  record.  Politically,  he  supported 
the  Republican  party.  He  was  an  attendant  of 
the  Congregational  church. 

On  February  22,  1870,  Zachariah  Shattuck 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Matilda  P.  Chase. 
She  was  born  in  Milford,  N.  H.,  November  24, 
1843,  and  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Jonathan 
and  Diana  Chase.  Four  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shattuck.  One  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  living  are:  Lillian  M.,  Edward 
Z. ,  and  Alice  L. ,  all  of  whom  are  residing  at 
liome  with  their  mother.  Mrs.  Shattuck  pos- 
sesses much  energy  and  executive  ability.  She 
still  occupies  the  homestead,  and  manages  the 
farm  with  the  assistance  of  her  son. 


T^HARLES  P.  JEFTS,  the  chairman 
I   \y      of   the    Board   of    Selectmen    of   Stod- 

\jis  dard,  was   born   in   this  town,  March 

23,  1848,  son  of  Gilbert  and  Eliza 
(Eaton)  Jefts.  Jonathan  Jefts,  the  father  of 
Gilbert,  resided  in  Stoddard,  and  was  a  well- 
to-do  farmer  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  By  his  wife,  Nancy  Richardson 
Jefts,  he  was  the  father  of  four  children  — 
Jonathan,  Gilbert,  Betsey,  and  Salome. 


Gilbert  Jefts,  who  was  born  in  Stoddard, 
February  22,  1802,  tilled  the  soil  in  his  na- 
tive town  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life, 
and  was  highly  esteemed  for  his  many  com- 
mendable qualities.  Though  not  an  aspirant 
to  public  office,  it  was  his  custom  to  freely 
express  his  views  at  town  meetings,  and  his 
counsel  was  generally  considered  both  sound 
and  practicable.  His  religious  belief  was 
the  Universalist.  He  died  October  i,  1880. 
Eliza  Jefts,  his  wife,  who  was  born  in  Sulli- 
van, N.H.,  June  10,  1806,  became  the  mother 
of  nine  children;  namely,  Harvey,  Lucretia, 
Merrill,  Cyrus,  Lucinda,  George  R.,  Eliza, 
Charles  P.,  and  another  child  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. Harvey  and  Lucretia  died  young; 
Merrill  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years;  and 
Lucinda,  who  died  in  August,  1870,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-three  years,  married  George 
Friend,  of  Marlow,  N.  H.,  and  had  one  daugh- 
ter, Jennie  B.  Cyrus  Jefts,  who  owns  and 
operates  a  saw-mill  in  Ashburnhani,  Mass., 
married  Roxana  Blodgett,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren —  Fred  A.,  Charles  I.,  Walter  E.,  and 
Adella  M.  George  Jefts,  a  farmer  of  Stod- 
dard, married  Elizabeth  Carr,  and  has  had 
seven  children  —  Hermon  E.,  Mary  L.,  Anna 
G.,  Henry  N.,  Walter  M.,  Hiram  L.,  and 
John  L.  Eliza  is  the  wife  of  Riley  Barrett, 
one  of  the  successful  agriculturists  of  this 
town,  and  has  one  son,  Martin  H.  Mrs.  Gil- 
bert Jefts  died  July  7,   1892. 

Charles  P.  Jefts  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town.  When  his 
studies  were  completed  he  went  to  Marlboro, 
Mass.,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  shoe 
factory  for  some  time.  Upon  his  return  to 
Stoddard  he  engaged  in  farming,  an  occupa- 
tion he  has  since  followed  energetically  and 
with  success.  He  also  manufactures  shingles. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  served 
the  town  as  Supervisor,  and  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  for  four 
years,  and  is  now  the  chairman  of  the  Board. 

Mr.  Jefts  married  Hannah  M.  Carr,  cf 
Stow,  Mass.,  and  now  has  six  children. 
These  are:  Emma  L.,  who  is  residing  at 
home;  Stella  C,  a  tailoress  in  Keene,  N.H.  ; 
Hattie  L.,  a  graduate  of  Gushing  Academy, 
and    a    school     teacher     in     Swanzey,     N.  H.; 


lUOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Eugene  R.,  a  student  at  the  Durham  Agri- 
cultural College;  Ida  F. ,  an  artist  and  deco- 
rator of  pottery,  residing  in  Keene;  and  Alva 
C,  who  resides  at  home.  The  family  attend 
tiie  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


ITHUR  H.  MILLER,  an  influential 
nisiness  man  of  Petcrboro,  and  son  of 
the  late  John  R.  Miller  and  his 
wife,  Ellen,  was  born  in  Peterboro, 
January  5,  1S63.  His  grandfather,  Jesse 
Miller,  born  in  Peterboro,  July  6,  1791,  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  throughout 
his  life,  and  died  September  6,  1885,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-four  years.  Jesse's  wife,  in 
maidenhood  Asenath  Bonner,  who  was  born 
May  28,  1796,  died  March  10,  1868. 

John  R.  Miller,  son  of  Jesse  and  Asenath 
Miller,  was  born  November  6,  1828.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  town  schools.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  commenced  to  learn  the 
printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Courier  at  Concord.  Having  done  so, 
he  returned  to  Peterboro,  entered  the  employ 
of  a  printer  named  S.  P.  Brown,  and  subse- 
quently succeeded  to  the  business.  In  com- 
pany with  K.  C.  Scott,  he  issued  the  first 
number  of  the  Contoocook  Transcript  on  the 
27th  of  May,  1849,  and  afterward  printed  it 
for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
sold  out  to  his  partner,  and  went  to  Western 
New  York,  where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman 
printer.  In  December,  185 1,  after  returning 
to  Peterboro,  he  purchased  the  only  drug 
store  in  the  town  at  that  time.  This  he  there- 
after conducted  until  his  death  in  i8g6.  Mr. 
Miller  was  appointed  Justice  of  the  Peace  in 
1863,  and  in  1868  he  was  qualified  to  serve  in 
the  same  capacity  throughout  the  State.  In 
1 89 1  he  was  appointed  Associate  Justice  of 
the  Police  Court  established  in  that  year  in 
Peterboro.  On  August  17,  1861,  Mr.  Miller 
was  made  Postmaster  of  Peterboro,  which 
ofifice,  by  reappointment,  he  held  until  Jan- 
uary 14,  1892.  He  was  for  many  years  a 
prominent  Odd  Fellow,  and  held  many  impor- 
tant offices  in  that  order.  In  1889  he  was  a 
delegate  to  the  New  Hampshire  Constitu- 
tional  Convention.      For  several  years  he  was 


Librarian  of  the  town,  and  was  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Peterboro  Savings  Bank. 
Actively  interested  in  town  affairs,  he  served 
in  the  capacities  of  Auditor,  member  of  the 
School  Board,  and  Supervisor  of  Schools.  In 
politics,  he  was  a  Republican;  in  religious 
belief,  a  Congregationalist.  He  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife,  Allura  A.  Moors 
Miller,  at  her  death  left  a  son,  Edward  E., 
born  August  23,  1853,  now  residing  in 
Rochester,  N.Y. ,  who  married  Mary  Bolton, 
and  has  three  children — Allura  A.,  Lotta, 
and  John  P.  She  had  another  child,  Francis 
A.,  born  June  17,  1858,  who  died  July  25, 
1858.  The  second  wife,  who  is  now  living 
in  Peterboro,  had  two  children:  Arthur  H., 
the  subject  of  this  biography:  and  Harry  E., 
born  June  10,  1867,  who  married  Nellie  J. 
Holden,  of  Saxton's  River,  Vt.,  and  has  three 
children  —  Mona  G.,  Olive  G.,  and  Earl  V. 

Arthur  H.  Miller  began  his  business  life  as 
an  assistant  in  his  father's  drug  store.  He 
was  admitted  as  partner  in  1885,  when  the 
firm  name  was  changed  to  that  of  J.  R.  Miller 
&  Son.  Since  the  death  of  his  father  he  has 
continued  the  business  alone.  Mr.  Miller  is 
unmarried.  Following  the  example  of  his 
father,  he  is  a  stanch  su]iporter  of  Repub- 
lican principles.  He  is  an  esteemed  Mason 
of  the  Peterboro  lodge.  Cordial,  warm- 
hearted, and  generous,  and  of  unquestioned 
integrity,  he  has  many  friends,  and  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  rising  men  of  the  town. 


I 


RA  W.  J  AC  KM  AN,  who  operates  a 
saw  and  grist  mill  in  Hillsboro,  was 
born  in  Bradford,  N.H.,  March  3,  1844, 
son  of  Stephen  and  Sarah  (Hoyt)  Jack- 
man.  His  grandfather,  Humphrey  Jackman, 
who  was  born  July  16,  1761,  moved  from  Bos- 
cawen,  N.H.,  to  Bradford  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  last  century,  and  was  engaged  in 
farming  for  the  rest  of  his  active  period.  An 
active  and  intelligent  citizen,  he  was  highly 
esteemed  by  his  neighbors,  and  was  Justice 
of  the  Peace  for  many  years.  He  took  a  deep 
interest  in  religious  matters,  and  was  a 
Deacon  of  the  Congregational  church.  His 
death  occurred   July    10,    1840.      He   married 


230 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Judith  Pettengill,  who  was  born  July  23, 
1761,  and  died  July  30,  1842.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Stephen 
was  the  eighth-born.  None  of  them  are  now 
living. 

Stephen  Jackman,  father  of  Ira  W.,  was 
born  in  Boscawen,  September  13,  1799.  He 
followed  the  stone  mason's  trade  in  early  life, 
but  during  the  greater  part  of  his  active  years 
he  was  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil.  One  of 
the  prosperous  residents  of  Bradford  in  his 
day,  he  enjoyed  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
those  who  knew  him  for  his  true  and  upright 
character.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Congregational  church.  He  died  September 
16,  1868.  His  first  wife,  Sarah  Hoyt,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Hoyt,  of  Hillsboro, 
died  at  the  age  of  forty  years.  She  was  the 
mother  of  six  children,  of  whom  two  are  liv- 
ing, namely:  Ira  W.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Daniel  H.,  who  married  Alma 
Graham,  of  Chicago,  111.,  and  has  one  daugh- 
ter, Myrtle  A.  Stephen  Jackman  married, 
second,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife,  and  she  died 
leaving  no  children. 

Ira  W.  Jackman  was  educated  at  Bradford 
Centre,  and  after  leaving  school  he  was  for  a 
time  engaged  in  farming.  When  nineteen 
years  old  he  came  to  Hillsboro,  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  purchased  an  interest  in  a  saw- 
mill, which  he  operated  for  four  years.  For 
the  succeeding  ten  years  he  was  employed  in 
the  hosiery-mill  carried  on  by  ex-Governor 
Smith,  and  he  was  subsequently  engaged  in 
the  same  business  at  Laconia  for  five  years. 
In  1 88 1  he,  in  company  with  his  brother  John, 
bought  the  saw  and  grist  mill  which  he  is 
now  carrying  on,  and  since  his  partner's  death 
he  has  conducted  the  mills  alone.  He  deals 
quite  extensively  in  lumber  and  grain,  and  is 
doing  a  very  profitable  business.  Politically, 
he  acts  with  the  Republican  party.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  in  1880, 
and  is  at  the  present  time  serving  as  Supervisor 
of  the  Check  List. 

Mr.  Jackman  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  in  maidenhood  Ella  V.  Ells- 
worth, of  Gilmanton,  N.H.  For  his  second 
he  wedded  Mrs.  Nellie  Perkins  Nichols,  of 
Hillsboro.      Mrs.    Jackman   had  two    children 


by  her  first  husband,  of  whom  one  is  now  liv- 
ing. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackman  have  no  children 
of  their  own,  but  have  ado[)ted  Bertha  Y.  Jack- 
man,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Jackman's  brother, 
Humphrey,  who  died  in  1883. 

Mr.  Jackman  is  connected  with  Valley 
Lodge,  I.  O  O.  F.,  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  is  treasurer  of  the  Commandery 
of  the  Golden  Cross,  all  of  Hillsboro.  He  is 
prominent  among  the  business  men  of  this  sec- 
tion, and  his  progressive  tendencies  are  recog- 
nized and  appreciated  by  his  fellow-townsmen. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational church. 


J">iENNIS  R.  CHASE,  a  prominent 
=1  resident  of  East  Deering,  was  born 
9y  upon  the  farm  he  now  owns  and  oc- 
cupies, February  i,  1849,  son  of 
Herod  and  Hannah  (Gove)  Chase.  His 
grandfather.  Moody  Chase,  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Deering  in  his  day,  his  death  occur- 
ring September  22,  1859,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  years.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
wife  was  Susan  Locke,  and  he  had  a  family  of 
fourteen  children,  of  whom  the  only  survivors 
are  Rhoda  and  Lovina. 

Herod  Chase,  father"  of  Dennis  R. ,  was 
born  in  East  Deering  in  1806.  He  was  an 
energetic  and  useful  citizen,  and  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republi- 
can. He  was  the  first  Postmaster  in  PZast 
Deering,  and  held  the  appointment  for  nine- 
teen years,  at  his  death  being  succeeded  by  his 
son  Dennis.  His  wife,  Hannah  Gove  Chase, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  Gove,  of  Weare, 
N.H.,  became  the  mother  of  five  children,  two 
of  whom  are  living,  namely:  John  F.  ;  and 
Dennis  R.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  John 
F.  wedded  Mary  Almy,  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  has  two  children  —  Almy  and  Frank 
S.  Herod  Chase  lived  to  be  eighty -three 
years  old,  and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
four.  They  were  members  of  the  Society  of 
Friends. 

Dennis  R.  Chase  acquired  a  good  educa- 
tion in  his  native  town.  He  taught  school 
for  fifteen  winters,  his  summers  being  devoted 


BIOGKAl'PnCAL    REVIEW 


23' 


to  fanning.  He  and  his  brother  own  the 
homestead  property  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres.  He  also  owns  the  place  where  he  lives, 
together  with  other  real  estate,  and  as  a  gen- 
eral farmer  he  is  able  and  prosperous.  He 
also  carries  on  a  general  store,  and  is  agent 
for  fertilizers,  farm  machinery,  and  other  agri- 
cultural stores. 

On  February  7,  1870,  Mr.  Chase  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Mary  A.  Wilson,  daughter 
of  Clark  Wilson,  of  VVeare.  He  has  four 
children,  as  follows:  Hannah  A.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1877;  Ftta  L.,  born  February  24, 
1880;  Warren  H.,  born  February  i,  1882; 
and  Carrie  E.,  born  March  26,   1S86. 

Politically,  Mr.  Chase  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  he  has  held  various  po- 
sitions of  public  trust.  After  succeeding  his 
father  as  Postmaster,  he  continued  in  that 
ofifice  until  1893,  and  was  in  turn  succeeded  by 
his  wife.  Thus  the  office  has  remained  in  the 
family  since  its  establishment.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Chase  are  charter  members  of  Wolf  Hill 
Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  with  which 
they  have  been  officially  connected,  and  are 
very  active  in  its  affairs.  They  attend  the 
Friends'  Monthly  Meeting  at  Weare,  of  which 
Mr.  Chase  has  been  clerk  for  seventeen  years. 


/STTo 


FORGE  P.  LITTLE,  of  the  firm  of 
\  '*)  I  Putney  &  Little,  general  store- 
keepers at  Antrim,  Hillsboro  County, 
was  born  in  this  town,  October  4,  1845,  son 
of  William  P.  and  Mary  J.  (Burns)  Little. 
His  grandfather,  William  Little,  who  was  a 
native  of  Hillsboro,  N.H. ,  moved  to  Antrim 
in  1815.  He,  William,  followed  shoemaking 
for  a  time,  and  later  built  a  tannery,  which 
he  carried  on  for  the  rest  of  his  active  years, 
dying  December  18,  1869.  He  was  an  Elder 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  His  first  wife, 
in  maidenhood  Abigail  Wells,  of  Goffstown, 
N.H.,  died  February  i,  1846,  aged  sixty- 
eight  years.  She  was  the  mother  of  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  William  P.  was  the  eldest. 
But  two  are  living;  namely,  Sylvester  and 
Frederick  L 

William  P.  Little,  father  of  George  P.,  was 
born   in  Antrim,  and  for  a  number  of    years 


was  engaged  in  shoemaking.  In  later  life  he 
kept  a  hotel  in  the  northern  part  of  this  town, 
and  was  thus  employed  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  September  i,  1869,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-two  years.  He  was  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics  and  a  Presbyterian  in  re- 
ligion. His  wife,  Mary  J.  Burns  Little, 
whom  he  married  November  12,  1844,  was 
born  in  Antrim,  May  24,  1820.  She  is  still 
living,  and  is  the  mother  of  three  chiUiren,  as 
follows:  George  P.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Mary  J. ;  and  Ella  E.  Mary  J.  married  first 
Frank  Dunlap,  of  Antrim,  who  died  leaving 
her  with  two  children  —  Belle  and  Jeanette. 
She  married,  second,  Richard  Flynn,  of  Pitts- 
field,  HI.,  and  by  this  union  has  one  son, 
Bernard.  Ella  E.  Little  married  George  Per- 
kins, of  Antrim,  and  her  children  are:  Carl 
and  Mary. 

George  P.  Little  was  educated  in  Antrim, 
and  became  proficient  in  music,  which  he 
taught  for  five  years.  Establishing  himself  in 
mercantile  business  in  North  Antrim,  he  re- 
mained there  until  1890,  then  becoming  asso- 
ciated with  L.  W.  Putney,  and  carrying  on 
business  under  the  firm  name  of  Putney  & 
Little.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Putney  he  has 
continued  the  business  without  change  of 
style,  Mrs.  Putney  retaining  her  husband's 
interest  in  the  concern.  Politically,  Mr. 
Little  is  a  Prohibitionist.  He  has  served  as 
Town  Treasurer  one  year  and  as  Selectman 
two  years,  and  the  community  has  profited 
by  the  ability  and  good  judgment  he  dis- 
played while  in  ofifice.  On  March  30,  1870, 
Mr.  Little  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary 
A.  Mcllvin,  of  Antrim.  He  is  an  Elder  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  Mrs.  Little 
is  a  member. 


T^HARLES  E.  COOKE,  formerly  a  lead- 
I  VX      ing   resident   of   Alstead,  was  born    in 

Vyls^  this  town,  August  4,  1S23,  son  of 
Arva  and  Rhoda  (Willard)  Cooke. 
Like  most  of  the  families  living  in  this  part 
of  New  Hampshire,  the  Cookes  are  of  English 
origin.  The  first  of  the  name  in  Alstead  was 
Josiah,  the  grandfather  of  Mr.  Charles  E., 
who  came  from  Covington,  Conn.,  and  settled 


232 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


on   a  farm.      His  wife,  Sarah  Emerson  Cooke, 
bore  him  five  children. 

Arva  Coolie,  the  second  of  his  parents'  chil- 
dren, was  born  in  Alstead  in  1795,  and  died 
in  1S44.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  After  reaching-  manhood  he  engaged 
in  farming,  which  he  followed  throughout  the 
rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  prominent  man, 
and  took  an  interest  in  all  public  matters. 
The  town  had  the  advantage  of  his  services  in 
the  capacity  of  Selectman  for  several  terms. 
He  was  one  of  those  old-time  men  of  whom 
it  used  to  be  said,  "His  word  is  as  good  as 
his  bond."  His  wife,  Rhoda,  who  belonged 
to  Langdon,  was  born  in  1797,  and  died  in 
1844.  Their  children  were:  Josiah  VV.,  Har- 
riet A.,  Charles  E. ,  Henry  C,  and  Rhoda  E., 
all  born  in  Alstead.  Harriet  married  Sterl- 
ing G.  Anderson,  a  carpenter  of  this  place, 
and  has  one  son.  Josiah  W. ,  who  was  a  farmer 
and  a  teacher,  married  Rosette  M.  Harrington, 
of  this  town,  and  has  one  daughter.  Henry 
C.  was  an  importer  of  millinery  stock  in  Bos- 
ton. His  wife,  Ellen  A.  Doolittle  Cooke,  has 
had  no  children.  Rhoda  E.  married  James 
Easterbrooks,  a  painter  of  Newton  Upper  Falls, 
Mass.,  and  had  a  number  of  children. 

Charles  E.  Cooke  was  sent  to  school  in  his 
native  town,  then  to  Marlow,  and  later  to 
Keene.  After  finishing  his  studies  he  was  en- 
gaged for  a  number  of  years  in  farming. 
Then  he  started  a  milling  business,  having  a 
grist  and  saw  mill.  Subsequently  he  manu- 
factured agricultural  implements  very  success- 
fully for  thirty  years.  He  was  Town  Treas- 
urer for  a  time.  Selectman  for  seven  terms, 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  eighteen  years,  and 
legislative  Representative  in  1863,  1864,  and 
1865. 

Mr.  Cooke  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  marriage  was  made  with  Luthera  Holt,  of 
Goshen,  whose  children  by  him  are:  Charles 
H.,  Harriet  A.,  and  Oliver  A.  In  1869  he 
contracted  a  second  marriage  with  Mrs.  Maria 
H.  Beckwith,  who  was  born  August  18,  1832. 
There  were  no  children  by  this  marriage. 
Charles  H.  Cooke,  the  eldest  son,  born  Sep- 
tember 27,  1850,  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Marlow,  and  then  learned  the 
foundry  business  with  his  father,  in  which  he 


has  since  been  engaged.  As  a  citizen  he  has 
well  sustained  the  family  traditions.  He  has 
been  on  the  School  Board  for  a  number  of 
terms.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  By  his  wife,  Adella 
Lewis  Cooke,  he  has  been  the  father  of  four 
children  —  Lena  E.,  Charlotte  L.,  Etta  E.,  and 
Lewis  Clyde.  Lena,  born  June  23,  1877,  was 
educated  in  the  town  schools  and  at  Cushing 
Academy  at  Ashburnham,  Mass.  She  is  a 
singer  of  unusual  power  and  sweetness. 
Charlotte  L.,  born  February  18,  1880,  who 
was  also  educated  at  Cushing  Academy,  is  now 
a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Alstead. 
Etta  E.,  born  in  December  25,  1882,  is  a  pupil 
in  the  Alstead  schools.  Lewis  Clyde  was  born 
June  28,  1890.  Harriet  A.  Cooke,  born  April 
4,  1853,  married  S.  S.  Wilder,  of  Hadley, 
Mass.,  and  has  three  children,  born  as  fol- 
lows: Alberta  L.,  October  7,  1872;  Elizabeth, 
October  15,  1877;  and  Richard  H.,  Novem- 
ber 22,  1879.  Oliver  A.  Cooke,  Mr.  Cooke's 
youngest  child,  born  January  19,  1857,  is  a 
book-keeper  with  a  Boston  firm  dealing  in 
bookbinders'  supplies.  He  is  married,  and 
has  one  child  living,  Harry  A.  Cooke. 


ILAS  MUNROE  SMITH,  a  suc- 
cessful merchant  of  Peterboro  and 
a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature,  was  born  in  Langdon, 
N.  H.,  February  21,  1847,  son  of  Orrin  and 
Marinda  (Patridge)  Smith.  His  paternal 
grandparents  were  Ezra  and  Hannah  (Hersey) 
Smith,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Win- 
chendon,  Mass.,  September  13,  1778,  and  the 
latter  in  Vermont,  August  10,  1779.  They 
settled  in  Langdon,  and  were  prosperous  farm- 
ing people.  Orrin  Smith  was  born  in  Lang- 
don, November  11,  1807.  On  June  9,  1836, 
he  wedded  Marinda  Patridge,  daughter  of  Syl- 
vester Patridge,  of  Alstead,  N.H.  ;  and  it  is  a 
somewhat  noteworthy  fact  that  he  and  his 
wife  were  each  one  of  twins.  He  resided  in 
Langdon  for  many  years,  or  until  1862,  when 
he  moved  to  a  farm  in  Peterboro,  and  re- 
mained here  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was 
a  well-to-do  agriculturist,  and  owned  a  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres   in   this 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


233 


town,  besides  valuable  real  estate  in  Iowa. 
He  lived  to  be  seventy-six  years  old,  and  his 
wife  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  Mzra  M.;  lirvin 
H.  ;  Albert  O. ;  Silas  M.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;   Emma  R.  ;   and  Alden  E. 

Silas  M.  Smith  began  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Langdon,  and  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen entered  mercantile  business  in  Peterboro 
as  a  clerk.  Shortly  afterward  he  attended  the 
McCollom  Institute  at  Mont  Vernon,  N.H., 
where  his  studies  were  completed,  he  then  re- 
turning to  Peterboro.  He  continued  as  clerk 
for  his  former  employer,  G.  T.  Wheeler, 
until  1869,  at  which  time  he  purchased  the 
business  which  he  has  since  conducted  with 
very  satisfactory  results.  He  deals  in  hard- 
ware, paints,  oils,  groceries,  and  similar  mer- 
chandise; and,  although  the  business  is  car- 
ried on  under  the  name  of  Smith  Brothers,  he 
is  the  sole  proprietor.  He  is  also  a  director 
of  the  bell  factory  in  this  town.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  served  as  Tax  Col- 
lector for  one  year,  and  in  1896  was  elected  a 
Representative  to  the  legislature. 

On  November  23,  1871,  Mr.  Smith  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Marinda  K.  Parker, 
daughter  of  John  Parker,  of  Peterboro;  and  he 
has  had  three  children.  Of  these  the  only 
survivor  is  Arthur  Parker,  born  in  August, 
1872.  He  studied  two  years  in  Dartmouth 
College,  is  a  graduate  of  Peterboro  Academy, 
and  is  now  assisting  his  father  in  business. 

Mr.  Smith  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Honor 
of  Peterboro.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Congregational  church,  serving  upon  the 
financial  and  other  committees,  and  is  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday-school.  Mrs.  Smith 
is  a  member  of  the  same  church. 


ISAAC  SMITH,  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Peering,  Hillsboro  County, 
N.  H.,  son  of  Isaac  and  Pamelia  (Stevens) 
Smith,  was  born  in  this  town,  Novem- 
ber 23,  1826.  His  great-grandfather,  Ichabod 
Smith,  was  an  early  settler  in  Deering,  and 
here  cleared  a  farm  upon  which  he  resided  for 
the  rest  of  his  life. 


Isaac  Smith,  first,  grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  improved  the  farm  that  is  now 
occupied  by  his  grandson,  and  he  cultivated  it 
for  many  years.  He  afterward  moved  to  a 
farm  in  Antrim,  N.  H.,  and  remained  for  a 
short  time,  but  passed  his  last  days  in  Deer- 
ing, where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  He  married  Nancy  Codman,  who  bore 
him  eleven  children,  none  of  whom  are  now 
living. 

Isaac  Smith,  second,  the  eldest  of  the 
eleven,  and  father  of  the  present  Isaac  Smith, 
was  born  in  iJeering,  November  30,  1791. 
He  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  this  town,  and 
his  active  years  were  spent  in  carrying  on  the 
homestead  farm.  A  stirring  farmer  and  a  use- 
ful citizen,  he  gained  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  his  fellow-townsmen  through  his  many 
estimable  qualities.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat,  and  for  several  years  he  ably  served 
as  Collector  of  Taxes.  He  married  Pamelia 
Stevens,  a  daughter  of  Calvin  Stevens,  of 
Mont  Vernon,  N.H.,  and  they  had  ten  chil 
dren,  five  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Will- 
iam Turner;  Isaac,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Francis  G.  ;  Theresa  M.  ;  and  George  D. 
The  others  were:  Matilda  K.,  Nancy  S.,  Cal- 
vin S.,  Esther  P.,  and  Ellen  M. 

Matilda  K.  Smith,  whose  death  occurred  at 
Mont  Vernon,  N.  H.,  about  twelve  years  ago, 
married  Alvah  B.  Loveren,  of  Deering,  and 
had  five  children,  namely:  Alvah  Dexter  and 
Clara  M.,  who  both  died  when  quite  small; 
and  Edgar  H.,  Arthur  D.,  and  Charles  I., 
who  lived  to  manhood.  Charles  I.  Loveren 
was  a  jeweller  by  trade  and  got  up  several 
patents,  one  a  diamond  -  setting  machine  of 
great  value.  He  lived  and  did  business  in 
New  York  for  several  years.  Overwork  at 
length  bringing  on  a  mental  trouble,  he  was 
taken  to  the  Asylum  for  the  Insane  at  Worces- 
ter, Mass.,  where  he  died  November  7,  1894, 
leaving  a  widow  and  one  daughter,  Anna  Ger- 
trude. Edgar  H.  Loveren  and  his  wife,  for- 
merly Lizzie  Fillebrovvn,  of  Nashua,  N.II., 
now  reside  in  Boston,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
some  business  for  the  city.  They  have  one 
son.  Arthur  D.  Loveren,  who  is  a  mason  by 
trade,  married  Mrs.  Emily  DeWolf,  and  had 
two    daughters.       Nancy     S.     Smith    married 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Robert  P.  Tuten,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  who 
died  after  eleven  years  of  wedded  life,  leaving 
her  with  seven  children,  the  youngest  of 
whom,  Altia,  then  two  months  old,  died  three 
days  later.  The  other  six  —  Edward,  Maria 
N.,  Susan  R.,  Sarah  T.,  Robert,  and  Esther 
P. —  are  all  living.  Edward  Tuten  resides  in 
Bellefonte,  Pa.,  and  has  one  son.  Maria  N., 
now  the  widow  of  Alonzo  Bruce,  of  Mont  Ver- 
non, N. H.,  had  three  children,  two  sons  and  a 
daughter,  but  the  daughter  died  quite  young. 
Susan  R.  and  Sarah  T. ,  both  unmarried,  the 
former  a  dressmaker,  the  latter  cashier  of  a 
bank,  live  together  in  Ayer,  Mass.  Robert  is 
married,  lives  in  Michigan,  and  is  editor  of  a 
paper;  and  Esther  P.  is  matron  in  a  home  in 
New  York  City.  Mrs.  Nancy  S.  Tuten  died 
at  her  son's,  in  Bellefonte,  in  1883.  Calvin 
S.  Smith,  who  married  Maria  Jewett,  of  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  died  in  March,  1S88,  leaving 
two  sons  —  Herbert  L.  and  Lyman  J.,  both  of 
whom  are  married.  They  are  employed  on 
the  railroad  —  Herbert  as  an  engineer,  residing 
in  Concord,  N.  H.,  and  Lyman  as  a  brakeman, 
his  home  being  at  Hillsboro  Bridge,  N.  H. 

Esther  P.  Smith  married  Adam  Dickey. 
They  settled  in  Manchester,  N.  H.,  and  were 
the  parents  of  five  children  —  Carrie  A.,  Maria 
E. ,  William  Albert,  Theresa,  and  Laura  Jo- 
sephine. Theresa  Dickey  died  when  about 
two  years  old.  VV.  Albert  married  Stella 
Peaslee,  of  Weare,  N.  H.  He  has  a  home  near 
his  father's,  and  is  foreman  of  a  department  in 
the  bobbin  shop.  Maria  Dickey  is  a  teacher 
in  the  Vaney  School  at  West  Manchester. 
The  three  girls  live  together  with  their  father, 
their  mother  having  died  some  fifteen  years 
ago.  Theresa  M.  Smith  married  January  i, 
1857,  William  Dickey,  who  died  a  few  years 
later  at  their  home  in  Medford,  Mass.  Her 
second  husband,  Deacon  Cristy,  of  New  Bos- 
ton, N.  H.,  after  their  marriage  bought  a  place 
in  Mont  Vernon,  N.H.,  where  he  died.  She 
is  now  the  wife  of  John  T.  McCollom,  of  that 
town.  She  never  had  any  children.  George 
D.  Smith  married  Maggie  Baker,  of  Boston, 
and  had  four  children,  namely:  Minnie  Grace, 
who  died  of  consumption  when  twenty-six 
years  old  ;  Gertrude,  who  married  James  Cole, 
of  Boston,   and  has   three   children,    two  girls 


and  a  boy;  Walter  Eugene,  now  fireman  on 
some  railroad  leading  out  of  Boston;  Harlan 
Chester,  who  married  Etta  Dutton,  of  Deer- 
ing,  N.  H.,  May  31,  1897,  and  is  now  living 
in  Boston.  Ellen  M.  Smith  died  when  but 
two  years  and  a  half  old.  William  Turner 
Smith  wedded  Mary  Ann  Morgan,  of  Henni- 
ker,  N.  H.  They  had  a  son,  named  Orren. 
He  was  engaged  in  a  paper-mill  owned  by  his 
father-in-law,  when  one  day,  as  he  was  showing 
a  man  about  the  place,  his  clothing  caught  in 
the  shafting,  and,  carrying  him  over,  injured 
him  so  that  he  died.  Francis  G.  Smith  mar- 
ried Mary  A.  I^easley,  of  Deering,  and  has 
three  children  —  Mary,  Francis,  and  Annie. 
Mrs.  Pamejia  Stevens  Smith  died  at  the  age  of 
si.\ty-four  years  and  twenty  eight  days.  Her 
husband,  Isaac  Smith,  second,  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty-three  years. 

Isaac  Smith,  third,  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Deering  and  F'rancestown,  and  re- 
sided at  home  until  he  was  seventeen  years 
old.  At  that  age  he  went  to  Boston,  where  he 
was  employed  for  a  few  months  as  assistant  in 
a  store,  and  was  then  engaged  five  years  with 
the  New  England  Glass  Company,  after  which 
he  returned  to  his  native  town  and  bought  the 
homestead  property.  He  later  engaged  in 
general  mercantile  business  at  Deering  Centre, 
where  he  remained  in  trade  two  years.  He 
then  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  taught  school  during  the  winter  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  owns  four  hundred 
and  thirty-five  acres  of  land,  which  affords  him 
ample  pasturage  facilities,  and  for  many  years 
past  he  has  carried  on  an  extensive  dairy.  He 
keeps  a  large  number  of  cows,  and  ships  his 
milk  to  Boston. 

Mr.  Smith  has  long  been  identified  with  the 
public  affairs  of  Deering,  and  the  ability  and 
faithfulness  with  which  he  has  discharged  the 
duties  of  the  various  offices  intrusted  to  him, 
have  won  the  confidence  and  appreciation  of 
his  fellow-citizens.  He  has  served,  in  all,  five 
years  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen, 
as  Superintendent  of  Schools  six  years,  and  as 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  seven 
years.  He  has  also  acted  as  Moderator  at  town 
meetings  for  eighteen  years,  and  represented 
the  town  in  the  legislature  for  three  sessions. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


235 


On  February  25,  1S58,  Mr.  Smith  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Josephine  Whittle, 
daughter  of  William  and  Eliza  Whittle,  of 
Bearing.  Three  children  have  been  born  of 
this  union;  namely,  Ermin  H.,  Verto,  and 
EfTie  E.  Ermin  H.  Smith  married  Mrs. 
Anna  Forsaith  Goodall,  and  they  have  a  home 
in  West  Manchester.  Verto  is  unmarried, 
and  is  a  paper-hanger  in  Boston.  Effie  E.  is 
the  wife  of  Carlton  C.  Eaton,  of  F'rancestown, 
and  has  one  daughter,  Statira  H.  Mrs.  Smith  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


[HARLES  F.  PIERCE,  a  well-known 
business  man  of  A 1  stead,  and  a  native 
of  this  town,  was  born  February  2, 
1 86 1,  son  of  Orville  W.  and  Lydia 
(Flanders)  Pierce.  His  grandfather  was 
Jacob  Pierce,  a  cabinet-maker  and  prominent 
citizen  of  Alstead.  Jacob's  children  were: 
Jacob,  Orville  W.,  Daniel,  Tryphcna,  Try- 
phosa,  Sarah,  Electa,  and  Samuel.  Daniel 
became  a  farmer  of  Chesterfield,  married  Miss 
Elmira  Black,  of  New  York  State,  and  had 
three  sons — Henry  D.,  David  H.,  and  Will- 
iam H.  Tryphena  married  Willard  Booth, 
now  a  farmer  of  Ashby,  Mass.  Tryphosa  died 
young;  Sarah  became  Mrs.  Leonard  Pierce,  of 
Langdon  ;  and  Samuel  died  in  the  army. 

Orville  W.  Pierce,  born  in  Alstead,  Decem- 
ber 6,  1S07,  died  May  3,  1880.  He  became 
a  mason  by  trade  and  followed  that  occupation, 
together  with  farming,  throughout  his  life. 
He  was  an  e.vpert  accountant,  and  did  consid- 
erable book-keeping.  A  Universalist  in  re- 
ligious belief,  he  took  a  deep  interest  in 
church  work.  He  first  married  Amanda  Tem- 
pleton,  of  Acworth,  who  bore  him  eight  chil- 
dren ;  namely,  Melissa  A.,  Jacob  S.,  Franklin 
O.,  Mary  A.,  Orilla,  George  H.,  Sarah  E., 
and  Harriet  A.  He  contracted  a  second  mar- 
riage subsequently  with  Mrs.  I-ydia  P'landers 
Burroughs,  a  widow  who  was  born  in  Newbury- 
port,  Mass.,  January  14,  1818,  and  died  June 
26,  1891.  She  had  two  children  —  Clemen- 
tine and  Charles  F.  Melissa  A.  Pierce  mar- 
ried Henry  Nevers,  of  Claremont,  and  died  in 
1855,  when  about  twenty-four  years  of  age. 
Mary  A.  married  Charles  Gates,  a  teamster  of 


New  Hampshire,  and  became  the  mother  of 
three  children:  Lillian  A.,  who  married 
P'rank  Hadley,  of  15ellows  Falls;  Minnie  O., 
who  became  the  wife  of  George  Shuman,  of 
Walpole;  and  C.  P'red,  who  is  now  deceased. 
Orilla  died  in  1862,  when  about  twenty  years 
of  age.  Hattie  married  W.  1".  Inman,  of 
Providence,  R. L,  a  hydraulic  engineer  and 
contractor  for  water- works,  and  has  one  child, 
E.  Jesse.  Jacob  S. ,  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
married  Mary  O.  Ray,  of  Walpole,  and  by  her 
had  one  daughter  —  Plattie  E. ,  who  married 
Henry  Huey.  He  was  a  resident  successively 
of  Langdon  and  Walpole.  He  enlisted  in  the 
Fourteenth  New  Hampshire  Infantry  during 
the  war,  and  died  from  the  effect  of  the  hard- 
ships endured  while  in  the  service.  Franklin 
O. ,  after  serving  for  three  months  with  the 
Fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  re-enlisted 
in  the  Fourteenth  New  Hampshire  Regiment, 
receiving  the  rank  of  Sergeant.  In  the  mem- 
orable battle  of  Winchester,  disabled  by 
wounds  in  both  feet,  he  would  have  been  taken 
prisoner  had  not  gallant  Phil  Sheridan  saved 
the  day  by  turning  defeat  into  victory  and  re- 
covering the  lost  ground  on  which  the  wounded 
hero  was  lying.  He  married  Mrs.  J.  Tram 
Messinger,  whose  children  by  him  are:  Mabel 
A.,  who  married  Frank  Proctor;  George  F.  ; 
and  Jennie  E.  The  wounds  received  by  him 
in  the  war  resulted  in  the  loss  of  a  foot. 
George  H.,  who  was  a  blacksmith  in  the 
State  of  Illinois,  died  in  P^ebruary,  1877. 
He  married  Clara  Lease,  of  Urbana,  111.,  and 
had  one  son,  Arthur.  Sarah,  who  married  her 
brother-in-law,  Charles  Gates,  of  Walpole,  and 
had  one  child,  Benjamin  V.  S.,  died  in  1S77. 
Clementine  A.,  the  only  daughter  of  Mr.  Or- 
ville Pierce  by  his  second  marriage,  died  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  years. 

Charles  F.  Pierce  was  sent  when  a  lad  to 
the  town  schools.  Afterward  he  worked  at 
farming  for  a  number  of  years.  During  the 
past  seven  or  eight  years  he  has  successively 
carried  on  a  saw  and  grist  mill.  He  is  al- 
ways to  be  found  on  the  side  of  progress  and  im- 
provement, and  is  much  respected.  His  wife's 
name  before  her  marriage  was  P'rances  A. 
Ware.  She  was  born  in  Kcene,  this  county, 
February  2,  1868. 


236 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


/  ^TeORGE    H.    currier,    one    of    the 
\  S  I       leading  farmers  and   best  known  resi- 

—  dents  of  Pel  ham,  was  born  where  he 
now  resides.  May  29,  1836,  son  of  Simeon 
and  Emily  (Hall)  Currier.  The  great-grand- 
father, Nathaniel  Currier,  was  an  early  settler 
in  Pelham,  where  he  cleared  and  improved  a 
good  farm.  John  Currier,  the  grandfather, 
a  lifelong  resident  of  this  town,  was  a  sturdy 
and  industrious  tiller  of  the  soil. 

Simeon  Currier  was  born  in  Pelham,  Octo- 
ber 19,  1803.  In  his  early  years  he  followed 
the  trade  of  stone-mason  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  but 
the  greater  portion  of  his  life  was  spent  in  till- 
ing the  soil  of  the  homestead  property.  Besides 
making  other  improvements  on  the  estate,  he 
raised  and  remodelled  the  residence.  He  also 
owned  other  real  estate.  At  one  time  he  was 
a  musician  in  the  State  militia.  In  politics 
he  supported  the  Democratic  party.  He  died 
F"ebruary  3,  1881.  His  wife,  Emily,  whom 
he  married  November  g,  1826,  was  born  in 
Dracut,  Mass.,  March  29,  1806.  She  became 
the  mother  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living,  namely:  George  H.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Elmira  E.,  wife  of  George  E. 
Mitchell,  of  Medford,  Mass.;  Sybil  A.,  the 
wife  of  David  Gage,  of  Oakland,  Cal.  ;  and 
Helen  A.,  who  is  residing  in  Pelham.  The 
others  were:  Jesse  H.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fourteen;  and  Amos  Alonzo,  who  died,  aged 
fifty-six  years.  Mrs.  Simeon  Currier  is  still 
living,  and  is  exceedingly  bright  and  active 
for  one  so  venerable  in  years. 

George  H.  Currier  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Pelham  and  at  Phillips 
Academy  of  Andover,  Mass.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  three  years  spent  in  a  mercantile 
business  in  Boston,  he  has  given  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits  at  the  homestead, 
which  fell  to  his  possession.  Politically,  he 
is  a  Democrat.  A  Selectman  during  the  ex- 
citing times  of  the  Civil  War,  he  was  both 
energetic  and  efficient  in  procuring  recruits 
and  also  substitutes  for  drafted  men.  He 
served  upon  the  Board  for  eleven  years,  for 
several  years  in  the  capacity  of  chairman. 
He  was  a  Representative  to  the  legislature  in 
1866,  1873,  and  1874;  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  and  of  the  School 


Board  ;  he  was  formerly  a  trustee  of  the  I'el- 
ham  Public  Library;  and  he  is  now.  Collector 
of  Taxes. 

On  December  18,  1S62,  Mr.  Currier  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Aroline  Marsh, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Marsh,  of  Pelham.  Mrs. 
Currier  has  had  four  children  —  Henry  M., 
Arthur  G.,  Harry  E.,  and  Lillian  M.  Harry 
E.  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  months. 
Henry  M.  married  Gertrude  H.  Hillman,  and 
has  one  son,  Richard  H.  Arthur  G.  married 
Jessie  W.  Smith,  of  Lowell.  Mr.  Currier  is 
connected  with  the  order  of  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers  and  is  Master  of  Pelham  Grange, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry. 


RANKLIN  G.  WARNER,  M.D.,  a 
rising  young  physician  of  _Antrim. 
Hillsboro  County,  N.  H.,  was  born  in 
Chestertown,  N.  Y.,  January  18,  1863,  son  of 
Daniel  and  Lizzie  (Jeffs)  Warner.  He  is  of 
the  eighth  generation  in  descent  from  William 
Warner",  a  native  of  England,  who  came  to 
America  and    located    in    Ipswich,    Mass.,    in 

1637- 

William  Warner'  died  in  April,  1642.  He 
had  three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter; 
namely,  John,  Daniel,  and  Abigail.  John 
Warner^  son  of  William,  was  born  in  England 
in  April,  1616.  He  came  to  America  with 
his  father  in  1637,  and  lived  for  a  time  in 
Hadley,  Mass.,  probably  also  in  Dunstable  and 
Pepperell,  as  children  were  born  in  these 
towns.  He  died  May  17,  1692.  He  had  nine 
children,  seven  sons  and  two  daughters :  Sam- 
uel, John,  Mark,  Nathaniel,  Daniel,  Mehit- 
abel,  Eleazer,  Priscilla,  and  Joseph. 

Samuel  Warner^,  son  of  John',  was  born  in 
Dunstable,  Mass.,  in  1640,  and  died  April  3, 
1683.  He  married  Minerva  Swan  on  October 
21,  1662,  and  seven  children  were  born  to 
them  ;  namely,  Samuel,  John,  Dorothy,  Sarah, 
Eleazer,  Priscilla,  and  Richard.  Richard 
Warner^,  son  of  Samuel^  was  born  in  Pepper- 
ell, Mass.,  May  13,  1676,  and  died  in  1767. 
He  had  five  children  :  Joseph,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Richard;  Mary;  Eunice ;  and  Joseph. 
Joseph  Warner',  son  of  Richard\  was  born  in 
Pepperell,  Mass.,  in    1745,   and  died   in   181 7. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


237 


He  had  eight  children,  five  sons  and  three 
daughters;  namely,  Richard,  Joseph,  John, 
Daniel,  Samuel,  Sally,  Betsey,   and    Prudence. 

Daniel  Warner'',  son  of  Joseph'  and  grand- 
father of  Franklin  G.  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
June  8,  1784,  in  Townsend,  Mass.  He  spent 
his  life  as  an  agriculturist.  By  his  first  wife, 
Ruth  Emery,  whom  he  married  on  February 
14,  1S05,  he  had  one  child,  Daniel.  By  his 
second  wife,  Betsey  Hasley,  whom  he  mar- 
ried March  21,  1821,  he  had  si.x;  namely, 
Nancy,  Mary,  Ruth,  Charles,  Lydia,  and 
Henry. 

Daniel  Warner',  son  of  Daniel',  was  born 
June  17,  1806,  in  Townsend,  Mass.  He 
settled  upon  a  farm  in  Chestertown,  N.  Y.,  and 
tilled  the  soil  with  prosperous  results  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  October  12,  1881,  in 
his  seventy-sixth  year.  In  October,  1841,  he 
married  Lizzie  Jeffs,  a  native  of  Townsend, 
born  August  15,  1827.  She  died  November 
g,  1865,  aged  thirty-eight  years.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Their  si.x  children  are  all  living;  namely, 
Adeline,  Charles,  Luther,  Giles,  William,  and 
Franklin  George. 

Adeline  Warner*,  born  August  6,  1844, 
married  Alfred  Slocum,  August  6,  i860,  and 
has  five  children  :  Mary;  Amanda;  Abby,  born 
in  1867;  Andrew,  born  in  1870;  and  Archie, 
born  in  187S.  The  eldest  child,  Mary  Slo- 
cum, born  in  1S61,  married  George  Fish  in 
1877,  and  has  five  children:  Harmon,  born 
in  1878;  Frank,  born  in  1881  ;  Leon,  born  in 
1883;  Allen,  born  in  1885;  and  Bertha,  born 
in  1887.  Amanda,  the  second  child  of  Alfred 
and  Adeline  Slocum,  born  in  1864,  married 
Eugene  Perry  in  1880,  and  has  four  children: 
Louise,  born  in  1880;  Vernis,  born  in  1882; 
Swaine,  born  in  1885;  and  Harry,  born  in 
1895. 

Charles  Warner'",  born  January  29,  1847, 
was  married  in  1870  to  Mary  McLamee,  of 
North  Creek,  N.Y.,  and  has  six  children: 
Nettie,  born  in  1872;  Annie,  born  in  1874; 
Harvey,  born  in  1876;  Cora,  born  in  1886; 
Harley,  born  in  1888;  and  Dora,  born  in 
1891.  Luther  Warner'*,  born  December  27, 
1850,  married  Adelaide  Mead,  of  Chestertown, 
N.  v.,    in    1872,   and    has    one    child  —  Harry 


Mead  Warner,  born  in  1873.  Giles  Warner'*, 
born  December  10,  1855,  married  Emma 
Mead,  of  Chestertown,  N.  Y.,  in  1877,  and 
has  three  children:  Mattie,  born  in  1878; 
Dora,  born  in  1880;  and  Lewis,  born  in  1883. 
William  Warner**  was  born   October  10,   1858. 

Franklin  George  Warner**,  the  special  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  son  of  Daniel",  acquired  his 
early  education  in  Glens  Falls,  N.Y. ,  and  was 
graduated  at  the  University  of  Vermont  in 
1888.  His  professional  studies  were  com- 
pleted at  the  medical  department  of  the  Al- 
bany University  in  1892;  and,  locating  in  An- 
trim during  that  year,  he  has  been  in  practice 
here  since.  His  ability  as  a  physician  has 
manifested  itself  in  successful  treatment  of  the 
many  difificult  cases  that  have  been  intrusted 
to  his  charge,  and  he  now  has  a  large  and  lu- 
crative practice. 

On  November  6,  1895,  Dr.  Warner  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Nettie  M.  Heritage, 
of  Amesbury,  Mass.  She  was  born  in  Provi- 
dence, R.L,  March  11,  1870,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  Heritage.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  War- 
ner have  one  son  —  Stanley  George  Warner'', 
born  July  6,  1897,  in  Antrim,  N.  H. 

Politically,  the  Doctor  acts  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party.  He  is  now  serving  upon  the 
Board  of  Health  of  the  town  of  Antrim. 
Without  seeking  public  notice  outside  of  his 
professional  work,  he  has  TDCcome  exceedingly 
popular,  and  as  a  citizen  is  regarded  with  cord- 
ial respect  and  esteem.  Dr.  Warner  united 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  We- 
vertown,  N.Y.,  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational    church    in    Newport,   N.  H. 


HARLES  A.  STEELE,  a  well-in- 
formed and  prosperous  farmer  of  Plud- 
son,  was  born  here,  October  25, 
i860,  son  of  Charles  and  Martha  A. 
(Boyd)  Steele.  His  great-great-grandfather, 
William  Steele,  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
whence  he  came  to  America  about  the  year 
1720,  and  settled  in  Hillsboro  County  .some 
time  between  then  and  1730.  William  took 
up  wild  land,  which  he  cleared  and  subse- 
quently cultivated  with  success.  His  wife, 
whose    maiden    name    was    Janette    Mulligan, 


238 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


came  to  this  country  in  the  same  vessel  with 
him.  They  reared  a  family  of  seven  children, 
five  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  sons  were: 
John,  Samuel,  Moses,  William,  and  Joseph. 
Samuel  was  killed  at  Crown  Point  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary War.  Moses  settled  in  Hillsboro, 
and  William  in  Hudson,  N.  H.  Of  the  daugh- 
ters, only  Mary's  name  is  known.  William 
and  Janette  Steele  spent  their  last  years  and 
died  on  the  farm  where  they  settled.  The 
next  in  line  was  William,  who  lived  with  his 
parents  until  their  death,  carrying  on  the  farm, 
of  which  he  afterward  became  the  owner.  His 
wife,  in  maidenhood  Mary  Barrett,  had  nine 
children;  namely,  Rhoda,  William,  Osgood, 
James,  Hannah,  Margaret,  Mary,  Moses,  and 
Daniel. 

James  Steele,  the  grandfather  of  Charles 
A.,  was  considered  one  of  the  best  farmers  in 
the  town  of  Hudson.  He  also  occupied  the 
old  Steele  farm,  owning  all  together  about  five 
hundred  acres,  a  portion  of  which  was  then 
within  the  limits  of  Londonderry.  He  was 
well-informed  on  current  events,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  town  affairs.  He  married  Miss 
Hannah  Palmer,  and  ten  children  were  born  of 
the  union.  Five  of  these  died  in  childhood; 
namely,  Sarah,  Almira,  Harriet,  Almira  (sec- 
ond), and  Kimball.  The  others,  who  all  at- 
tained maturity,  were:  Charlotte  P.,  Charles, 
Almira,  James  H.,  and  Moses.  Of  these 
James  H.  is  living.  The  father  died  on  the 
home  farm,  July  5,  1868,  and  his  wife  on  Jan- 
uary I,  1852.  Charles  Steele,  born  in  Hud- 
son, May  12,  1 82 1,  was  an  energetic,  upright 
man  and  a  respected  and  influential  citizen. 
He  owned  a  portion  of  the  homestead,  on 
which  he  spent  his  life,  successfully  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  lumbering.  Owing  to 
his  business  ability  and  judgment  he  was 
elected  by  his  townsmen  to  a  number  of  offices, 
including  that  of  Selectman.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Democrat,  in  religion  he  was  a  Meth- 
odist. His  wife,  Martha,  was  born  in  London- 
derry, N.H.,  September  25,  1821,  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Mary  (Town)  Boyd.  He  died 
April  21,  1890.  They  had  six  children,  of 
whom  Hannah  E.,  born  July  i,  1853,  died 
March  10,  1873.  The  others  are:  Harriet, 
born  July   10,   1844,  who   is  the   wife   of   John 


N.  Martin,  and  lives  in  Melrose,  Mass.  ; 
Mary  M.,  born  September  30,  1846,  who  mar- 
ried Charles  W.  Spaulding,  and  lives  in  Hud- 
son ;  Martha,  born  April  13,  1849,  ^^'ho  is  the 
wife  of  James  M.  Crowell,  of  Windham, 
N.H.  ;  Charlotte  N.,  born  May  16,  1856,  who 
is  unmarried,  and  lives  with  her  younger 
brother;  and  Charles  A.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  The  mother  resides  with  her  son, 
Charles  A. 

Charles  A.  Steele  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  town  and  district  schools.  After- 
ward he  attended  the  Nashua  Literary  Institute 
for  a  time  and  the  Pinkerton  Academy  in 
Derry  for  two  terms.  He  has  followed  the 
calling  of  his  forefathers,  and  to-day  owns  the 
old  Steele  homestead,  which  he  has  had  prac- 
tically in  his  charge  since  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age.  In  addition  he  owns  a  tract  of 
about  five  hundred  acres  in  this  and  adjoining 
towns,  and  has  an  interest  in  much  more.  Be- 
sides carrying  on  the  farm,  he  also  does  some 
teaming. 

On  December  27,  1882,  Mr.  Steele  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lottie  A.  Rey- 
nolds, who  was  born  in  Windham,  October 
10,  1859,  daughter  of  Hiram  and'  Mary  (Pres- 
cott)  Reynolds.  Four  children  have  been 
born  of  the  union,  namely:  Lena  M. ,  on  Oc- 
tober 27,  1883;  Nellie  Ida,  January  9,  1885; 
Charles  L. ,  June  28,  1888;  and  Myra  C. ,  born 
November  4,  1890.  In  politics  Mr.  Steele  is 
a  Democrat.  Besides  serving  in  minor  offices, 
he  was  Selectman  for  three  terms. 


^ATHAN  WHITNEY,  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Bennington,  N.  H.,  was  born  in 

\s  V  Westminster,  Mass.,  July  20,  1828, 

son  of  Smyrna  and  Ruth  (Whitney) 
Whitney.  His  genealogy  is  traced  back  to 
John  Whitney,  the  Puritan  emigrant,  who  was 
the  first  of  his  name  in  America,  having  settled 
in  Watertovifn,  Mass.,  before  1635.  John 
Whitney's  first  wife,  Elinor,  bore  him  eight 
sons,  and  died  May  11,  1659,  aged  fifty-four 
years.  His  second  marriage  was  made  with 
Judith  Clement.  Made  a  freeman  March  3, 
1635,  he  was  Selectman  of  the  town  from  1638 
to  1655,  was  made  Constable  January  i,  1641, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


239 


and  was  the  Town  Clerk  in  1655.  His  death 
occurred  June  i,  1673.  The  Whitney  Gene- 
alogy, by  Frederick  Clifton  Fierce,  treats  fully 
of  the  subject. 

Samuel  Whitney,  the  grandfather  of  Nathan, 
was  a  farmer  in  Westminster  all  his  life.  He 
married  Thankful  Wilder,  and  they  had  four 
children.  Samuel  died  in  Westminster  in 
1812.  Smyrna,  his  eldest  son,  who  was  born 
in  Westminster,  March  5,  1786,  took  up 
farming  in  early  life.  He  was,  however, 
fitted  for  college  at  New  Ipswich  Academy, 
and  later  on  engaged  in  school  teaching.  He 
finally  settled  down  to  farming  on  the  old 
homestead,  and  became  one  of  the  successful 
and  prominent  men  of  the  place.  He  was 
Selectman  for  many  years,  and  belonged  to  the 
Congregational  church.  His  wife,  Ruth,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Nathan  Whitney,  of  West- 
minster, had  seven  children,  of  whom  Charles 
H.,  Nathan,  and  George  E.  are  living. 
Charles  H.,  by  his  first  marriage,  which  was 
contracted  with  Abbie  A.  Tolman,  of  Fitch- 
burg,  Mass.,  became  the  father  of  two  chil- 
dren—  Mary  A.  and  Hattie  C.  His  second 
wife,  who  came  from  Dublin,  N.  H.,  and 
whose  maiden  name  was  Isabelle  H.  Hayes, 
bore  him  one  child,  Millie  M.  George  E. 
Whitney  first  married  Sarah  Tolman,  of  Ash- 
burnham,  Mass.,  who  died  leaving  two  chil- 
dren—  Frederick  W.  and  Emma  L.  By  his 
second  marriage,  contracted  with  Lura  L. 
Nims,  of  Ro.xbury,  N.H. ,  there  were  four 
children  —  Charlotte  R.,  Mary  B.,  Ida  N., 
and  Ralph  E. 

Nathan  Whitney  was  educated  in  the  schools 
and  academy  of  his  native  place.  After  leav- 
ing school,  he  worked  on  the  farm  for  some 
time.  Then  he  was  employed  by  his  brother 
in  the  paper-mill  at  North  Reading,  Mass. 
At  the  end  of  eight  years  he  went  to  Fitch- 
burg,  where  he  spent  two  years,  but  remained 
still  in  the  employment  of  his  brother.  Then 
in  Claremont,  N.  H.,  he  hired  the  Jarvis  Paper 
Mill,  and  there,  with  stock  furnished  by  his 
brother,  manufactured  paper  at  so  much  a  ton 
until  1866.  In  that  year  he  went  to  Benning- 
ton, N.H.,  his  brother  furnished  the  mill  and 
stock,  and  he  manufactured  pi(per,  as  before, 
at  a   specified  rate.      Two  years   later  a  stock 


company  was  formed,  and  he  was  appointed 
manager.  In  1872  he  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  sashes,  doors,  and  blinds  at  Keene, 
N.H.,  retaining  his  residence  in  Bennington. 
Beginning  in  1878,  he  manufactured  wood 
pulp  for  about  six  years.  Later  he  turned  his 
attention  again  to  farming  for  a  while.  At 
present  he  limits  himself  to  a  general  over- 
sight of  all  his  business  interests. 

Mr.  Whitney  was  first  married  November 
27,  1850,  to  Mary  S.  Tolman,  of  Troy,  N.H. 
Of  their  children  F'rank  E.  and  Carrie  Louise 
are  living.  F'rank  E.  married  Grace  M. 
Chase,  of  Rochester,  N.H.  Carrie  Louise 
became  the  wife  of  Charles  H.  Hadley,  of 
Brooklyn,  N. Y. ,  and  they  have  five  children 
now  living  —  Grace  L. ,  Bessie  E. ,  Charles  H., 
Ruth  W.,  and  John  C.  Mrs.  Whitney  died 
March  23,  i86i.  Mr.  Whitney  contracted  a 
second  marriage  November  30,  1S64,  with 
Charlotte  M.  Belcher,  a  native  of  Stockbridge, 
Vt. .  They  have  two  children  —  William  B. 
and  Edward  S.  Mr.  Whitney  and  all  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church,  in  which  he  has  been  Deacon  for 
eleven  years. 


LFRED  SAWYER,  a  well-known  dairy 
farmer  and  prominent  man  of  affairs 
in  East  Jaffrey,  Cheshire  County, 
N.H.,  was  born  in  Sharon,  Hillsboro 
County,  this  State,  August  12,  1831,  son  of 
Josiah  and  Margaret  (French)  Sawyer.  His 
paternal  grandfather  also  bore  the  name  of  Jo- 
siah. He  was  a  native  of  Sharon,  and  the 
active  years  of  his  life  were  there  spent  in  till- 
ing the  soil.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Martha  Wyman,  and  their  children  were: 
Josiah,  Polly,  and  Sally. 

Josiah  Sawyer,  second,  father  of  Alfred 
Sawyer,  was  born  July  7,  1800,  in  Sharon, 
but  grew  to  manhood  in  Jaffrey,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  life.  His  death,  which  occurred  on  Sep- 
tember 14,  1864,  was  caused  by  an  accident. 
He  was  esteemed  as  a  capable,  well-to-do 
farmer  and  useful  citizen.  His  wife,  Mar- 
garet, who  was  born  in  Jaffrey,  December  18, 
1794,   daughter  of  Thomas  F'rench,    and  died 


240 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Jainuiiy  i,  1SS2,  was  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Cummings;  Emily  C.  ; 
George  W.  ;  Alfred,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ; 
Lydia  A.  ;  Adeline  H.  ;  Leonard  F.  ;  and 
Levi  B. 

Alfred  Sawyer  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Jaffrey,  and  remained  at  the  parental  home- 
stead for  five  years  after  his  marriage.  He 
then  bought  the  property  which  he  now  occu- 
pies. Aside  from  general  farming,  extensive 
dairying,  and  stock-raising,  he  has  done  more 
probate  business  than  any  other  man  in  Jaffrey, 
settling  a  large  number  of  estates.  Politi- 
cally, he  is  a  Republican.  He  was  a  Select- 
man eleven  years,  has  served  as  Supervisor  and 
Overseer  of  the  Poor,  has  been  Justice  of  the 
Peace  twenty-five  years,  chairman  Board  of 
Trustees  of  Public  Library,  trustee  of  the 
Savings  Bank,  and,  while  a  Representative  in 
the  legislature,  in  1874  and  1875,  was  a 
member  of  the  Committee  on  Mileage.  He 
was  actively  concerned  in  establishing  the  pub- 
lic library,  and  is  deeply  interested  in  for- 
warding all  public  improvements.  He  attends 
the  Congregational  church. 

Mr.  Sawyer  married  Lucy  M.  Parker,  who 
was  born  in  Nelson,  N. H.,  July  9,  1829, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  B.  Parker,  of  that  town. 
Two  children  were  the  fruit  of  this  union, 
namely:  a  daughter,  Mary  A.,  born  Septem- 
ber 30,  1855;  and  a  son,  Clifton  A.,  born 
September  11,  1861.  Mary  A.  Sawyer  is  the 
wife  of  Will  J.  Mower,  of  this  town.  Clifton 
A.  Sawyer  married  Jennie  M.  Hale,  of 
Rindge,  N.  H.  Their  children  are:  Bernice 
L.  and  Roscoe  A.  Mrs.  Sawyer's  death  oc- 
curred January  19,  1892. 


in^TRAM     ELLIS,   one    of    Keene's 

« 

present  Representatives  in  the  New 
\r^ )     Hampshire    legislature,    is   a    son    of 

Moses  and  Emily  (Ferrin)  Ellis. 
Born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  November  26,  i860, 
he  came  with  his  parents  to  Keene  in  1863. 
His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public 
schools  of  Keene.  In  the  class  of  1884  he 
graduated  from  Harvard  University,  and  in  the 
class  of  1887  from  Harvard  Law  School.  He 
was   a  clerk     in    the    law    offices    of    Evarts, 


Choate  &  Beaman  in  New  York  City  from  the 
summer  of  1887  to  the  summer  of  1888,  and 
practised  law  in  Denver,  Col.,  from  1888  to 
1890.  F"rom  Denver  he  returned  to  Keene  in 
July  of  the  latter  year.  He  became  interested 
in  the  Sentinel  newspaper  as  one  of  the  propri- 
etors in  1893,  and  in  the  same  year  became 
the  editor  of  the  daily  and  weekly  editions  of 
the  paper,  namely  —  the  Keene  Evening  Sen- 
tine/ and  the  New  Hampshire  Sentinel. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Ellis  was  the 
president  of  the  Young  Men's  Republican 
Club  of  Keene  for  five  years.  He  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  a 
trustee  of  the  Elliot  City  Hospital  in  Keene, 
was  Aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Governor 
Busiel  in  1895-96,  and  is  the  Representative 
of  Ward  4  in  the  present  legislature.  Mr. 
Ellis  is  also  the  secretary  for  New  Hampshire 
of  the  Harvard  Law  School  Association.  On 
June  20,  1S94,  he  was  united  in  matrimony 
at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  with  Miss  Margaret 
Louise  Wheeler. 


r^EIL    McLANE,    formerly  a   manufact- 
urer of  sashes  and  blinds  at  New  Bos- 


ton,  now  living  in  retirement,  was 
born  in  Francestown,  N.  H.,  Janu- 
ary 19,  1816,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Mc- 
Collum)  McLane.  His  grandfather,  Malcolm 
McLane,  a  native  of  the  parish  of  Learcastle, 
County  Argyle,  Scotland,  was  born  in  Janu- 
ary, 1745.  Malcolm  married  Isabelle  Living- 
ston, who  was  born  in  the  same  place  in  1755. 
They  came  to  America  in  November,  1773, 
and  landed  at  Boston.  The  wife's  father, 
John  Livingston,  had  previously  settled  in 
New  Boston,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  resi- 
dents of  the  district.  Pressed  into  military 
service  at  the  time  of  the  French  and  Indian 
War,  John  Livingston  spent  seven  years  in 
the  army,  and  was  at  the  taking  of  Quebec. 
In  1768  he  located  in  New  Boston,  and  there 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  owned  a 
great  deal  of  property  and  was  a  wealthy  man, 
ranking  as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the 
town.  Malcolm  McLane  lived  in  New  Boston 
and  also  in  Francestown,  chiefly,  however,  in 
the  latter,  and   was  known  as  a  stirring,  Indus- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


241 


trious  man  and  a  stanch  Presbyterian.  His 
wife  died  in  Francestowii  in  1S04,  aged  forty- 
eight  years;  and  he  died  in  the  same  town  in 
January,  1S31,  aged  eighty-six  years.  Their 
children,  all  of  whom  attained  maturity,  were: 
John,  Jane,  Daniel,  Nancy,  Neil,  Mary,  Isa- 
belle,  and  Archibald. 

John  McLane,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tiort,  spent  an  active  life  in  Francestown, 
New^jort,  and  Fairlee,  Vt.  A  man  of  charac- 
ter and  education,  he  was  County  Judge  in 
Orange,  Vt. ,  and  was  at  different  times  State 
Representative  and  Selectman,  besides  serving 
in  certain  minor  offices.  In  religious  belief 
he  was  a  Congregationalist.  Actively  inter- 
ested in  politics,  he  \vas  a  Democrat  up  to  a 
late  period  of  his  life,  when  he  became  a  zeal- 
ous Free  Soiler.  He  died  in  Fairlee  in  1S51, 
at  the  age  of  si.xty-seven  ;  and  his  wife  died  in 
New  Boston,  in  1882,  aged  ninety-one  years. 
Of  their  fourteen  children,  all  of  whom  grew 
up,  five  are  living,  namely:  Neil,  the  eldest 
and  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Charles,  who 
lives  in  Goffstown ;  Rodney,  who  resides  in 
New  Boston ;  Nancy,  also  a  resident  of  the 
latter  place;  and  Robert  E.,  who  lives  in 
Phillipston,  Mass. 

Neil  McLane  resided  in  Francestown  until 
1845,  living  for  a  part  of  the  time  with  his 
grandfather,  who  died  when  the  boy  was  but 
fifteen.  His  opportunities  for  obtaining  an 
education  and  a  start  in  life  were  very  limited. 
He  spent  six  years  working  on  a  farm  for  ten 
or  twelve  dollars  a  month  after  attaining  his 
majority.  Then  locating  in  New  Boston,  he 
and  his  brother  Rodney  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  sashes,  doors,  and  blinds.  Though 
they  began  in  a  humble  way,  they  prospered 
steadily,  and  soon  had  a  large  factory  and  a 
thriving  business.  They  conducted  the  indus- 
try until  1887,  when  they  disposed  of  it  and 
retired.  Mr.  McLane  has  been  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  forty  years,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1888-89. 
In  politics  he  has  been  a  Republican  since  the 
formation  of  the  party.  In  religious  belief  he 
is  a  Congregationalist,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  have  been  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Society  in  New  Boston  for  forty-five  years. 

Mr.     McLane     was     married     August      14, 


1849,  to  Sarah  C,  daughter  of  John  and  Dor- 
cas (Cleaves)  Kelso.  She  was  born  in  the 
place  where  she  now  lives,  August  20,  1816. 
Her  father  was  born  in  New  lioston,  July  14, 
1771,  and  her  mother  in  Mont  Vernon,  March 
16,  1773.  Her  grandfather,  Daniel  Kelso, 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  New  Boston, 
and  a  soldier  in  the  French  and  Indian  War. 
Marian  Augusta,  the  only  child  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McLane,  born  in  New  Boston,  May  24, 
1854,  is  now  the  wife  of  John  H.  Clark,  who 
was  born  in  Lyndeboro,  December  25,  1838. 
Mr.  McLane  and  his  wife  are  the  oldest 
couple  living  in  the  town  to-day,  and  are 
highly  esteemed  by  the  community.  His  suc- 
cess in  life  has  been  well  earned  by  his  enter- 
prise and  industry.  Having  read  extensively 
on  many  subjects,  he  is  to-day  one  of  the 
best-informed  men  in  his  town.  He  keeps 
well  posted  on  all  matters  of  current  interest, 
and  is  well  in  touch  with  the  history  of  the 
world.  An  excellent  historical  account  of 
New  Boston,  written  by  him,  was  published 
in   the  History  of  Hillsboro  County  in    1885. 


ODNEY    McLANE,    mentioned    above 
as  brother  of  Neil,  was  born   in   Fran- 


1®°^  — 

j_ti\^  cestown,  July  18,  1820,  and  grew  to 
manhood  in  that  place  and  in  New- 
port. He  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon school.  After  working  at  farming  for 
some  time,  the  partnership  with  his  brother  in 
the  sash  and  blind  business  was  formed  in 
1846,  under  the  firm  name  of  N.  &  R.  Mc- 
Lane. He  was  married  November  17,  1853, 
to  Adaline,  daughter  of  Caleb  and  Hannah 
(Fletcher)  Farley.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Hollis,  where  the  Farley  family  are  old  set- 
tlers; and  her  motiier  in  old  Dunstable,  ]\Iass. 
The  eight  children  of  her  parents  included 
two  pairs  of  twins.  Five  of  the  number  are 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McLane  have  one  son 
—  Charles  Sumner,  born  November  15,  1854, 
now  a  resident  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  where  he 
is  a  successful  lawyer.  He  fitted  himself  for 
the  profession  by  reading  law  with  Senator 
Wadleigh,  of  Milford.  He  married  Agnes  A. 
Bear,  of  Kansas  City.  Mr.  McLane  has  been 
Selectman,    and    also   Town    Treasurer,   for    a 


242 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


number  of  years.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
Pacific  Lodge,  No.  49,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Fran- 
cestown.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  liberal  in 
religious  belief,  and  attend  the  Presbyterian 
church.  In  political  affairs  he  has  been  a 
Republican  since  the  formation  of  the  party 
which  he  helped  to  organize. 


"irX  AVID  A.  McCOLLUM,  a  highly 
I  =1  respected  farmer  of  New  Boston, 
^Jji)y  N.H.,  was  born  in  Mont  Vernon, 
August  2,  1823,  son  of  Rodney  and 
Naomi  (Wilson)  McCoUum.  He  is  a  de- 
scendant on  the  paternal  side  of  Alexander 
McCoUum,  who  was  born  in  Londonderry, 
Ireland,  and  came  to  this  country  about  the 
year  1730.  Alexander's  son,  also  named 
Ale.xander,  who  was  born  in  Londonderry, 
N.H.,  about  1758,  settled  in  New  Boston,  lo- 
cating in  a  spot  situated  one  mile  east  of  the 
old  Presbyterian  church.  He  was  a  thrifty 
farmer,  was  the  first  Town  Clerk  of  the  place, 
and  died  there  in  1768.  The  next  in  descent, 
likewise  named  Alexander,  was  the  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Born  in 
New  Boston,  April  22,  1766,  he  was  a  farmer 
and  mechanic,  was  in  comfortable  circum- 
stances, and  served  the  community  as  Select- 
man for  a  number  of  years.  He  married  Mary 
Patterson,  who  was  born  November  12,  1772. 

Rodney  McCollum,  born  March  27,  1793, 
was  an  industrious  farmer  in  New  Boston  and 
Mont  Vernon.  He  was  also  in  trade  for  a  few 
years  in  the  former  place,  and  he  taught 
school  for  a  time.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Society,  and  during  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  he  was  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics. His  wife,  Naomi,  who  was  born  Sep- 
tember 12,  1794,  had  three  children  —  David 
A.,  Arabella,  and  Mary  R.  Arabella,  born 
August  27,  1827,  married  George  Foster 
Allen,  of  Manchester,  Mass.,  where  she  now 
resides.  Mary  R.,  who  was  born  October  23, 
1835,  died  unmarried,  November  8,  1886. 
The  father's  death  occurred  February  22, 
1886,  and  the  mother's,  January  i,  1873. 

David  A.  McCollum  received  the  education 
afforded  by  the  common  schools  of  New  Bos- 
ton.    After  leaving  school  he   was  employed 


in  the  capacity  of  clerk  in  Boston,  Mass.,  for 
three  years.  Then  he  returned  to  his  native 
place,  since  which  he  has  been  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1862,  after  spending  many 
years  in  New  Boston,  he  moved  to  the  farm 
where  he  now  lives,  occupied  in  farming  and 
carpenter's  work.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  liighteenth  Regiment,  New 
Hampshire  Volunteers,  and  was  in  several  en- 
gagements, including  that  at  Fort  Stedman 
and  the  attack  on  St.  Petersburg.  He  was 
disabled  in  service,  and  never  fully  recovered. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  in  1865  he  received 
an  honorable  discharge.  He  belongs  to 
Charles  Stinson  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Goffstown ; 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  Joe  English  Grange,  at 
New  Boston.  They  are  both  Presbyterian  in 
religious  views,  and  in  politics  Mr.  McCollum 
is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  McCollum  was  married  April  5,  1859, 
to  Martha  Sarah  Cochrane.  Born  in  New 
Boston,  January  29,  1827,  she  died  August  8, 
1865,  leaving  two  sons.  These  were:  Henry 
B. ,  born  May  27,  i860,  who  now  lives  in 
Manchester,  Mass.;  and  Rotlney  C,  born 
January  13,  1863,  who  died  March  11,  1889. 
Mr.  McCollum  was  married  a  second  time  on 
June  27,  1889,  to  Susan  Beans,  who  was  born 
in  Annapolis,  N.S.,  May  8,  1846.  Her  par- 
ents, Michael  and  Jerusha  Beans,  are  both 
now  deceased.  Mrs.  McCollum  was  formerly 
the  wife  of  Christopher  Randell,  and  has  one 
daughter.  The  latter,  Mrs.  Jennie  Butter- 
field,  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Butterfield,  now 
living  in  Mont  Vernon,  has  two  children  — 
Clarence  F.  and  Bertha.  Mr.  McCollum  has 
been  successful  in  his  farming,  and  now  owns 
about  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land. 
He  is  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  the  town, 
and  has  the  respect  of  all. 


URTIS    A.    WOOD,    M.D.,    a    promi- 
nent  farmer  of   Dublin,    was  born    in 


this  town,  April  7,  1846,  son  of 
Augustine  and  Elizabeth  (Richard- 
son) Wood.  His  grandfather,  Solomon  Wood, 
a  native  of  Hancock,  N.H.,  who  was  also  a 
farmer,  early  in  life  came  to  Dublin,  where  he 


CURTIS    A.    WOOD. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


245 


resided  until  his  death.  Solomon's  wife, 
Achsah,  a  daughter  of  Thaddeus  Mason,  bore 
him  four  children  —  Emily,  Augustine, 
George,  and  Curtis. 

Augustine  Wood,  born  in  Dublin,  Febru- 
ary 7,  1812,  died  in  January,  1891.  He  lived 
on  the  old  homestead,  and  like  his  father  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  farming.  He  was 
well  informed  on  all  questions  of  public  im- 
portance, and  was  warmly  interested  in  public 
affairs.  He  displayed  an  active  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  his  town,  and  served  as  Road 
Agent  for  a  number  of  years.  His  religious 
affiliations  were  with  the  Congregational 
church.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  who  was  born 
June  6,  1830,  daughter  of  Abijah  Richardson, 
Jr.,  of  Dublin,  and  is  still  living,  had  two 
children  —  Curtis  A.  and  Samuel  R.  Samuel 
R.,  who  was  a  native  of  Dublin,  born  in  June, 
1S50,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years. 

Curtis  A.  Wood  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  Dublin  and  at 
New  Ipswich  and  Kimball  Union  Academies. 
Subsequently  he  completed  the  course  of  Dart- 
mouth College  in  the  department  of  medi- 
cine, and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1877. 
Shortly  afterward  he  settled  for  the  practice 
of  his  profession  at  Greenville,  N.H.,  where 
he  remained  a  number  of  years.  Four  years 
ago  he  settled  on  his  fine  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred acres  in  Dublin,  and  has  since  carefully 
superintended  that  property.  Mr.  Wood 
married  Ida  L.  Benson,  of  Norridgewock,  Me., 
who  was  born  in  September,  i860.  They 
have  one  son,  Ralph  Curtis,  who  was  born  at 
Greenville  on  "November  18,  1885.  Dr. 
Wood  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  he  attends  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  The  Doctor  is  still  in  active 
practice,  and  doubtless  will  give  his  entire 
time  to  his  profession  when  relieved  of  the 
care  of  this  large  estate. 


B 


EACON  THOMAS  RAMSEY 
COCHRANE,  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  New  Boston,  was  born 
here,  May  22,  1832,  son  of  William 
C.  and  Harriet  (Crombie)  Cochrane.  The 
Cochranes   are   descended  from    James    Coch- 


rane, of  Londonderry,  Ireland,  who  came  to 
America  about  the  year  1720,  and  died  in 
Topsham,  Me.  After  his  death  his  family 
moved  to  Londonderry,  N.IL  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Letitia  Patten,  had 
four  children  —  Thomas,  Peter,  Mary,  and 
another  whose  name  is  unknown. 

Thomas  Cochrane,  the  next  in  the  line  of 
descent,  born  in  Londonderry,  Ireland,  in 
1703,  was  the  first  settler  on  the  farm  where 
Deacon  Cochrane  now  lives,  having  located 
there  about  the  year  1748.  A  sturdy,  enter- 
prising farmer,  owning  about  nine  hundred 
acres  of  land,  he  was  one  of  the  prominent 
men  of  his  town  in  those  days.  He  was  the 
first  Deacon  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the 
town,  and  he  was  elected  the  first  Town  Mod- 
erator and  the  first  Selectman  at  a  town  meet- 
ing held  in  his  house,  March  lo,  1763.  He 
married  Jeanette  Adams,  who  died  June  7, 
1784,  aged  seventy-six  years.  His  death  oc- 
curred November  20,  1791,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-nine.  His  son  James,  the  great-grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  married 
Christiana  Aiken,  and  died  at  the  age  of  forty. 
The  next  in  the  line  was  Thomas  Cochrane, 
born  March  25,  1759,  on  Cochrane  Hill,  in 
the  westerly  part  of  New  Boston.  He  became 
a  prominent  farmer  and  a  leading  man;  and  he 
owned  the  present  Cochrane  farm,  to  which  he 
added  other  land,  so  that  at  his  death  it  con- 
tained between  three  and  four  hundred  acres. 
The  present  homestead  was  built  by  him.  On 
April  13,  1784,  he  married  Margaret  Ramsey, 
who  was  born  in  Londonderry,  December  29, 
1762,  and  died  July  21,  1829,  aged  sixty-six 
years.  He  was  also  Deacon  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and  in  politics  was  a  Whig. 
He  died  December  30,  1852.  His  eight  chil- 
dren were  born  as  follows:  James,  December 
4,  1785;  Lydia,  March  15,  1788;  Mary  C, 
April  24,  1793;  Anna,  July  i,  1795;  Nancy, 
November  16,  1797;  Letitia,  November  13, 
1799;  William  C.,  June  3,  1802;  and  Mar- 
garet R.,  September  23,  1804.  None  of 
these  are  now  living.  A  more  detailed  ac- 
count of  the  family  may  be  found  in  the 
History  of  New  Boston. 

William  C.  Cochrane,  who  was  born  on  the 
old  homestead,  became  a  stirring,  progressive 


246 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


farmer.  A  man  of  cultivated  tastes,  he  was 
especially  fond  of  music.  His  genial  disposi- 
tion and  affable  manners  rendered  him  very 
popular.  He  was  a  Presbyterian  in  religious 
belief,  and  in  politics  he  adhered  to  the  Re- 
publican party  after  its  formation.  In  the  old 
militia  he  was  a  drummer.  He  was  a  great 
lover  of  horses.  His  first  wife,  Harriet, 
whom  he  married  April  26,  1831,  was  born  in 
New  Boston,  April  26,  1806,  and  died  Au- 
gust 16,  1839.  Marriage  was  made  June  2, 
1840,  with  Ann  Clark.  She  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1810,  and  now  resides  in  Goffstown. 
He  died  August  15,  1882.  By  the  first  wife 
there  were  four  children  —  Thomas  Ramsey, 
John  C,  Lydia  C,  and  Margaret  A.  John 
C,  who  gained  a  wide  reputation  as  an  archi- 
tect, drew  the  plans  for  the  State  House  of 
Springfield,  111.,  and  the  Iowa  State  House; 
and  he  had  charge  of  many  other  important 
structures.  Born  November  8,  1833,  he  died 
December  13,  18S7.  Lydia,  who  was  born 
August  31,  1835,  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
VV.  R.  Cochrane,  D.D.,  of  Antrim,  N.H. 
Margaret,  born  January  17,  1837,  died  March 
17,  1841.  By  the  second  wife  there  were 
also  four  children;  namely,  Mary  A.,  Mar- 
garet R.,  Anna  C,  and  William  C.  Mary, 
born  March  2,  1841,  married  A.  M.  Campbell, 
of  Goffstown;  Margaret,  born  February  12, 
1845,  died  August  8  of  the  same  year;  Anna, 
born  August  30,  1846,  became  the  wife  of 
Deacon  F.  T.  Moore,  of  Goffstown;  William 
C. ,  the  twin   brother  of  Anna,  died  April   10, 

1847- 

Thomas  Ramsey  Cochrane  received  his  edu- 
cation in  a  common  and  a  private  school,  and 
grew  up  in  New  Boston.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen he  went  to  Nashua,  and  there  learned  the 
sash,  door,  and  blind  business.  Compelled  to 
withdraw  from  that  occupation  bj'  a  bronchial 
trouble,  he  returned  in  1854  to  the  homestead 
of  his  grandfather,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  carries  on  general  farming,  making  a  spe- 
cialty of  the  milk  trade.  In  connection  with 
the  latter  he  keeps  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
head  of  stock  of  the  best  milch  breeds.  With 
a  liking  for  good  horses,  he  has  some  superior 
animals.  He  has  an  excellent  farm,  on  which 
he  has  made  many  improvements,  and  owns  in 


all  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres. 
The  homestead,  standing  on  a  noble  elevation, 
commands  one  of  the  grandest  views  of  a 
beautiful  country.  He  was  the  first  Republi- 
can Selectman  of  the  town,  and  held  the  office 
for  four  years.  He  was  on  the  School  Board 
for  three  years,  and  he  has  been  Moderator  at 
the  town  meeting,  and  served  in  other  minor 
offices.  He  has  been  Deacon  and  clerk  of 
the  church  for  many  years,  and  is  now  also  its 
treasurer.  He  belongs  to  the  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, Joe  English  Grange,  in  which  he  has 
been  Master. 

Deacon  Cochrane  was  married  January  i, 
1863,  to  Almira  F.  French,  who  was  born  in 
Bedford,  May  i,  1835,  daughter  of  Leonard 
C.  and  Annis  (Campbell)  French.  Their  only 
son,  Thomas  Edward,  born  June  30,  1864, 
who  is  unmarried  and  resides  with  them,  has 
held  several  town  offices,  and  is  the  youngest 
Selectman  that  served  on  the  Board.  The 
Deacon,  always  an  active,  industrious  man, 
represents  an  element  of  strength  in  the  com- 
munity, and  is  to  be  depended  on  in  any  enter- 
prise for  the  advancement  of  the  town's  wel- 
fare. Of  a  cordial  and  affable  address,  he  is  a 
favorite  with  all. 


OHN  A.  FULLER,  a  farmer  of  New. 
Boston,  was  born  ^March  15,  1839,  in 
Lyndeboro,  Hillsboro  County,  son  of 
Andrew  and  Hannah  E.  (Chenery) 
Fuller.  His  grandfather,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Lyndeboro,  remained  there  until  his 
death.  Andrew  Fuller  was  born  in  Lynde- 
boro, March  16,  1790.  He  was  a  good  farmer 
and  a  hard  worker,  and  he  spent  his  last  years 
in  active  life  in  Lyndeboro,  where  he  died 
February  i,  1872,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one 
years.  He  was  liberal  in  his  religious  views, 
and  his  politics  were  those  of  the  Democrats. 
He  married  Hannah  E.  Chenery,  who  was  born 
in  Watertown,  Mass.,  May  20,  1800,  and  died 
June  30,  1859.  They  had  nine  children; 
namely,  John  C. ,  Hannah  M.,  Eliza  A.,  Mary 
J.,  George  R.,  William  H.,  Moses  C,  John 
A.,  and  Sarah  E.  John  C,  Hannah  M., 
George  R.,  and  Sarah  E.  are  deceased.  Eliza 
A.  lives  in   Manchester,  N.H.  ;  Mary  J.  lives 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


247 


in  Sonicrville,  Mass.  ;  and  William  H.  lives 
in  ]5illerica,  Mass. 

Ji)hn  A.  Fuller,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
spent  his  younger  clays  in  L\ndeboro,  where 
he  received  his  education.  lie  afterward 
moved  to  New  Boston,  where  he  has  since 
remained.  He  has  been  engaged  in  general 
farming  very  successfully,  and  now  owns  over 
one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land,  the  most 
of  which  is  under  cultivation.  At  the  present 
time  he  is  also  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness. In  his  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
while  his  religious  views  are   liberal. 

On  May  21,  1865,  Mr.  Fuller  married  Ella 
M.  Wright.  She  was  born  in  Milford,  N. H., 
September  22,  1847,  daughter  of  James  R. 
and  Elizabeth  P.  (Peabody)  Wright.  Mr. 
Wright,  who  was  born  in  Milford,  November 
21,  1821,  now  resides  in  New  Boston  with  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Fuller.  Mrs.  Wright  was 
born  in  Milford,  February  3,  1828,  and  died 
October  25,  18S7.  Besides  Mrs.  Fuller  they 
had  another  daughter,  now  the  widow  of  Otis 
M.  Holt.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fuller  have  one  son 
— -Fred  A.  Fuller,  born  March  22,  1866. 
He  married  April  25,  1888,  Minnie  L. 
Stevens,  of  Francestown,  and  now  has  two  sons 
—  Arthur  C.  and  Fenton  Wright. 


KTER  UPTON,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  influential  citizens  of 
Jaffrey,  N.H.,  president  of  the  Na- 
tional Bank  in  East  Jaffrey,  was  born 
in  Tyngsboro,  Mass.,  on  October  i,  1816,  son 
of  Jonathan  and  Nancy  (Whittemore)  Upton. 
His  grandfather,  Joseph  Upton,  son  of  Joseph, 
Sr. ,  and  Abigail  (Gray)  Upton,  of  the  North 
Parish  of  the  old  town  of  Reading,  Mass.,  now 
North  Reading  (and  great-grandson  of  John, 
Sr. ,  the  first  American  ancestor  of  the  family, 
who  died  at  an  advanced  age  in  1699,  in  Read- 
ing, North  Parish,  where  he  was  an  extensive 
landholder),  was  born  in  1725,  and  died  in 
1810.  He  was  a  farmer  and  settled  at  Tyngs- 
boro, Mass.  Jonathan,  father  of  Peter  Upton, 
was  born  at  Reading,  Mass.,  on  March  16, 
1780,  and  died  on  August  16,  1839.  He  lived 
at  Tyngsboro  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
life,  but  his  last  years  were  spent  at  Dunstable. 


He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  His  wife, 
Nancy,  who  was  a  native  of  Maiden,  Mass., 
was  born  on  September  25,  1786,  and  died  in 
Nashua,  N.  H.,  on  September  10,  1851.  She 
was  the  mother  of  the  following  children: 
Nancy,  Joseph,  Jonathan  R.,  Mary,  Abigail, 
Sarah  W.,  Peter,  I^benezer,  John  G.,  Andrew 
and  Susanna,  who  both  died  in  infancy,  and 
Julia  A.  Peter  and  Julia,  now  Mrs.  Avery,  are 
the  only  living  members  of  this  large  family. 
^  Peter  Upton  received  his  early  education  at 
schools  in  Tyngsboro,  Dunstable,  and  at  Pep- 
perell  Academy,  all  in  Massachusetts,  and  at 
the  New  Ipswich  Academy,  in  New  Ipswich, 
N.H.  He  began  his  business  life  as  clerk  in 
a  store  at  the  last-named  place,  and  remained 
there  until  1837,  when  he  came  to  Jaffrey. 
Here  he  was  employed  for  two  years  as  a  clerk 
for  Hiram  Duncan,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time 
was  taken  into  the  business  as  equal  partner 
with  Mr.  Duncan.  A  year  later  the  senior 
partner  died,  and  the  management  of  the  busi- 
ness devolved  upon  Mr.  Upton,  who  remained 
in  it  until  1851,  when  he  sold  a  part  of  his  in- 
terest in  the  business  to  one  of  his  clerks,  Mr. 
Charles  H.  Powers,  who  subsequently  became 
well  known  as  a  politician.  In  January  of  that 
year  the  Monadnock  Bank,  now  the  Monad- 
nock  National  Bank,  was  organized ;  and  Mr. 
Upton  has  been  connected  with  it  ever  since  in 
one  capacity  or  another.  He  was  cashier  for 
thirty  years  and  treasurer  of  the  Monadnock 
Savings  Bank  for  twenty-six  years,  resigning 
the  last-named  position  only  two  years  ago. 
For  the  past  seventeen  years  he  has  been  presi- 
dent of  the  National  Bank.  He  was  a  di- 
rector of  the  Monadnock  Railroad  from  the 
time  of  its  organization  until  it  became  a  part 
of  the  Fitchburg  system.  Mr.  Upton  has  been 
active  in  town  affairs,  and  has  served  as  Town 
Treasurer  for  two  years,  declining  to  serve 
longer,  and  was  Postmaster  for  twenty-four 
years.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  stanch 
Republican.  He  represented  the  town  in  the 
legislature  of  1848,  1S49,  and  1850,  and  was  a 
member  of  Governor  Currier's  Council,  June, 
1885-87.  He  attends  the  Congregational 
church,  and  is  a  liberal  supporter  of  its  varied 
activities.  Mr.  Upton  has  taken  great  interest 
in   building    up    and    improving    the    town    of 


!48 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


Jaffrey ;  and  for  more  than  fifty  years  nearly 
all  of  the  new  public  buildings  and  many  pri- 
vate ones  have  been  to  a  greater  or  less  extent 
the  results  of  his  plans  and  efforts. 

Mr.  Upton  married  Sarah  M.  Duncan, 
d.iughter  of  Hiram  Duncan,  his  first  partner. 
Mrs.  Upton  was  born  on  July  8,  1833.  She 
is  the  mother  of  three  children,  all  of  whom 
were  born  in  Jaffrey.  They  are:  Mary  A., 
born  November  4,  1856;  Hiram  D.,  born 
May  5,  1859;  and  Alice  W. ,  born  July  3, 
1863.  Mary  A.,  a  graduate  of  the  Union 
School  in  Lockport,  N.  Y. ,  married  Walter  L. 
Goodnow,  a  progressive  and  wealthy  merchant. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodnow  reside  in  Jaffrey,  and 
have  three  children,  all  born  in  this  town, 
namely:  Jessie  E.,  born  November  10,  1879; 
Hazel  M.,  born  October  17,  1882;  and  Ruth 
L. ,  born  December  12,  1886. 

Hiram  D.  Upton  was  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth College  in  the  class  of  1879.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  he  became  cashier  of 
the  bank  of  which  his  father  is  president,  and 
that  position  he  held  for  five  years.  He  now 
resides  at  Manchester,  N.H.,  where  he  has 
been  very  prominent  in  politics.  He  was 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  State  in  1889,  and  he  was  for  several  years 
treasurer  of  a  large  loan  company  in  Manches- 
ter. He  married  Annie  E.  Perkins,  daughter 
of  Dr.  Perkins,  of  Marlow,  N.  H.,  and  is  the 
father  of  six  children,  namely:  Donald  P.  and 
Lloyd  P.,  both  born  in  Jaffrey,  the  former  on 
October  18,  1882,  and  the  latter  on  December 
10,  1883;  Hiram  D.,  born  December  21, 
1886;  Irene,  born  November  26,  1888;  Mar- 
guerite, born  October  3,  1890;  and  Dorothy, 
born  August  29,  1892.  The  four  last  named 
were  born  at  Manchester. 

Alice  W.  Upton  was  graduated  at  Wellesley 
College  in  the  class  of  1883,  and  subsequently 
married  Sumner  R.  Pearmain,  of  Chelsea,  son 
of  William  R.  Pearmain,  cashier  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Chelsea.  Mr.  Pearmain,  a 
graduate  of  Harvard,  class  of  1883,  is  a  partner 
in  the  firm  of  Pearmain  &  Brooks,  brokers,  at 
53  State  Street,  Boston,  and  a  member  of  the 
Boston  and  New  York  Stock  Exchanges.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pearmain  have  three  children  :  Will- 
iam R.,  born  in   Chelsea  on   March    17,   1888; 


John  D.,  born  in  Chelsea  on  March  12,  1891  ; 
and  Margaret,  born  in  Boston  on  February  24, 
1893. 


OUIS  C.  BILLINGS,  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  the  Morse,  Kaley  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  and  the  superintend- 
ent of  its  cotton-mills  at  Milford, 
was  born  February  9,  1835,  in  Canton,  Mass., 
son  of  Jarvis  and  Sarah  (Spaulding)  Billings. 
His  grandfather,  Major  Isaac  Billings,  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  and  is  said  to  have  been 
of  English  descent.  Jarvis  Billings,  who  was 
a  native  of  Canton,  Mass.,  in  his  younger 
years  was  a  school  teacher  for  a  time  after  the 
death  of  Major  Billings.  He  died  when  his 
son  was  but  fourteen  years  of  age.  The  home 
having  been  then  broken  up,  Louis  C.  took  up 
his  residence  with  his  uncle,  Uriah  Billings, 
of  Canton,  Mass.,  for  a  shoit  time.  Until  he 
was  seventeen  years  of  age  he  was  engaged  in 
various  employments.  Then  he  began  learn- 
ing the  trade  of  pattern-maker  at  Canton  with 
Lyman  Kinsley,  another  uncle,  with  whom  he 
remained  three  years.  Subsequently  he  was 
a  foreman  in  Kinsley's  Rolling  Mill  for  a 
time.  Later  he  was  engaged  in  pianoforte- 
making,  which  he  followed  up  to  i860.  In 
this  year  he  came  to  Milford  and  entered  the 
employ  of  Morse,  Kaley  &  Co.,  cotton  manu- 
facturers of  Milford.  Here  he  was  made 
superintendent  of  the  mill  plant,  which  posi- 
tion he  has  retained  up  to  the  present  time. 
Several  years  ago,  after  the  death  of  the  Hon. 
Timothy  Kaley,  a  member  of  the  firm,  the 
firm  name  was  changed  to  the  Morse,  Kaley 
Manufacturing  Company,  and  Mr.  Billings  was 
admitted  to  partnership. 

Mr.  Billings  married  for  his  first  wife  Eme- 
line  B.  Kaley,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Timothy 
Kaley.  His  children  by  her  are  now  deceased. 
Sarah  E.  F"oss,  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  subsequently 
became  his  second  wife.  By  her  he  has  three 
children — ^  Ethel  L.,  Walter  L.,  and  Warren 
C.  Ethel  is  now  the  wife  of  J.  T.  Young,  of 
Milford.  Mr.  Billings  has  frequently  de- 
clined town  offices.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  Both  he  and  his  wife  attend  the 
Unitarian   church.      He   is  a   member    of    the 


BIOGKAI'HICAL    REVIEW 


249 


Masonic  organization  at  Miiford.  A  self- 
made  man,  he  is  justly  esteemed  by  the  com- 
munity. Mr.  Billings  was  a  member  of  the 
Building  Committee  who  had  charge  of  the 
erection  of  the  high  school  building,  which  he 
practically  superintended.  At  the  Columbian 
Exposition  he  served  acceptably  as  judge  in 
the  machinery  and  manufacturing  departments 
of  Machinery  Hall. 


/STTo 


EORGE  F.  BEMIS,  station  agent, 
\    •)  I       and    for   eleven   years   Postmaster    at 

—  Chesham,  in  Harrisville,  was  born  in 
this  town,  July  16,  1853,  son  of  George  W. 
and  Mary  A.  (Smith)  Bemis.  His  grand- 
father, Thomas  Bemis,  a  stirring  farmer  of 
this  town,  was  twice  married.  By  his  union 
with  Anna  Knight,  a  native  of  Sudbury, 
Mass.,  Thomas  was  the  father  of  four  children 
—  Elbridge  G.,  George  W.,  Samuel  D.,  and 
Elizabeth  J. 

George  W.  Bemis,  the  father  of  George  F. , 
was  born  in  Dublin,  N.  H.  He  passed  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  in  Harrisville,  was  con- 
nected with  the  woodenvvare  industry  of  the 
town,  died,  and  was  buried  here  with  Masonic 
rites.  Hewas  a  Baptist  in  his  religious  be- 
lief, and  he  contributed  liberally  toward  the 
support  of  the  church.  His  wife,  Mary,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Ira  Smith,  of  this  town,  be- 
came the  mother  of  six  children ;  namely, 
Charles  A.,  Sarah  R. ,  George  F.,  James  T. , 
Mary  A.,  and  Ira  A.  The  mother  is  now  de- 
ceased. 

George  F.  Bemis  was  educated  in  his  native 
town.  After  completing  his  studies,  he  be- 
came connected  with  his  father's  woodenware 
factory.  Succeeding  to  the  business  after  the 
death  of  the  elder  Bemis,  he  continued  to  carry 
it  on  for  a  number  of  years.  Finally  he  aban- 
doned it  to  enter  the  railroad  service.  He  was 
employed  in  various  other  capacities  previous 
to  his  appointment  to  that  of  station  agent  in 
Harrisville.  He  is  also  the  agent  for  the 
American  Express,  carries  on  a  thriving  livery 
business,  and  does  contract  work.  Public 
affairs  receive  from  him  the  attention  of  an  in- 
telligent citizen,  and  he  is  a  regular  attendant 
of  the  Baptist  church. 


Mr.  Bemis  married  Emma  J.  Smith,  who 
was  born  in  Westmoreland,  N.H.,  March  25, 
I.S53,  and  was  an  adopted  daughter  of  Ira  P. 
Smith,  of  Harrisville.  Mrs.  Bemis  is  the 
mother  of  six  children;  namely,  Carl  H., 
George  W. ,  Perley  S.,  Caspar  C. ,  James  E. , 
and  Grover  C.  Carl  H.,  who  was  born  Janu- 
ary 10,  1872,  is  now  an  express  messenger,  and 
resides  in  Springfield,  Mass.  He  married 
Nellie  L.  Howe,  daughter  of  Lambert  L. 
Howe,  and  has  three  children — Howard  H., 
Chessie,  and  Agnes.  George  W. ,  who  was 
born  March  29,  1875,  's  now  a  clerk  in  a  gro- 
cery store  in  Dublin,  N.  H.  He  wedded  A. 
Maud  Atwell,  daughter  of  Horace  F.  Atwell, 
of  West  Somerville,  Mass.,  and  has  two  sons 
—  Gordon  and  George  A. 


RANKLIN  P.  COLBURN,  a  retired 
cooper  and  well-known  farmer  of  Hollis, 
was  born  here,  September  5,  1831,  son 
of  Daniel  and  Sally  (F"arley)  Colburn.  He 
comes  of  a  family  that  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
Hollis,  and  whose  representatives  have  always 
been  leading  people  of  the  town.  Lieutenant 
Robert  Colburn,  of  the  third  generation  back, 
who  came  to  Hollis  from  Billerica,  Mass.,  and 
married  Elizabeth  Smith,  died  in  1783.  The 
next  in  line,  Nathan  Colburn,  the  grandfather 
of  Franklin  P.,  was  also  a  soldier,  and  fought 
in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  By  profession 
a  land  surveyor,  he  was  also  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  lived  in  Hollis  with  his  wife,  Abigail 
Shattuck  Colburn. 

Daniel  Colburn,  who  was  born  in  1796, 
learned  the  cooper's  trade,  which  he  subse- 
quently followed  to  some  extent.  He  also 
owned  and  conducted  a  farm  in  the  western 
]iart  of  the  town  on  what  is  known  as  Proctor's 
Hill.  Sturdy,  industrious,  and  enterprising, 
he  was  liberal  in  religious  views,  and  in  poli- 
tics first  an  old-time  Whig  and  then  a  Repub- 
lican. He  died  in  Hollis  in  1866.  His 
wife's  death  occurred  June  23,  i88g.  Oi 
their  four  children  Franklin  P.  is  the  only 
one  living.  The  daughter,  Lorinda,  who  mar- 
ried Joseph  Parker,  died  November  8,  1870. 
Luke  married  Pluma  R.  Brown,  and  died  in 
1887.      Daniel  Webster,  the  youngest,  born  in 


2SO 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


1839,  was  a  corporal  in  the  Seventh  New 
Hampshire  Regiment,  Company  H,  during  the 
Civil  War,  and  died  in  service  in  1863. 

Franklin  P.  Colburn  passed  his  boyhood  in 
iiis  native  town,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
district  schools.  When  seventeen  years  old, 
he  learned  the  cooper's  trade  with  his  father, 
and  subsequently  worked  at  it  for  twenty  years. 
In  1868  he  discontinued  it  on  account  of  fail- 
ing health,  and  moved  to  the  farm  where  he  is 
now  living,  which  was  his  wife's  ancestral 
home.  He  has  about  one  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land,  raises  vegetables  and  fruit,  and 
markets  choice  varieties  of  apples  and  peaches. 
His  peach  orchard,  of  fine  growing  young 
trees,  covers  three  acres.  He  does  also  con- 
siderable dairy  business,  keeping  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  head  of  cattle. 

On  May  29,  1856,  Mr.  Colburn  married 
Mary  Ann  Hardy,  youngest  daughter  of  Moses 
and  Rebecca  (Farley)  Hardy.  On  the  father's 
side  she  is  of  Scotch  ancestry  and  is  a  descend- 
ant of  Phineas  Hardy,  who  came  to  Hollis 
from  Bradford,  Mass.,  and  who  served  with  his 
four  sons  in  the  Revolution.  Moses  Hardy, 
who  followed  coopering  and  farming,  was  held 
in  high  esteem  by  the  community.  Mrs.  Re- 
becca Richardson,  the  wife  of  Charles  Richard- 
son, of  Hollis,  is  the  only  other  child  of  his 
living.  Of  the  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Col- 
burn, Lura,  Josephine,  and  Freddie  Barton  are 
deceased.  The  others  are:  Frank  E.,  Charles 
W. ,  Bertha  Louise,  Minnie  Adelaide,  and 
Walter  Herbert.  Frank  Colburn  is  a  whole- 
sale fruit  merchant  doing  business  both  in 
domestic  and  foreign  produce  in  New  York 
City.  He  married  Miss  Anna  Dimond,  and 
has  two  children- — Adelaide  and  Frank,  Jr. 
Charles  is  partner  with  his  brother  Frank. 
Bertha  Louise  is  a  teacher  of  elocution  and 
physical  culture;  Minnie  Adelaide  is  also  a 
teacher;  and  Walter  Herbert,  the  youngest, 
is  a  practising  dentist  in  New  York  City. 
Both  parents  are  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  of  Hollis  and  able  and  devoted 
workers  in  the  various  departments  of  church 
work.  In  politics  Mr.  Colburn  is  a  Republi- 
can. He  is  also  a  member  of  Hollis  Grange, 
and  takes  much  interest  in  the  work  of  that 
organization. 


lOBERT  RANEY  HOWISON  was  for- 
merly a  prominent  resident  of  Milford. 
Born  in  Kingsey,  P.O.,  Canada, 
on  March  i,  181 5,  he  was  a  son  of 
Robert  Howison,  a  sea  captain  and  a  native  of 
Glasgow,  Scotland.  His  mother,  Nancy  Wad- 
leigh  Howison,  was  of  English  parentage. 
Robert  Raney  was  the  third  of  eleven  children. 
His  parents,  not  being  blessed  with  a  super- 
abundance of  this  world's  goods,  found  it  hard 
to  meet  the  wants  of  the  children  growing  up 
around  them.  Robert,  compelled  by  the  ne- 
cessity of  providing  for  himself,  came  to  the 
States  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen.  In  1834 
he  was  working  in  a  saw-mill  in  Stoddard, 
N.  H.  Husbanding  his  earnings,  he  was  con- 
tinually looking  forward  for  opportunities  of 
bettering  himself ;  and  in  1842  he  moved  to 
Hancock,  this  State,  and  purchased  an  interest 
in  a  livery  stable.  A  few  months  later  he 
secured  control  of  the  Forest  stage  line  from 
Peterboro  to  Wilton  and  Nashua.  From  1842 
until  1868  he  had  control  of  much  of  the  stage 
business  from  Peterboro,  Hancock,  and  Stod- 
dard to  the  point  of  railroad  connection  with 
Boston.  Moreover,  not  having  confined  his 
operations  to  passenger  traffic,  in  company 
with  Colonel  Hiram  T.  Morrill,  of  Nashua, 
now  deceased,  he  had  charge  of  the  expressing 
between  Boston  and  these  towns,  which  under 
their  management  attained  large  proportions. 
Mr.  Howison  also  had  government  contracts 
for  the  distribution^  of  the  mails  through  the 
country  traversed  by  his  stage  routes,  and  the 
Milford  branch  is  still  conducted  under  his 
name.  In  1865,  joining  interests  with  the 
late  John  Marvell,  of  Milford,  he  engaged  in 
lumbering  and  the  real  estate  business.  The 
partnership  lasted  upward  of  twenty-five  years, 
and  the  business  grew  steadily.  He  also 
owned  the  Howison  Hotel  in  Milford,  now 
leased  to  George  V.  Tarleton.  In  business 
he  displayed  a  marked  ability  in  the  handling 
of  financial  matters,  and  such  conservative 
judgment  that  no  losses  were  incurred  by 
rash  ventures.  He  was  one  of  the  incor- 
porators of  the  Souhegan  National  Bank,  es- 
tablished in  1856,  a  member  of  its  board 
of  directors  until  1S76,  and  he  was  the  pres- 
ident for    seven    years.       The   prosperity   and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


251 


high  standing  of  that  institution  are  largely 
due  to  him.  He  was  also  a  trustee  of  the 
Milfnrd   Savings  Bank  for  a  number  of  years. 

While  in  politics  Mr.  Howison  was  a  loyal 
Republican,  he  invariably  declined  public 
office.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Construction 
Committee  of  the  town  house  in  1870,  and 
was  subsequently  on  the  Building  Committee 
of  the  Unitarian  church,  assisting  largely  in  a 
financial  way.  At  no  other  time  did  he  take 
an  active  personal  part  in  public  affairs.  He 
was  always  ready  in  a  quiet  way  to  aid  any 
worthy  enterprise  designed  for  the  imj^rove- 
ment  of  the  town  and  the  elevation  of  society. 
For  two  years  previous  to  his  death  Mr. 
Howison's  health  was  gradually  failing;  but 
his  faculties  were  active  up  to  within  an  hour 
of  his  death,  and  it  seemed  impossible  that  the 
end  should  be  so  near.  He  died  February  2, 
1S95,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age,  leaving 
to  his  posterity  a  name  that  was  a  synonyme  for 
successful  enterprise  and  honorable  dealing. 

In  1842  Mr.  Howison  married  Elvira  L. 
Mellen,  of  Stoddard,  N. H.,  who  died  in  1850. 
She  bore  him  three  children,  who  lived  but  a 
short  time,  the  eldest  dying  in  her  ninth  year. 
In  1852  he  married  Caroline  H.  Johnson,  of 
Milford,  who  has  four  children.  These  are: 
Josephine  H.,  the  wife  of  John  B.  Dayfoot,  of 
Cambridge,  Mass.  ;  and  William  R.,  Arthur 
W.,  and  James  J.  Howison,  who  are  residents 
of  Milford.  Arthur  W.  continues  in  part  the 
lumbering  and  real  estate  business  established 
by  his  father  and  Mr.  John  Marvell,  and  is  an 
influential  man  in  his  native  town.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  of  Mil- 
ford for  one  year,  and  for  the  past  three  years 
he  has  served  upon  the  School  Board. 


JSAIAH  WHEELER,  Representative  to 
the  New  Hampshire  legislature  from 
Greenville,  was  born  in  Temple,  N. H., 
February  7,  1824,  son  of  Nathan  and 
Rachel  (Cummings)  Wheeler.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Nathan  Wheeler  (first),  who  fol- 
lowed the  trade  of  a  mason  in  early  life,  spent 
his  last  days  upon  a  farm  in  Temple,  attaining 
the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  He  was  a  Whig 
in   politics  and  a  Congregationalist   in   relig- 


ious belief.  By  his  wife,  Lydia  Adams 
Wheeler,  he  was  the  father  of  four  children, 
none  of  whom  are  living. 

Nathan  Wheeler  (second),  the  father  of 
Isaiah,  was  born  in  either  Temple  or  New 
Ipswich,  N.H.  In  his  younger  days  he  was 
a  merchant  in  Lyndeboro,  N.H.  He  finally 
settled  in  Temple,  where  the  rest  of  his  active 
period  was  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
A  business  man  of  ability  and  good  judgment, 
as  well  as  a  thoroughly  practical  agriculturist, 
he  acquired  considerable  property.  In  politics 
he  was  originally  a  Whig,  but  later  he  acted 
with  the  Republican  party.  Besides  holding 
some  of  the  important  town  offices,  he  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  legislature  for  a  num- 
ber of  terms.  For  many  years  he  acted  as  a 
Deacon  of  the  Congregational  church,  and  he 
organized  the  first  Sunday-school  connected 
with  that  society  in  Temple.  A  diligent  Bib- 
lical student,  he  memorized  a  great  deal  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  was  considered  a  reliable  au- 
thority upon  scriptural  subjects  and  on  relig- 
ious subjects  in  general.  His  frank  and  hon- 
orable methods  in  business  inspired  confidence, 
and  a  trust  confided  to  him  was  never  betrayed. 
His  generous,  benevolent,  and  sympathetic 
nature  was  easily  touched  by  the  misfortunes 
of  others;  and  many  deeds  of  charity  com- 
mended him  to  his  neighbors  and  fellow-towns- 
men. He  was  one  of  the  early  members  of  the 
American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  and  con- 
tributed liberally  toward  its  support.  When 
he  died  he  had  attained  the  age  of  one  hundred 
years,  lacking  but  twenty  days.  Although 
totally  blind  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life, 
he  retained  his  interest  in  religious  matters 
and  his  position  as  Deacon  of  the  church  until 
the  last.  His  first  wife,  Rachel  Cummings 
Wheeler,  who  was  a  native  of  Temple,  died  at 
the  age  of  fifty-seven  years.  She  was  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the  only 
survivor  is  Isaiah,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
His  second  marriage  was  contracted  with  Olive 
Damon,  a  native  of  Ashby,  Mass.,  who  had 
no  children. 

Isaiah  Wheeler  acquired  a  good  education, 
having  attended  the  academies  in  New  Ipswich 
and  Hancock,  N.H.  For  several  winters  he 
taught  school  in  Temple,  Nashua,  and  Wilton, 


25^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


spending  the  rest  of  the  year  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  In  1884  he  moved  to  Greenville. 
He  was  afterward  engaged  in  lumbering  and 
manufacturing  for  eight  years.  Although  he 
is  still  interested  in  lumber  operations,  he  is 
at  present  giving  his  principal  attention  to  the 
cultivation  of  a  good  farm.  On  February  17, 
1848,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Eliza- 
beth Gutterson,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Phcebe 
(Buss)  Gutterson,  of  Milford.  Of  the  four  chil- 
dren born  to  them  Lizzie  A.,  Charles  T.,  and 
Walter  M.  are  living.  Charles  married  Lena 
Kimball,  of  this  town,  and  has  one  child, 
Doris  M. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wheeler  is  a  Republican. 
He  was  for  several  years  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Selectmen  in  Temple,  and  he  repre- 
sented that  town  in  the  legislature  for  three 
terms.  Since  coming  to  Greenville,  he  has 
been  prominent  in  public  affairs,  and  he  was 
sent  by  it  to  the  legislature  in  1896.  During 
his  first  term  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
he  secured  the  incorporation  of  the  Greenville 
Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  is  now  a  vice-pres- 
ident. Both  he  and  Mrs.  Wheeler  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  church. 


"irx  ANIEL  W.  TROW,  a  representative 
I — \  agriculturist  of  Amherst,  is  carry- 
^IJSy  ing  on  an  extensive  and  lucrative 
^'^^"^  business  as  a  general  farmer  and 
milk  producer  and  dealer.  He  was  born  in 
the  neighboring  town  of  Mont  Vernon,  March 
II,  1835,  a  son  of  Jesse  Trow.  His  grand- 
father, Joseph  Trow,  an  old  and  honored  settler 
of  the  county,  was  the  founder  of  the  family  in 
this  locality.  Jesse  Trow  was  born  and  reared 
in  Mont  Vernon,  where  he  spent  a  long  and 
useful  life,  dying  there  in  May,  1866.  He 
was  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  during  his  ac- 
tive years,  and  also  carried  on  a  good  business 
in  lumbering  for  some  time.  He  held  an  as- 
sured position  among  the  most  respected  mem- 
bers of  the  community.  He  married  Nancy 
Cochran,  who  was  born  in  Amherst.  Of  the 
children  born  to  them  there  are  now  living: 
George  W.,  of  Hudson,  N.  H.  ;  Arthur  A.,  of 
Mont  Vernon;  and  Daniel  W.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 


Daniel  W.  Trow  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Mont  Vernon,  and  he  also  re- 
ceived a  thorough  drilling  in  all  branches  of 
agriculture  under  the  instruction  of  his  par- 
ents. In  1861,  about  two  years  after  his  mar- 
riage, Mr.  Trow  removed  to  Amherst,  settling 
on  his  present  homestead,  which  contains  about 
one  hundred  acres  of  land,  suitable  for  general 
farming  and  grazing  purposes.  Here  he  has 
followed  agriculture  industriously,  enlarging 
and  extending'his  operations  from  year  to  year, 
and  in  late  years  making  a  specialty  of  dairy- 
ing. He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  public 
affairs,  serving  as  Chairman  of  the  Board  of 
Selectmen  for  three  years  of  the  four  during 
which  he  was  a  member,  as  Road  Agent  for  a 
time,  and  representing  Amherst  in  the  State 
legislature  for  a  year.  In  politics  he  affiliates 
with  the  Republican  party. 

On  June  12,  1859,  Mr.  Trow  married  Mary 
E.  Shepard,  who  was  born  in  this  town.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary  A._  (Ober) 
Shepard,  and  a  grand-daughter  of  Lummus 
Shepard,  who  was  for  many  years  a  well-known 
resident  of  Amherst.  Mrs.  Trow's  parents, 
who  were  born  and  reared  in  Amherst,  died 
here  before  reaching  the  prime  of  life,  the 
mother  passing  away  when  Mrs.  Trow  was  but 
seven  years  old,  and  the  father  five  years  later. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Trow  have  three  children  — 
Jesse  S.,  Katie  E.,  and  Emma  E.  Jesse  lives 
in  Mont  Vernon;  and  Emma  is  the  wife  of 
Arthur  G.  Burns,  of  Lowell,  Mass.  Both  par- 
ents are  members  of  the  Order  of  the  Golden 
Cross,  of  Amherst;  and  Mrs.  Trow  is  an  active 
worker  in  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  to  which 
she  belongs. 


WARREN  A.  FRENCH,  a  leading 
farmer  of  Alstead,  is  a  native  of 
this  town  and  a  son  of  Charles  F. 
and  Aurclia  W.  (Horton)  French.  The  fam- 
ily is  of  English  origin.  Its  genealogy  is 
traced  to  Thomas  French,  who  died  in  Eng- 
land in  1599.  Lieutenant  William  French, 
who  was  the  first  of  the  name  in  this  country, 
came  to  America  in  the  ship  "Defence"  in 
1635,  and  settled  in  Cambridge,  Mass.  Sam- 
uel, one  of  his  descendants,  was  in  the  Revo- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


253 


IjLitionaiy  War,  and  fought  at  licnnington  and 
at_Si^iratoga.  Lirantltathcr  French  was  l-ree- 
doni,  born  July  5,  1797,  at  Hollis,  N.II.,  and 
died  October  12,  1867,  at  Nashua,  where  he 
resided.  He  successively  married  Sarah 
Moore  and  Hannah  Bowers.  The  latter  died 
March  6,  1865.  The  children  of  the  first 
marriage  were:  Charles  F.,  May,  and  Carrie; 
and  those  of  the  second,  Sarah,  John,  and 
Lucy. 

Charles  F.  French,  born  at  Hollis,  June  20, 
1820,  died  in  May,  1886.  After  his  school 
days  ended  he  went  to  Vermont  and  learned 
the  cooper's  trade,  being  naturally  of  a  me- 
chanical turn  of  mind.  He  then  removed  to 
Hollis,  where  he  remained  for  several  years. 
From  Hollis  he  came  to  Alstead,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm,  and  was  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
Always  ready  to  expend  time  and  effort  in  the 
speeding  of  any  good  cause,  he  was  looked 
up  to  as  a  man  of  sincerity  and  worthy  of  con- 
fidence. He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  and  lived  up  to  the  doc- 
trines he  professed.  His  wife,  Aurelia,  a 
daughter  of  William  Horton,  of  Montgomery, 
Vt.,  was  born  in  1827,  and  died  in  i8gi. 
They  had  a  family  of  nine  children;  namely, 
Henry  C,  Roena  Aurelia,  Albert  M.,  George 
William,  Laura  V.,  Frank  K.,  Warren  A., 
Carrie  A.,  and  Bonnie  Belle.  Henry  C,  born 
February  28,  1845,  died  February  16,  1863, 
while  a  soldier  in  the  service  of  his  country. 
Roena  Aurelia,  born  March  9,  1848,  married 
George  E.  Cater,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  this 
town,  and  has  a  number  of  children.  Albert 
M.,  born  November  28,  1850,  who  is  engaged 
in  farming  in  Alstead,  married  Edith  T. 
Hayward,  a  daughter  of  Claudius  Hayward, 
of  Gilsum.  George  W. ,  born  December  27, 
1852,  who  is  employed  in  a  factory  in  Con- 
necticut, married  Sarah  Howe,  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  has  two  children.  Laura  V.,  born 
May  19,  1855,  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Clark,  a 
prominent  farmer  of  this  town,  and  has  a  num- 
ber of  children.  Frank  E.,  born  February 
19,  1858,  who  lives  at  Gilsum,  married  Etta 
Grant,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Grant,  and  has 
two  children.  Carrie  A.,  born  November  12, 
1862,    is   Mrs.    Henry   Wellman,    of   Alstead, 


and  the  mother  of  two  children.  Bonnie 
Belle,  born  August  7,  1865,  maiiied  Cluuies 
Hodgkins,  of  Surry. 

After  attending  the  common  sciiools  foi-  the 
usual  period,  Warren  A.  French  worked  as  a 
farmer  until  his  marriage,  with  the  exception 
of  a  period  during  which  he  was  employed  in 
a  wood  shop.  After  his  marriage  he  bought 
a  farm,  which  he  has  since  carried  on  success- 
fully. He  takes  an  active  part  in  town 
affairs.  Last  year  he  was  nominated  for  Se- 
lectman, but  was  defeated.  He  is  an  Odd 
Fellow,  a  prominent  member  of  the  grange, 
and  he  belongs  also  to  the  United  Order  of 
American  Mechanics,  to  the  Order  of  the 
Golden  Cross,  and  to  that  of  the  Fraternal 
Helpers. 

On  April  4,  18S3,  Mr.  French  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Etta  Emmons,  who  was  born 
September  23,  1855,  daughter  of  David 
Emmons,  of  Bristol,  N.H.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
French  have  two  children:  Grace,  born  April 
18,  1 886;  and  Ruby,  born  July  20,  1887. 
Both  parents  attend  the  Congregational 
church.  Mr.  French  is  a  self-made  man. 
Having  started  in  life  penniless  and  in  debt 
for  his  farm,  he  now  has  a  large  dairy  farm 
with  forty  head  of  fine  Jerseys,  and  ships  milk 
every  day  to  Boston,  where  he  controls  a 
milk  route  in  that  city. 


RTHUR  J.  BELDING,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  East  Alstead,  was  born  in 
Sandisfield,  Mass.,  February  22, 
1S44,  son  of  Buel  C.  and  Elizabeth 
(Barber)  Belding.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
James  Belding,  lived  at  Sandisfield,  where  he 
was  a  farmer  and  drover,  and  served  the  com- 
munity in  the  capacities  of  Selectman  and  in 
other  offices.  His  wife  was  Betsey  French 
Belding,  and  she  bore  him  four  childre!i  — 
Buel  C,  Emily  A.,  Mary  E.,  and  one  that 
died  in  infancy. 

Buel  C.  Belding,  who  was  born  at  Sandis- 
field in  1812,  died  in  1882.  After  leaving 
school,  he  farmed  with  his  father  for  several 
years,  and  then  bought  a  farm.  After  a  time 
he  sold  out  and  went  to  the  southern  part 
of    Vermont    and   thence  to  Chesterfield,   this 


^54 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


State.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  who  was  born  in 
1 8 14,  daughter  of  Luke  Barber,  of  Canton, 
Conn.,  died  in  1SS2.  Husband  and  wife  were 
Ijuried  together  on  the  same  day.  They  had 
five  children  —  Arthur  J.,  Helen  E. ,  Edgar 
C. ,  Katie  J.,  and  Carrie  E.  Helen  E.  mar- 
ried Willis  Ober,  of  Athens,  Vt.,  and  has  one 
child.  Edgar  C,  who  is  a  carriage  painter 
and  lives  in  Drewsville,  N. H.,  married  Susan 
Houtwell.  Katie  J.  is  the  wife  of  Frank 
Leach,  a  farmer  of  Hinsdale,  N.H.  ;  and 
Carrie  E.  married  Herbert  Buswell,  a  mer- 
chant of  Vermont,  and  has  two  children. 

Arthur  J.  Belding  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Otis,  Mass.  Before  he 
was  of  age,  he  bought  a  farm.  Later  he  went 
to  Spencer,  Mass.,  and  was  the  proprietor  of  a 
hotel  there  for  twelve  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  came  to  Alstead,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  general  farming  here.  He 
has  taken  a  warm  interest  in  the  progress  of 
the  town.  He  has  been  Selectman  for  three 
years,  and  always  takes  a  leading  part  in 
the  discussion  of  all  important  questions  that 
come  up  for  discussion  before  the  town  meet- 
ings. He  attends  the  Congregational  church. 
Mr.  Belding  married  Miss  Ida  H.  Warner, 
who  was  born  in  July,   1857. 


•OHN  H.  GOODRICH,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Lyndeboro  and  an  e.x-Rep- 
resentative  to  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature,  was  born  in  this  town, 
March  28,  1835,  son  of  John  C.  and  Pamela 
(Atwood)  Goodrich.  He  is  a  descendant  of 
William  Goodrich,  an  early  New  England 
colonist,  who,  born  in  England,  probably 
about  the  year  1600,  was  living  in  Watertown, 
Mass.,  in  1636.  Of  his  five  children  by  his 
wife,  Margaret,  the  second,  Jeremiah  Good- 
rich, was  born  March  6,  1638.  He  wedded 
Mary  Adams,  and  reared  a  family  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  Philip  was  the  fourth  child. 
Philip  Goodrich,  born  November  23,  1669, 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Lunenburg, 
Mass.,  where  he  built  the  third  frame  house  in 
1724.  He  was  the  first  Deacon  of  the  church 
in  Lunenburg,  and  was  the  first  of  the  settlers 
to  be  buried  there  after  his  death   on  January 


16,  1729.  He  wedded  Mehitable  Woodman, 
and  of  his  twelve  children  ]5enjamin  was  the 
eldest.  Benjamin  Goodrich,  born  in  Lunen- 
burg, February  3,  1701,  died  April  19,  1773. 
On  April  8,  1730,  he  married  Sarah  Phelps, 
of  Lancaster,  who,  born  in  1700,  died  June  19, 
1776.  Their  seventh  child,  Sewall,  born  July 
7,  1743,  studied  for  the  ministry,  and,  gradu- 
ating from  Harvard  College  in  1764,  became 
one  of  the  earliest  preachers  in  Lyndeboro, 
where  he  settled  in  1768.  He  was  ordained 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church,  Septem- 
ber 7  of  that  year,  and  had  preached  here  for 
over  forty  years,  when  he  died  March  14, 
1809,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  The  Rev. 
Sewall  Goodrich  married  Phcebe  Putnam,  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1769.  Born  November  26,  1752, 
she  died  June  23,  1832.  She  became  the 
mother  of  eleven  children. 

Benjamin  Goodrich,  the  third  child  of  the 
Rev.  Sewall  Goodrich  and  the  grandfather  of 
John  H.,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Lynde- 
boro, and  spent  his  active  years  in  tilling  the 
soil.  In  politics  he  supported  the  Whig 
party,  and  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Selectmen  for  eight  years.  He  was  a 
Deacon  of  the  Congregational  church  for  more 
than  thirty  years.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
wife  was  Sarah  Clark.  Of  his  eight  children 
the  only  survivor  is  Phcebe  M.,  the  widow  of 
Abram  Patch,  late  of  Danvers,  Mass.  The 
eldest,  John  C.  Goodrich,  the  father  of  John 
H.,  was  born  in  Lyndeboro,  August  15, 
1803.  He  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  afterward  prosperously  cultivated  a  farm 
during  his  active  period.  He  was  elected 
Representative  to  the  legislature  for  the  years 
1864  and  1865,  and  ably  fulfilled  the  duties  of 
that  position.  He  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  moral  and  religious  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity, and  acted  as  a  Deacon  of  the  Congre- 
gational church  for  thirty-six  years.  John  C. 
Goodrich  died  January  30,  1882.  His  wife, 
Pamela,  whom  he  married  December  4,  1833, 
was  a  daughter  of  Paul  Atwood,  of  Lynde- 
boro. She  became  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren—  John  H.,  Mary  P.,  and  Sarah  M. 
Mary  P.  is  the  wife  of  George  H.  Stevens,  of 
Milford,  N.H.  Sarah  M.  is  now  Mrs.  D.  E. 
Proctor,    of  Wilton,   N.H.,   and   has  had  five 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


2SS 


children,  of  whom  Frank  E.,  Mary  P.,  George 
S.,  and  Fred  W.  are  living.  Mrs.  John  C. 
Goodrich  died  December  ii,   1887. 

John  H.  Goodrich  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Lyndeboro.  His  principal  occupa- 
tion through  life  has  been  general  farming. 
He  is  one  of  the  stirring  farmers  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  the  town,  and  his  pros- 
perity is  the  result  of  industry  and  persever- 
ance. He  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil 
War  in  1864,  was  stationed  at  Fort  Constitu- 
tion for  ninety  days,  and  is  now  a  member  of 
the  Lafayette  Artillery.  He  was  Selectman 
for  one  year,  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Education  since  1890,  took  the  last  census 
of  the  town,  and  has  acted  as  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  the  past  thirty  years.  In  1S57  he 
was  appointed  the  first  Postmaster  at  North 
Lyndeboro,  which  office  he  retained  until 
elected  to  the  legislature  in  1879,  when  his 
wife  succeeded  him.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  committee  selected  to  compile  and  publish 
a  history  of  the  town  of  Lyndeboro. 

On  January  15,  1874,  Mr.  Goodrich  mar- 
ried Addie  R.  Rowe,  who  was  born  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  November  6,  1836.  Their  two  chil- 
dren were  born:  John  Robert,  on  October  31, 
1874;  and  Millie  A.,  September  9,  1876. 
Millie  A.  is  now  the  wife  of  Lewis  A.  Trow, 
of  Mont  Vernon,  N.  H.,  and  has  one  son, 
Harold  A.,  who  was  born  January  10,  1897. 
Mr.  Goodrich  is  a  Past  Master  of  Pinnacle 
Grange,  of  Lyndeboro,  Patrons  of  Husbandry, 
and  was  its  secretary  for  eighteen  years. 


RRIN  T.  CLOUGH,  a  successful  and 
progressive  farmer  of  Goffstown,  was 
born  in  Dunbarton,  N.H.,  October 
12,  1842,  son  of  Luther  and  Mary 
(Colby)  Clough,  the  former  a  native  of  Bow, 
N.H.,  and  the  latter  of  Dunbarton.  Jona- 
than Clough,  the  grandfather  of  Orrin  T.,  and 
an  early  settler  of  Bow,  was  a  farmer  there 
throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  and 
died  at  an  advanced  age.  His  son  Luther, 
also  a  farmer,  who  made  use  of  progressive 
methods  in  his  work,  lived  mainly  in  the 
town  of  Bow,  and  died  there  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven.        Luther's    wife,     Mary,    was 


si.\ty-two  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
Of  their  seven  children,  all  of  whom  reached 
maturity,  three  are  living.  These  are:  Otis 
J.,  a  mechanic,  residing  in  Lynn,  Mass.; 
Seth,  also  a  mechanic,  residing  in  Manches- 
ter, N.  H.  ;  and  Orrin,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  and  who  is  the  second  in  age. 

Orrin  T.  Clough  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Bow,  and  in  that  town 
grew  to  manhood.  At  first  he  worked  as  a 
mechanic  for  twenty  years.  For  several  years 
of  that  period  he  was  exclusively  employed  in 
carriage-making.  An.xious  to  buy  a  farm,  he 
worked  hard,  and  saved  his  earnings,  so  that 
he  was  able  to  purchase  the  place  where  he 
now  lives  in  Goffstown,  in  1886.  It  is  a  fine 
farm  of  fifty-seven  acres,  and  shows  that  no 
pains  have  been  spared  in  the  matter  of  im- 
provements and  the  employing  of  modern 
methods.  Everything  looks  well  kept,  and 
gives  evidence  that  the  owner  is  a  practical 
farmer  and  one  up  to  the  times.  The  stone 
fences  and  excellent  out-buildings  are 
matched  by  the  neat,  comfortable  dwelling. 
A  great  part  of  the  work  is  done  by  means  of 
machinery.  He  carries  on  general  farming, 
never  having  made  a  specialty  of  any  one 
branch. 

In  1866  Mr.  Clough  was  married  to  Sarah 
E.  Colby,  who  was  born  in  Goffstown  in 
1843,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Kelly) 
Colby.  Representatives  of  the  Colby  family 
were  among  the  early  settlers  of  both  Bow 
and  Goffstown,  and  the  name  is  a  well-known 
one.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clough  have  no  children. 
Mr.  Clough  is  bound  to  no  particular  belief 
in  religious  matters.  He  is  identified  with 
the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  of  Grasmere,  and  in 
politics  is  a  Democrat. 


/pTTo 


EORGE  W.  BARKER,  an  enterpris- 
\  •)  I  ing  dairyman  and  cattle  dealer  of 
Harrisville,  was  born  in  Nelson, 
N.  H.,  December  15,  1844,  son  of  Chauncey 
and  Lucinda  (Bryant)  Barker.  His  grand- 
father, Thaddeus  Barker,  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Nelson,  where  he  was  Selectman  and 
Town  Clerk,  and  served  in  other  public  offices. 
Thaddeus    married    Betsey   Robbins,    and   be- 


256 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


came  the  father  of  seven  children  —  Joel, 
Chauncey,  Orin,  Thaddeus,  Sophia,  Daphne, 
and  Maria. 

Chauncey  Barker,  a  native  of  Nelson,  born 
in  September,  1809,  was  reared  to  farming. 
When  a  young  man  he  engaged  in  teaming, 
and  afterward  for  several  years  drove  a  six- 
horse  team  from  Nelson,  Harrisville,  and 
Dublin,  to  Boston,  transporting  goods  to  and 
from  these  places.  He  also  drove  cattle  to 
Brighton,  Mass.,  and  was  subsequently  em- 
ployed in  butchering.  His  wife,  who  was 
before  marriage  Lura  Bryant,  was  born  Febru- 
ary 13,  1817,  in  the  part  of  Nelson  now  a  part 
of  Harrisville,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Bryant. 
She  became  the  mother  of  thirteen  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  George  W., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Daniel  W.,  a 
thriving  farmer  of  Keene,  who  married  Sarah 
Sheldon,  of  Nelson,  and  has  a  family;  Thad- 
deus W. ,  who  married  Rose  Hardy,  and  owns 
a  good  farm  in  Nelson ;  Ida,  the  wife  of 
George  L.  Tatro,  of  Manchester,  N.H.;  and 
Edgar  C,  who  was  born  in  Nelson  in  1854, 
and  is  one  of  the  able  farmers  and  prominent 
residents  of  Harrisville.  The  others  were: 
Laura,  Lura,  Belle,  Fanny,  Addie,  Winnie, 
Eva,  and  Edna.  Lura  died  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen years;  Winnie  did  not  live  to  maturity; 
Eva  married  Edwin  Knights,  of  Hancock, 
N.H.,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two;  and 
Edna,  now  deceased,  married  Henry  Stevens, 
of  Nelson,  who  also  died. 

Chauncey  Barker's  opportunities  for  acquir- 
ingr  an  education  were  limited  to  a  few  weeks' 
attendance  each  year  in  boyhood  at  the  old 
red  school-house,  after  the  hay  crop  had  been 
harvested.  Ambitious  to  advance,  however, 
by  a  judicious  use  of  his  leisure  hours,  he  ob- 
tained a  good,  practical  education.  While  he 
does  not  pretend  to  be  a  poet,  he  sometimes 
courts  the  muse;  and  his  following  description 
in  rhyme  of  the  old-fashioned  district  school 
will  be  understood  and  appreciated  by  some  of 
the  Review's  older  readers  who  have  been 
there: — 

"  The  school-house,  built  upon  the  hill. 
One  might  suppose  the  blood  would  chill,  — 
Seats  with  benches  on  three  sides: 
In  front  a  row  of  smaller  seats  besides ; 


A  fireplace,  too,  both  wide  and  high  ; 
Andirons  with  backlogs  and  fore-sticks  high. 
The  school-house  was  always  painted  red. 
The  master's  rod  the  scholars  much  did  dread. 

"  To  build  the  fire  and  make  it  burn 
Each  boy  was  forced  to  take  his  turn, 
Also  to  learn  to  read  and  spell. 
The  Assembly's  Catechism  was  learned  as  well  ; 
Tables  of  numbers,  Arabic  and  Roman, 
Em]5hasis,  cadence,  pauses. 
Comma,  period,  and  colon. 
The  slate  and  pencil  then  were  used 
To  work  out  sums  the  most  abstruse. 
The  rule  and  plummet  ne.xt  we  meet 
To  mark  the  lines  upon  each  sheet. 
The  spelling-school  was  held  at  night. 
With  tallow  candles  shining  bright ; 
And,  when  the  master  had  gone  away, 
The  boys  and  girls  would  stay  awhile  to  play. 
They  were  healthy,  robust,  and  bold, 
They  feared  not  storm  nor  cold. 
Many  a  good,  great  man  will  now  declare 
His  success  in  life  was  aided  there." 

George  W.  Barker  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Nelson  and  Harrisville.  In  early 
life  he  was  engaged  in  driving  cattle  from  this 
section  to  Brighton,  Mass.  Since  relinquish- 
ing that  occupation  he  has  given  his  attention 
to  dairy  farming,  stock-raising,  and  butcher- 
ing. He  keeps  from  twenty  to  thirty-five 
head  of  cattle  and  thirteen  horses,  sells  large 
quantities  of  milk,  and  furnishes  the  markets 
with  native  beef,  which  brings  him  a  good 
price.  He  has  acceptably  filled  the  more  im- 
portant town  offices.  In  his  religious  belief 
he  is  a  Congregational ist.  Mr.  Barker  mar- 
ried Julia  Aibee,  who  was  born  in  Morgan, 
Vt.,  in  August,   1844.      He  has  no  children. 


/T^APTAIN  THEODORE  COLE,  for 
I  Nr^  a  number  of  years  a  seafaring  man, 
\%)  well    skilled    in    the   art   of    naviga- 

tion, and  late  a  retired  ship-master, 
residing  in  his  native  town,  \yestmoreland, 
Cheshire  County,  N.H.,  was  born  on  May 
II,  181 3.  He  was  a  son  of  Asa  Cole,  who 
was  born  in  Harvard,  Mass.,  December  8, 
1768.  Asa  Cole  was  left  fatherless  at  an 
early  age,  and  the  years  of  his  life  between 
seven  and  fourteen  were  spent  with  his  aunt, 
Mrs.  Chamberlain,  in  Westmoreland.  When 
a    young    man    he   learned   the   trade  of  mill- 


S^9m  W^ 


THEODORE    COLE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


259 


Wright,  and,  following  his  trade  for  some 
years,  he  built  the  Pierce  mills  in  the 
south  part  of  Westmoreland.  He  was  man- 
ager of  the  mills  for  four  years,  until  they 
were  sold  in  1S14,  after  which  he  spent  a 
summer  in  Boston.  In  the  fall  he  removed 
to  Gouldsboro,  Me.,  in  the  hope  of  imjDroving 
his  failing  health,  but  in  vain.  He  returned 
to  Westmoreland  in  1S16,  and  died  a  few 
weeks  later,  leaving  a  widow  and  eleven  chil- 
dren. Mrs.  Cole  made  a  home  for  the  chil- 
dren until  they  were  able  to  care  for  them- 
selves, Theodore  being  one  of  the  youngest  of 
the  family.  The  children  were:  Asa,  Rich- 
ard Goldsmith,  Sarah,  Benjamin  Franklin, 
Nancy  Goldsmith,  Philena,  John,  Susan  Er- 
mina,  William,  Theodore,  and  Charles  Henry. 
John  and  Charles  also  followed  the  sea  with 
success,  each  becoming  the  master  of  a 
vessel. 

Theodore  Cole  at  the  age  of  nine  years 
went  to  live  with  the  family  of  Abijah 
French,  a  farmer  and  lumberman  of  West- 
moreland. There  he  stayed  for  about  ten 
years,  working  on  the  farm  throughout  the 
sunniier,  and  finding  time  for  district  school 
in  the  winter.  When  he  was  twenty-two  years 
old  he  went  to  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  en- 
gaged as  a  seaman  under  the  well-known 
master.  Captain  James  Ma.xfield,  and  made  his 
first  voyage,  which  lasted  eighteen  months. 
In  1837  he  sailed  under  Captain  Shubael 
Haweson  a  two  years'  cruise  around  the  world. 
In  1S39  he  made  a  second  prolonged  voyage 
under  the  same  captain,  reaching  home  in 
January,  1842.  By  diligent  and  prompt  at- 
tention to  his  duties  he  early  won  the  ap- 
proval of  his  employers,  and  prepared  the  way 
for  promotion  ;  and  at  the  age  of  thirty  he  had 
twice  circumnavigated  the  globe.  In  May, 
1843,  he  began  his  third  voyage  around  the 
world  as  master  of  the  ship  "Parachute, "  re- 
turning to  New  Bedford  in  July,  1845.  Mar- 
ried shortly  after,  he  continued  to  follow  the 
sea  until  1851,  when  he  returned  from  his 
last  voyage,  whose  duration  was  two  years  and 
a  half,  and  in  which  his  wife  had  accompanied 
him.  Mrs.  Cole  was  rejoiced  when  the  hills 
and  spires  of  New  Bedford  again  came  into 
view. 


Captain  Cole,  being  naturally  an  energetic 
man,  on  giving  up  his  maritime  profession  en- 
gaged at  once  in  manufactmes  and  merchan- 
dising in  Brattleboro,  Vt. ,  where  he  remained 
until  1859,  when  he  removed  to  Westminster, 
Vt. ,  and  purchased  a  farm.  There  he  lived 
for  nine  years,  identifying  himself  with  the 
affairs  of  the  town,  which  he  represented  in 
the  legislature  in  1862.  Leaving  Westminster, 
he  spent  nine  years  in  Waverley  village,  Bel- 
mont, Mass.,  in  order  to  educate  his  children. 
In  1875  he  enjoyed  a  pleasure  trip  to  Colo- 
rado, Wyoming,  and  California,  and  after  that 
he  made  his  home  in  Westmoreland  as  long 
as  he  lived,  employing  his  leisure  time  in 
farming,  and  interesting  himself  in  politics. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  leg- 
islature in  1882.      He  died  July  2,  1885. 

Captain  Cole,  it  is  said,  was  a  ship-master 
of  pronounced  ability;  and  as  a  merchant  and 
farmer,  too,  he  impressed  others  with  a  sense 
of  his  fitness  to  lead  and  direct,  and,  being 
a  man  of  extensive  and  accurate  knowledge, 
gained  by  experience  and  reading,  was  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  community  where  he  re- 
sided. He  joined  the  Congregational  church 
in  1876,  and  always  contributed  liberally  to 
its  support. 

Captain  Cole  was  married  in  August,  1845, 
to  Livilla  Gleason,  daughter  of  Captain  Wil- 
son Gleason,  a  lifelong  resident  of  Westmore- 
land. Her  grandfather,  Fortunatus  Gleason, 
was  an  early  settler  in  the  town,  coming 
hither  from  Massachusetts.  Captain  Gleason 
was  a  prominent  man  in  military  matters. 
He  was  the  owner  of  a  farm,  and,  until  the 
railroads  were  started,  he  dealt  extensively  in 
cattle,  driving  them  to  Brighton,  Mass.,  a 
lucrative  business  in  those  days.  He  was  not 
an  office-seeker,  but  devoted  himself  to  busi- 
ness—  a  man  of  good  judgment  and  firm  char- 
acter. He  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the 
Universalist  church,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber. He  was  also  connected  with  the  Ma- 
sonic order.  His  wife  was  Lucy  Atherton, 
daughter  of  Joseph.  They  had  ten  children, 
as  follows:  Lucy  Atherton,  born  April  ig, 
1 8 14,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years;  Jerome  W.,  born  April  25,  1816; 
Livilla    (Mrs.    Cole),    born    March    21,     1818; 


26o 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


dementia,  born  October  28,  1S19,  who  mar- 
ried Charles  S.  Childs;  Joseph  H.,  born  in 
1821,  who  married  Lizzie  Mason;  P'ortuna- 
tiis,  born  in  1822,  who  married  Mary  Foster; 
Albert  Jackson,  born  December  10,  1824; 
Sarah  Ann,  born  March  19,  1826,  who  mar- 
ried William  Cleland  ;  Lorin,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Lorin  W.,  born  April  20,  1828,  who 
married  for  his  first  wife  Eunice  Bennett,  and 
whose  second  wife's  given  name  was  Georgie. 

The  children  of  Captain  and  Mrs.  Cole  were 
as  follows:  Frank  Theodore,  William  Henry, 
Lucy  Anna,  Sarah  Gleason.  Frank  Theodore 
Cole,  the  eldest,  was  born  in  Brattleboro,  Vt., 
June  22,  1853.  After  attending  the  high 
school  at  Belmont,  Mass.,  he  continued  his 
preparation  for  college  at  Phillips  Academy, 
Andover,  Mass.,  where  he  went  in  187^, 
and  at  the  Williston  Seminary,  Easthamp- 
ton,  Mass.,  where  he  was  graduated  in  June, 
1873.  He  entered  Williams  College  the 
same  year,  and  received  his  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts  in  1877.  In  the  fall  he  entered  Co- 
lumbia College  Law  School  in  New  York  City, 
teaching  in  private  schools  when  not  in  atten- 
dance at  lectures.  He  was  graduated  in  1879, 
was  admitted  to  the  Kings  County  bar.  New 
York,  and,  going  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  the 
same  year,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Febru- 
ary, 1880,  when  he  at  once  began  to  practise  in 
partnership  with  a  classmate  and  friend,  Mr. 
Byron  Collins.  He  eventually  gave  up  his 
law  practice  to  accept  the  principalship  of 
the  Latin  school  in  that  city,  and  has  held 
this  responsible  position,  efficiently  discharg- 
ing its  duties,  for  several  years  past.  He  is 
very  active  and  prominent  in  local  public 
matters  and  in  charitable  enterprises. 

William  Henry,  the  second  child,  was 
born  August  19,  1854.  He  attended  a  com- 
mercial college  in  Boston,  and  was  employed 
as  a  clerk  for  a  few  years,  but  finally  became 
a  wheat  farmer  on  the  San  Joaquin  River.  Li 
1886  he  returned  East  and  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Westminster,  Vt.  He  married  Addie  M. 
Greene,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  James  B. 
Greene,  of  San  Joaquin,  Cal.  His  children 
are:  Edith  J.,  Mabel  Ruth,  Theodore  F.,  and 
Lawrence.  Lucy  Anna,  the  third  child  of  the 
Captain,   was    born    February    29,     1856,    and 


died  March  7,  1856.  The  other  daughter, 
Sarah  G.,  was  born  February  15,  1857,  and 
died  April  30,  1874.  She  was  an  accom- 
plished young  girl,  adding  to  a  good  education 
a  generous  musical  culture,  and  was  possessed 
of  rare  personal  qualities. 


~E?RANKLIN  HADLEY,  of  the  firm 
1^  Alvin  Hadley  &  Co.,  manufacturers  of 
sashes  and  blinds  at  Goffstown,  Hills- 
boro  County,  was  born  in  Goffstown,  Decem- 
ber 16,  1835,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  F'rances 
(Jones)  Hadley.  He  is  descended  from  Plum- 
mer  Hadley,  who  was  born  in  1738  in  Hamp- 
stead,  N.H.,  and  who  in  early  manhood  came 
to  Goffstown,  and  settled  on  what  has  since 
been  known  as  Hadley  Hill.  Flummer  Had- 
ley died  here,  September  12,  18 14.  He  was 
iiT  the  Revolutionary  War,  and,  according  to  a 
family  tradition,  left  his  plough  in  the  field 
to  go  to  defend  his  country. 

Nathaniel  Hadley,  Sr.,  son  of  Plummer  and 
grandfather  of  Franklin  Hadley,  born  in 
Goffstown,  spent  his  life  in  this  town.  He 
was  a  thrifty,  industrious  farmer,  and  he  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy -six  years.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Martin,  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four.  Of  their  five  chil- 
dren who  reached  maturity,  the  only  survivor 
is  Clarinda,  the  wife  of  Francis  Martin,  resid- 
ing in  Goffstown.  Nathaniel  Hadley,  Jr., 
succeeded  his  father  in  the  ownership  of  the 
old  Hadley  homestead,  and  was  a  successful 
farmer.  In  political  affiliation  he  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat;  and,  while  not  a  church  member,  he 
was  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Congregational 
church.  He  lived  to  be  eighty -two  years  old, 
and  P"" ranees,  his  wife,  lived  to  be  seventy-si.x. 
Of  their  five  children  Francina,  who  married 
Iru  Colby,  of  Dunbarton,  died  in  January, 
1892.  The  others  are:  Franklin,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  Celia,  the  wife  of  Daniel  VV. 
Hoitt,  of  Goffstown;  Sylvia,  the  wife  of  John 
O.  Perley,  of  Goffstown;  and  Caroline,  the 
wife  of  Darwin  M.  Poore,  of  Manchester. 

After  obtaining  his  education  in  the  Goffs- 
town schools  and  Hopkinton  Academy,  Frank- 
lin Hadley,  the  eldest  of  his  parents'  chil- 
dren,   began  his  career   as  a  sash  and    blind 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


261 


manufacturer.  That  was  in  1856,  when  he 
was  twenty-one  years  old,  and  he  has  been  in- 
terested in  the  business  ever  since.  At  the 
present  time  he  is  the  general  superintendent 
of  the  establishment  of  Alvin  Hadley  &  Co. 
This  is  a  first-class  factory.  It  is  provided 
with  water-power  and  the  most  improved  ma- 
chinery, and  it  furnishes  regular  employment 
to  between  forty  and  forty-five  men. 

Mr.  Hadley  was  married  January  12,  i860, 
to  Sabra  B.  Hadley,  daughter  of  Luther  and 
Mary  (Barr)  Hadley.  They  have  one  daugh- 
ter, M.  Etta  Hadley.  In  politics  Mr.  Hadley 
is  a  Republican.  He  served  as  Town  Clerk 
for  three  years,  and  he  was  a  Representative 
to  the  legislature  at  Concord  for  1878.  He 
and  his  wife  are  attendants  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 


ARREN  W.  EMORY,  a  well-known 
merchant  of  Rindge,  Cheshire 
County,  and  an  ex-member  of  the 
legislature,  was  born  in  this  town,  February 
12,  1837,  son  of  Derostus  VV.  and  Mary 
(Fierce)  Emory.  The  family  name  as  spelled 
by  his  early  ancestors,  who  resided  chiefly  in 
Newbury,  Mass.,  was  Emery;  but  his  great- 
grandfather, John,  who  was  born  in  Topsfield 
in  1750,  and  settled  in  Rindge  in  1771, 
changed  the  spelling  to  Emory.  John  Emory 
resided  in  the  south-west  part  of  this  town 
for  the  rest  of  his  life  after  settling  here, 
and  died  March  26,  1839,  aged  eighty-eight 
years.  He  married  Elizabeth  Perkins,  of 
Topsfield.  Captain  Stephen  Emory,  grand- 
father of  Warren  W. ,  was  born  in  Rindge, 
May  13,  1778.  For  many  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  boxes  and  drums. 
He  was  frequently  elected  to  serve  on  the 
Board  of  Selectmen  and  to  other  town  offices, 
and  he  held  the  rank  of  Captain  in  the  State 
militia.  He  lived  to  reach  his  ninety-sixth 
year,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  old- 
est inhabitant  of  the  town  by  over  five  years. 
He  was  three  times  married.  His  first  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Betsey  Wood,  died 
March  2,  1807.  His  second  wife  was  in 
maidenhood  Polly  Ingalls,  and  his  third 
Hephzibah  Buswell. 


Derostus  W.  Emory,  Warren  W.  Emory's 
father,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Rindge,  in 
which  town  his  active  years  were  devoted  to 
general  farming.  He  died  in  his  eighty-sixth 
year.  His  wife,  Mary  Pierce  Emory,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Pierce,  of  Rindge, 
became  the  mother  of  seven  children;  namely, 
George  A.,  Julia  A.,  Derostus  P.,  Eliza  J., 
Albert  A.,  Mary  Anna,  and  Warren  W. 
George  A.,  Derostus  P.,  Eliza  J.,  and  Mary 
Anna  reside  in  East  Jaffrey,  N.H. ;  Albert  A. 
is  a  resident  of  West  Rindge  village;  Julia 
A.  is  no  longer  living. 

Warren  W.  Emory  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  town,  and  followed  agri- 
culture until  reaching  the  age  of  thirty  years. 
He  then  entered  mercantile  business,  in  which 
he  has  been  engaged  for  the  last  thirty  years. 
His  present  store  at  Rindge  Centre  was 
erected  by  him  some  twenty  years  ago.  Mr. 
Emory  has  taken  an  active  part  in  local 
affairs.  He  was  Assistant  Postmaster  for  six 
years.  Postmaster  for  eighteen  years,  Town 
Clerk  for  twenty-eight  years,  and  Town  Treas- 
urer for  twenty-two  years.  He  represented 
his  district  in  the  State  legislature  for  the 
years  1875  and  1876,  and  in  January,  1889, 
he  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  Constitutional 
Convention.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  he  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  i860.  He  is  connected 
by  membership  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
the  United  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross,  and 
the  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  He  is  a  Baptist 
in  religious  belief. 

In  November,  i860,  Mr.  Emory  married  for 
his  first  wife  Caroline  Lake.  In  1868  he 
married  for  his  second  wife  her  cousin  Abbie 
T.  Lake,  daughter  of  John  Lake.  He  has  one 
daughter,  Edith,  who  is  the  wife  of  Harlan  A. 
Stearns,  of  Rindge. 


-ACKSON  E.  WHEELER,  one  of  the 
leading  farmers  of  Hollis,  was  born 
here,  December  31,  1825,  son  of 
James  and  Dorcas  (Moore)  Wheeler, 
both  natives  of  Hollis.  Thaddeus  Wheeler 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Hollis, 
where  he   carried   on   farming  and   coopering. 


262 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen 
and  served  in  various  other  positions  of  public 
trust.  A  strong  man  physically,  he  lived  to 
a  good  age.  His  five  sons  and  one  daughter 
are  now  deceased. 

James  Wheeler,  a  son  of  Thaddeus  and  the 
father  of  Jackson  E.,  spent  his  boyhood  on  his 
father's  place.  As  he  grew  to  manhood,  he 
adopted  the  occupation  previously  engaged  in 
by  his  father;  namely,  farming  and  coopering. 
He  was  a  vigorous,  enterprising  man,  able  to 
represent  worthily  his  father,  both  in  character 
and  ability.  He  lived  a  long  and  honored 
life,  dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven.  In 
politics  Mr.  Wheeler  was  a  Democrat.  He 
served  the  town  as  Selectman  and  as  its  Repre- 
sentative in  the  State  legislature.  Always 
interested  in  military  affairs,  and  especially  in 
the  drill,  he  was  appointed  a  Major  in  the 
State  militia,  in  which  capacity  he  distin- 
guished himself  on  several  occasions.  Of  his 
children,  James  W.  and  Louisa  M.  are  de- 
ceased. The  six  living  are:  Mary  A.,  Eme- 
line,  Jackson  E.,  Hannah,  Charles  H.,  and 
George  F. 

Jackson  Wheeler  grew  to  manhood  in  Hol- 
lis,  receiving  his  education  in  the  public 
schools.  Living  upon  the  old  farm,  to  which 
he  succeeded,  he  has  made  many  improvements, 
including  new  and  substantial  buildings.  He 
keeps  a  herd  of  twenty  cattle,  of  full-blooded 
Holstein  breed,  and  does  considerable  dairy 
business.  Like  his  father,  Mr.  Wheeler  is  a 
Democrat  and  a  stanch  supporter  of  his  party. 
Li  religion  he  holds  liberal  views.  He  is  a 
member  of  Mollis  Grange,  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  meetings  and  discussions  of  that 
body.  The  townspeople  respect  him,  not  so 
much  for  his  position  as  land-owner  as  for  his 
good  judgment  and  business  sagacity. 


RY  ALBERT  HURLIN,  a  proin- 
nent  resident  of  Antrim,  was  born 
in  Acton,  Me.,  November  6,  1856, 
son  of  the  Rev.  William  and  Har- 
riet (Brown)  Hurlin.  His  parents  were 
both  born  in  England,  and  came  to  America 
about    the    year    1849.      William    Hurlin,    at 


first  a  P'ree  Will  Baptist  minister,  became  a 
Baptist,  and  for  many  years  preached  in  vari- 
ous places  in  Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  and 
Maine.  In  1S66  he  settled  in  Antrim,  and 
remained  there  about  seven  years.  About 
twenty  years  ago  he  gave  up  regular  preach- 
ing, and  returned  to  Antrim  to  reside  perma- 
nently. He  has  been  the  secretary  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Baptist  State  Convention  for 
years.  A  man  of  sterling  worth,  he  is  highly 
esteemed.  His  wife  bore  him  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  there  are  living  :  Harriet, 
Elizabeth,  Sarah,  John  M.,  Sophia,  Henry 
Albert,  and  Clara.  Harriet  is  the  wife  of  Ira 
Palmer,  of  East  Sumner,  Me.,  and  has  three 
children — ^  Frank,  Arthur,  and  Gertrude; 
Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  B.  S.  Buckminster, 
of  Antrim,  and  has  no  children;  Sarah  mar- 
ried O.  J.  Lincoln,  of  Santa  Cruz,  Cal.,  and 
has  two  children  —  Mabel  and  Robert;  John 
married  Mary  Brown,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and 
has  two  children  —  Howard  and  Edna;  Sophia 
is  the  wife  of  Samuel  R.  Robinson,  of  An- 
trim, and  has  three  children  —  Fred,  Carl, 
and  Don  ;  Clara  is  the  widow  of  John  G.  Ab- 
bott, and  resides  with  her  children,  Charles 
and  Robert,  in  Antrim. 

Henry  Albert  Hurlin  came  with  his  parents 
to  Antrim  when  he  was  nine  years  of  age. 
He  attended  school  here  until  he  was  about 
seventeen,  working  for  wages,  however,  dur- 
ing his  vacations,  after  he  was  fourteen,  in 
the  employment  of  D.  H.  Goodell  &  Co.  In 
1876  he  went  to  Boston,  and  remained  there 
four  years,  during  which  time  he  worked  at 
the  carpenter's  trade,  and  also  for  his  brother 
in  the  provision  business.  On  January  i, 
1880,  he  returned  to  Antrim,  and  again  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Goodell  &  Co.,  this  time 
as  clerk,  which  position  he  occupies  at  the 
present  time.  He  is  now  a  stockholder  and 
secretary  of  the  company,  and  is  a  most  valu- 
able assistant  of  ex-Governor  Goodell,  being, 
in  short,  his  right-hand  man.  He  now  repre- 
sents the  town  of  Antrim  in  the  House  of 
Representatives,  having  been  elected  in  1896. 
In  politics  he  is  a  supporter  of  the  Republi- 
can party.  He  has  been  one  of  the  Super- 
visors of  the  Check  List  since  1892,  and  is 
now  chairman  of  the  Board.      Both  he  and   his 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


263 


wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  and 
he  has  been  quite  an  active  and  influential 
worker  in  the  same.  At  tlie  present  time  he 
is  one  of  the  Deacons,  serves  on  the  Standing 
Committee,  and  is  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day-school. 

Mr.  Hurlin  has  been  married  twice.  By 
his  first  marriage,  which  took  place  October 
24,  18S2,  he  was  united  to  Carrie  A.  Lincoln, 
of  Boston,  Mass.  She  died  a  year  later,  leav- 
ing one  child,  Herbert,  who  also  died  April 
I,  1896.  Mr.  Hurlin  was  again  married  Oc- 
tober 6,  1887,  to  Mary  M.  Gibney,  of  An- 
trim, whose  living  children  by  him  are: 
Ralph  G.  and  William  H.  A  man  of  high 
integrity  and  self-made,  Mr.  Hurlin  has  many 
friends,  and  is  warmly  esteemed. 


ENRY     L.     NEWELL,    a    prominent 
farmer  of  Greenville,  was  born  Octo- 


ber 31,  1844,  at  Pepperell,  Mass., 
son  of  Lyman  and  Rachel  F.  (With- 
ington)  Newell.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
William  Newell,  was  a  well-known  carpenter 
and  farmer  of  Mason,  N.H.  Born  August  8, 
1772,  he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty -five  years. 
His  wife,  Betsy  Hodgeman  Newell,  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy.  Both  attended  the  Con- 
gregational church.  They  reared  ten  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  now  living.  These 
are:  Betsy,  born  August  g,  181 5,  who  is  the 
widow  of  Elisha  Withington,  and  has  two 
children  —  Harrison  E.  and  George  A.; 
Thirzy,  born  September  28,  1817,  who  is  the 
widow  of  Ira  B.  Foster,  and  has  two  children 
—  Ellen  and  Sophronia;  and  Lydia,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Abel  Adams. 

Lyman  Newell,  the  fourth  child  of  Will- 
iam Newell,  was  born  November  15,  1808. 
A  farmer  by  occupation,  he  spent  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  in  Westminster,  Mass.,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  His 
six  children  were:  Malissa,  William,  Henry, 
Augustus,  John,  and  Zulima.  Malissa  is  the 
widow  of  Daniel  P.  Blake,  and  has  one  child, 
Lotta  M.  William  died  from  the  effect  of 
wounds  received  in  the  late  war,  leaving  two 
children  —  Albion  and  Harry.  Augustus 
married  Abbie  Smith,  and   has  three  children 


—  Georgia,  Maude,  and  Fred.  John  is  the 
husband  of  Cora  Daniels,  and  the  father  of 
four  children  —  Mabel,  Charles,  Blanche,  and 
Frank.  Zulima,  now  Mrs.  Warren  Wise, 
was  twice  married.  Her  first  husband  was 
George  Jennings,  who  was  the  father  of  her 
daughter  Mary.  Her  daughter  Marion  was 
born  of  her  second  marriage.  Lyman  Newell 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  In  politics  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican. 

Henry  Newell  received  a  good  public-school 
education,  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to 
agriculture.  He  has  a  farm  of  about  eighty 
acres  of  good  tillage  land  in  Greenville.  In 
September,  1869,  he  married  Eliza  J.  Rus- 
sell, daughter  of  the  late  Moses  Russell  and 
Betsy  (Dunster)  Russell,  of  Greenville.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Newell  have  had  no  children.  They 
have  an  adopted  son,  William  L.  Newell, 
who  was  born  in  Marlboro,  Mass.,  son  of 
Thomas  Livermore,  a  soldier  of  the  late  war. 
Mr.  Livermore  died  when  his  son  was  very 
young,  and  in  Jinie,  1895,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Newell  legally  adopted  him.  Mr.  Newell  is 
a  Republican  in  politics.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church  of  Greenville. 


"t'^VT^OSES    RUSSELL,    for    many  years 
lir  I  =y      one   of   the   most   highly   respected 

J  JJ_is  I  citizens     of     Hillsboro      County, 

^"^  Greenville,  where  he  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  long  and  useful  life,  was 
born  in  the  adjacent  town  of  Mason,  December 
2,  1793.  He  was  a  son  of  Hubbard  and 
Sarah  (Warren)  Russell. 

The  Russell  family  is  of  English  descent. 
Richard  Russell,  who  came  to  this  country 
and  settled  at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  in  1640, 
was  Treasurer  of  the  colony  for  twenty  years. 
William  Russell,  with  his  wife  Martha  and 
their  son  Joseph,  born  in  England  about  1636, 
came  over  and  settled  at  Cambridge  between 
1640  and  1645.  Other  children  were  l^orn  to 
them  at  Cambridge.  Jason  Russell,  of  the 
fourth  generation  in  descent  from  William, 
and  grandfather  of  Moses  Russell,  was  an  ex- 
tensive landholder  and  one  of  the  leading  men 


264 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


at  Menotomy,  as  West  Cambridge,  now  Ar- 
lington, Mass.,  was  then  called.  He  lost  his 
life  in  the  early  days  of  the  struggle  for  inde- 
pendence, being  killed  at  his  own  door  on 
April  19,  1775,  by  the  British  troops  as  they 
were  returning  from  the  battle  of  Le.Kington. 
His  age  was  fifty-nine  years.  A  part  of  the 
Jason  Russell  house  at  Arlington  is  still 
standing.  He  left  six  children,  of  whom 
Hubbard,  father  of  Moses  Russell,  was  the 
third. 

Hubbard  Russell  removed  in  1772  to 
Mason,  N.H.,  where  he  was  a  shoemaker  and 
farmer,  and  lived  to  be  eighty-eight  years  old. 
He  was  a  Congregationalist,  and  greatly  de- 
voted to  the  church,  being  a  regular  attendant 
at  all  the  services.  For  years  he  was  a  town 
office  holder.  He  married  Sarah  Warren,  and 
twelve  children  were  born  to  them,  none  of 
whom  are  now  living. 

Moses  Russell  devoted  his  attention  to 
farming.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  Greenville  and  a 
prominent  and  influential  citizen.  He  mar- 
ried Betsey  Dunster,  daughter  of  Jason  Duns- 
tcr,  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Henry  Dunster,  who 
came  from  England  in  1640,  and  was  the  first 
president  of  Harvard  College.  Moses  Russell 
and  his  wife  both  died  in  Greenville  in  1885, 
he  at  the  age  of  ninety-one,  and  she  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
but  only  the  daughters,  Julia  A.  and  Eliza  J., 
survive.  Isaiah  D.,  the  elder  son,  died  in 
Worcester,  Mass.,  in  1887.  He  married  N. 
Maria  Wentworth,  by  whom  he  had  a  son  and 
daughter.  The  son,  Charles  Addison  Russell, 
now  resides  in  Connecticut,  where  in  1885  and 
subsequently  he  held  the  position  of  Secre- 
tary of  State.  For  the  past  si.K  years  he  has 
been  in  the  National  Congress.  The  daugh- 
ter, Annie  M.,  is  now  Mrs.  Marble.  Addi- 
son Russell,  the  younger  son  of  Moses  and 
Betsey  (Dunster)  Russell,  died  in  Worcester, 
Mass.,  in  1875.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Carrie  E.  Carey,  died  in  1S82. 
Julia  A.  Russell  is  the  widow  of  Henry  H. 
Savin,  and  has  five  children,  namely:  Abbie 
J.,  now  Mrs.  Allen;  George  H.;  Willie  H.  ; 


Flora,  now  Mrs.  Noyes;  and  Lillian,  now 
Mrs.  Williams.  Eliza  J.  Russell  is  the  wife 
of  Henry  L.  Newell,  of  Greenville,  N.H. 


SYMAN  DAVIS,  a  well-known  black- 
smith and  wheelwright  of  East  Sulli- 
^  van,  Cheshire  County,  and  an  e.\- 
member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature,  was  born  in  Stoddard,  this  county, 
September  25,  1845,  so'^  of  Marcus  and  Lydia 
L.  (Wilson)  Davis.  He  is  a  grandson  of  Asa 
Davis,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who  when  a 
young  man  settled  upon  a  farm  in  Stoddard, 
and  resided  there  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  Asa 
Davis  married  a  Miss  Hodgeman,  and  reared 
a  family  of  seven  children;  namely,  Marcus, 
Asa,  Alden,  Isaiah,  Sarah,  Nancy,  and  Lizzie. 

Marcus  Davis,  father  of  Lyman,  was  born 
in  Stoddard,  May  4,  1807,  and  spent  the 
greater  portion  of  his  life  on  the  homestead. 
He  became  a  well-to-do  farmer,  and  was  a 
highly  respected  citizen.  He  died  December 
2,  1859.  His  wife,  Lydia,  who  is  still  liv- 
ing, was  born  August  10,  18 14,  a  daughter  of 
Colonel  William  Wilson,  of  Stoddard.  She 
became  the  mother  of  five  children,  as  follows: 
Elvira,  who  married  D.  W.  Rugg,  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  of  Sullivan,  and  died  leaving  one 
son;  Albert,  a  resident  of  Nelson,  who  mar- 
ried Rosette  Town,  and  has  one  daughter; 
Henry  Davis,  an  account  of  whom  may  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  work;  Lyman,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Martha,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Leslie  H.  Goodnow,  the  Postmas- 
ter and  Town  Treasurer  of  Sullivan. 

Lyman  Davis  finished  his  studies  at  the 
Marlow  Academy,  and  for  a  few  years  after 
leaving  school  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  learned  the  trades  of  black- 
smith and  wheelwright  with  Ellery  E.  Rugg, 
of  Sullivan,  and  for  nearly  thirty  years  has 
been  actively  and  profitably  employed  thereat 
in  this  town.  He  has  served  as  Selectman 
five  or  six  terms,  is  at  present  Tax  Collector 
and  Moderator  at  town  meetings;  and  while 
Representative  to  the  legislature  in  1893  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Manufact- 
uring. He  is  connected  by  membership  with 
the    Patrons    of    Husbandry,    and    the    United 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


=  65 


Order  of    the  Golden   Cross    and  attends  the 
Congregational  church. 

Mr.  Davis  married  Nettie  E.  Eveleth,  born 
April  28,  1848,  a  daughter  of  Charles  Eve- 
leth, of  Keene. 


JLBRIDGE  CUMMINGS,  for  thirty-one 
years  the  station  agent  at  Fitzwilliam 
Depot,  was  born  in  Marlboro,  Chesh- 
ire County,  N.H.,  August  6,  1827.  His  par- 
ents were  Amos  and  Mary  (Hastings)  Cum- 
mings.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Amos 
Cumniings,  Sr. ,  was  born  in  Topsfield,  Mass., 
and  was  an  early  settler  of  Marlboro,  where  he 
lived  for  some  time  in  a  log  house  two  miles 
north  of  the  village.  Cutting  down  trees  and 
splitting  rails  was  a  part  of  his  pioneer  work. 
As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  do  so,  he  went  back 
to  Topsfield,  and  returned  with  a  wife  on 
horseback.  Afterward  he  built  a  frame  house, 
and  he  died  there  in  the  seventy -fourth  year 
of  his  age.  A  brother  of  Amos  Cummings, 
Sr.,  was  the  first  settled  minister  in  Marlboro. 
His  older  brothers  were  soldiers  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War. 

Amos  Cummings,  Jr.,  lived  on  the  home- 
stead most  of  his  life,  and  died  in  Marlboro 
village.  He  held  many  prominent  offices  in 
the  gift  of  the  town,  was  sent  as  a  Represent- 
ative to  the  General  Court,  and  was  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  many  years.  He  married  Mary 
Hastings,  and  by  her  had  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Eliza,  Nancy,  Eleanor  J.,  Maria,  and 
Elbridge.  Eleanor  and  Maria  are  married, 
and  both  reside  in  Keene,  N.H.  Nancy  is 
also  married,  and  her  husband  spent  many 
years  in  the  compilation  of  the  Cummings 
Genealogy. 

Elbridge,  the  youngest  child  of  his  parents, 
was  educated  at  the  academy  at  Keene. 
After  leaving  school  he  was  variously  em- 
ployed until  he  was  appointed  the  station 
agent  at  Fitzwilliam  Depot,  which  position  he 
held  so  long  and  faithfully.  He  was  also  one 
of  the  first  Postmasters  here,  being  appointed 
in  1864,  and  serving  in  this  capacity  until 
1884.  In  1892,  retiring  from  the  railway 
service,  he  bought  a  fine  residence  near  the 
station,  and  has  since  continued  to  make  his 


home  in  this  place.  Mr.  Cummings  has  an 
interest  in  a  woodenware-mill  in  the  town  at 
the  present  time.  He  married  first  Lydia  15. 
Clapp,  and  after  her  death  he  married  in  1891 
Elizabeth  N.  Whitney.  By  his  first  wife  he 
has  one  child,  a  daughter,  who  married 
Walter  J.  Whitcomb,  and  resides  in  New 
York  City. 

Mr.  Cummings  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
He  represented  his  town  in  the  legislature 
in  1876,  and  has  served  three  years  on  the 
School  Board.  He  is  a  Mason  and  a  member 
of  the  grange. 


tEED     W.     McLANE,    a    farmer    c 
business   man  of   New  Boston,   anc 
son  of  John   and  Hannah  (Whipp 
"^^        l\T.^T      .l...a  ..,.10  K/^>..T  U^t-O  Al,fV110f 


and 
id  a 
pple) 
McLane,  was  born  here,  August  8, 
i860.  [Extended  accounts  of  the  McLane 
and  Whipple  families  will  be  found  in  the 
biographies  of  Neil  McLane  and  James  B. 
Whipple  respectively.]  John  McLane,  who 
was  born  in  Francestown,  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  New  Boston.  He  was  an 
industrious  mechanic,  being  specially  expert 
at  carpenter's  work.  In  religion  he  was  a 
liberal  and  in  politics  a  Republican.  He 
died  August  16,  1892.  His  wife,  who  sur- 
vives him,  resides  in  New  Boston.  They  had 
five  children,  of  whom  Willie  died  at  the  age 
of  eleven,  and  one  in  infancy.  Those  living 
are:  Mrs.  Bessie  Warren,  the  widow  of 
Ephraim  Warren;  James  N.,  a  blacksmith  of 
New  Boston;  and  Reed  W.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  James  N.  is  one  of  the  most 
energetic  and  progressive  business  men  of  the 
town.  Besides  conducting  his  shop,  which 
has  a  thriving  trade,  he  is  also  extensively 
engaged  in  lumbering. 

Reed  W.  McLane  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  place,  and  was  educated  in  the  town 
schools.  He  has  been  engaged  in  various  en- 
terprises during  his  life.  At  present  he  car- 
ries on  grist-milling,  and  also  does  custom 
work.  He  has  built  up  a  thriving  industry, 
and  has  a  first-class  mill  with  improved  ma- 
chinery. He  also  carries  on  general  farming, 
and  deals  in  coal.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.   O.   O.    F.,    Webster  Lodge,  of  Goffstown, 


266 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  No. 
37.  In  religion  he  is  an  independent  thinker, 
and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr. 
McLane  was  married  May  6,  1885,  to  Ada,  a 
native  of  Weare,  N.  H.,  and  a  daughter  of 
George  F.  and  Mary  A.  Saltmarsh.  They 
have  no  children. 


SA  B.  LYFORD,  of  Milford,  formerly 
a  well-known  business  man,  now  liv- 
ing here  in  retirement,  was  born  in 
Calais,  Washington  County,  Vt. 
February  19,  1826,  son  of  David  and  Susan 
(Wells)  Lyford.  The  father,  whose  family 
was  of  English  origin,  was  a  native  of  Cabot, 
Vt.  The  mother,  who  came  of  Scotch  people, 
was  a  native  of  Woodstock,  in  the  same  State. 
David  Lyford  was  a  carpenter,  and  also  at  one 
time  carried  on  farming  on  a  small  scale  in 
Woodbury,  Vt.  In  the  War  of  18 12,  in 
which  he  was  a  soldier,  he  was  on  duty  at 
Plattsburg.  He  also  belonged  to  a  company 
of  militia,  of  which  he  was  successively  the 
Lieutenant  and  Captain.  After  receiving  the 
latter  command,  he  was  familiarly  known  as 
Captain  Lyford. 

After  reaching  the  age  of  ten  years,  Asa  B. 
Lyford  lived  for  a  time  with  an  uncle,  Jona- 
than Lyford,  in  Calais.  Subsequently,  until 
seventeen  years  old,  he  worked  on  farms  and 
at  mechanical  labor.  During  the  next  two 
years  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  store.  Then  he 
went  to  South  Reading,  now  Wakefield, 
Mass.,  and  became  a  travelling  salesman. 
Some  time  after  he  entered  the  employment  of 
the  Merrimac  Manufacturing  Company,  cotton 
manufacturers  of  Lowell,  Mass.  Beginning 
here  as  an  ordinary  hand  in  the  carding  de- 
partment, he  was  later  made  overseer,  a  posi- 
tion that  he  afterward  filled  for  over  twenty- 
six  years.  In  all  he  worked  for  this  company 
for  forty  years.  Resigning  his  position  as 
overseer,  he  went  into  a  mercantile  business 
here  at  Milford,  in  company  with  Frederick 
J.  Kendall,  under  the  firm  name  of  Lyford  & 
Kendall.  After  nine  years  he  sold  his  inter- 
est to  his  partner,  and  has  since  lived  retired. 
He  began  his  education  in  the  district  schools 
of  his  native  county.      Later  in  Lowell  he  was 


an  attendant  of  the  evening  school.  Beyond 
this  the  lessons  he  has  learned  have  been 
chiefly  those  taught  by  experience. 

Mr.  Lyford  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Jane  Dunlap,  of  Antrim,  N.H.  Her 
father,  Thomas  Dunlap,  now  deceased,  was  a 
prominent  resident  of  Antrim,  which  he 
served  as  Selectman 'and  as  legislative  Repre- 
sentative.    Three  children  were  born  to  Asa 

B.  and  Jane  Lyford,  namely:  Clara  J.,  now 
the  wife  of  Frederick  J.  Kendall;  Mary  B., 
the   wife   of   Charles   H.    Combs;  and    George 

C,  who  died  some  time  ago.  As  a  rule  Mr. 
Lyford  supports  the  Democratic  party.  He 
is  identified  with  the  Masonic  order.  Both  he 
and  Mrs.  Lyford  are  esteemed  members  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  of  Milford. 


/  -^  EORGE  PATTEE,  a  prominent  farmer 
\  '•)  I  of  Goffstown,  was  born  in  this  town, 
September  11,  1850,  son  of  Jabez  B. 
Pattee  and  his  wife,  Lorinda.  His  great- 
great-grandfather,  the  first  John  Pattee,  was 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Goffstown. 
Coming  here  in  the  early  days  of  the  settle- 
ment, he  took  up  new  land,  and  founded  a 
home  and  a  name  for  his  descendants.  The 
second  John  Pattee,  who  was  born  in  1771, 
lived  on  the  same  farm,  and  became  a  large 
land-owner  and  an  influential  man.  He 
owned  what  is  now  known  as  Pattee's  Hill, 
and  was  for  many  years  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  He  was  a  Universalist  in  religious 
belief  and  a  Whig  in  politics.  His  death 
occurred  March  28,  1829,  and  that  of  his  wife, 
Rebecca  Ferren  Pattee,  August  3,   1854. 

John  Pattee  (third),  grandfather  of  George 
Pattee,  was  a  well-to-do  farmer,  and  owned 
the  farm  where  his  son  Jabez  now  lives.  In 
religion  he  was  a  Universalist  and  in  politics 
a  Whig.  He  died  October  30,  1832.  His 
wife,  Abagail  Burnham  Pattee,  whose  death 
occurred  August  5,  1843,  bore  him  seven 
children,  of  whom  Julia,  Joseph  R.,  Sabra, 
and  William  M.,  are  deceased.  The  others 
are:  Sally  E.,  who  resides  in  Dunbarton,  the 
widow  of  John  Burnham;  John  C,  who  lives 
at  Burnett  Junction,  Wis. ;  and  Jabez,  the 
eldest,     who    resides     in     Goffstown.       Jabez 


BIOGRAl'HICAL    REVIEW 


^G^ 


Pattcc  has  Dwiicd  his  farm  for  the  last  fifty 
years,  ami  has  always  been  a  progressive  and 
enterprising  farmer.  He  is  a  strong  Repub- 
lican, and  he  was  a  member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  held  in  1876.  In  1847  he 
married  Lorinda  Jones,  daughter  of  Amos 
and  Rebecca  (Diamond)  Jones,  who  came  to 
Goffstown  from  Derry,  Mass.  Jabez  and  his 
wife  are  Universalists,  and  Mr.  Pattee  is  a 
charter  member  of  the  Uncanoonuck  Grange. 
Two  married  daughters  of  theirs,  Mrs.  Will- 
iam U.  Carlton  and  Mrs.  J.  H.  Stiles,  live 
in  Goffstown.  George  Pattee  completed  the 
course  of  the  graded  and  high  schools  of 
Goffstown.  He  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  five  acres,  and  makes  a  specialty 
of  producing  milk.  His  residence  commands 
a  fine  view  of  the  Uncanoonuck  Mountains, 
whose  summits  offer  the  first  sight  of  land  to 
morning  steamers  bound  for  Boston.  The  es- 
tate, which  he  has  occupied  since  1874,  adjoins 
that  of  his  father.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  for  three  years,  the 
chairman  for  two  years,  and  the  Supervisor 
for  si.x  or  eight  years.  He  is  now  a  member 
of  the  School  Board,  and  takes  an  active  part 
in  town  affairs. 

Mr.  Pattee' s  first  marriage  was  contracted 
with  M.  Louise  Hazen,  who  died  in  1882, 
leaving  two  children  — Bertha  M,  and  Ina. 
In  1883  he  was  married  again  to  Lizzie  H. 
Rowe,  who  lived  for  si.x  years,  and  left  a  son, 
Xarl  B.,  born  October  12,  1888.  Miss  Julina 
Rowe,  who  became  Mrs.  Pattee  in  1890,  is 
the  daughter  of  Ezariah  and  Elvira  (Baker) 
Rowe.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pattee  attend  the 
Congregational  church.  Mr.  Pattee  has  been 
for  five  years  Master  of  Uncanoonuck  Grange, 
No.  40,  and  is  a  member  of  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Webster  No.  24,  at  Goffstown. 


EORGE  H.  WILSON,  a  prominent 
•)  I"  farmer  of  New  Boston  and  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  this  place,  was  born  here,  August  22,  1840, 
son  of  Robert  and  Fannie  (Jones)  Wilson. 
Samuel  Wilson,  the  father  of  Robert,  came  to 
New  Boston  in  the  early  days  of  its  settle- 
ment,   locating    in    the  northern    part    of    the 


town,  where  he  cleared  a  farm.  He  served 
in  the  War  of  1812.  His  religious  views 
were  liberal.  He  lived  to  be  one  hundred 
and  one  years  old,  and  even  in  his  last  years 
was  unusually  active.  He  went  fishing  after 
he  passed  the  century  milestone.  His  wife, 
Hannah  Wilson,  was  about  eighty-one  years  of 
age  when  she  died.  They  had  si.x  children — • 
James,  Joseph,  Robert,  William,  Jane,  and 
Elizabeth. 

Robert  Wilson,  the  third  son  of  Samuel, 
born  in  New  Boston  in  1792,  became  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  and  large  land-owner.  He 
also  did  a  successful  business  in  teaming  and 
lumbering.  From  his  father  he  inherited  a 
rugged  constitution,  and  throughout  his  life 
hardly  knew  what  it  was  to  be  sick.  He  died 
suddenly  after  a  hard  day's  work,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  His  wife,  Fannie,  died  at 
eighty-seven.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  of  whom  ten  reached  matu- 
rity, and  seven  are  still  living.  The  latter 
are:  Fannie,  Daniel,  Hannah,  Hiram,  An- 
drew C,  George  H.,  and  Newman  J.  The 
deceased  were:  Margaret,  Mary,  Rebecca, 
and  Sarah.  Sarah's  death  occurred  when  she 
was  five  years  old. 

After  receiving  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  New  Boston,  George  H.  Wilson  took  up 
the  occupation  of  general  farmer,  which  he 
has  since  followed,  adding  thereto  those  of 
stock  dealing  and  lumbering.  He  lived  with 
his  parents  until  twenty-seven  years  old. 
The  first  land  he  purchased  was  a  twelve-acre 
lot,  and  the  next,  acquired  in  1868,  the  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  on 
which  he  now  resides.  He  has  since  bought 
other  lands,  and  now  owns  about  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  in  New  Boston,  besides  one  of 
the  finest  farms  in  Middleton,  Essex  County, 
Mass.  He  deals  in  cattle,  and,  making  a 
specialty  of  the  production  of  milk,  he  keeps 
a  herd  of  thirty-five  cows. 

On  April  14,  1864,  Mr.  Wilson  married 
Miss  R.  Helen  Woodbury.  She  was  born  in 
New  Boston,  April  14,  1844,  daughter  of 
Joshua  E.  and  Rachel  (Walker)  Woodbury. 
Mr.  Wilson  is  liberal  in  his  religious  views, 
while  he  contributes  toward  the  support  of  the 
Presbyterian    church.      He   is  a   Democrat   in 


268 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


politics.  In  1896  he  was  the  candidate  of  his 
party  for  Town  Representative,  but,  the  Re- 
publicans being  in  the  minority,  he  failed  of 
election. 


iHARLES  W.  FASSETT,  a  promi- 
nent resident  of  East  Taffrey,  N.H., 
well  known  as  a  farmer,  horticultu- 
rist, and  public  cfficial,  is  a  native 
of  Cheshire  County.  He  was  born  in  Troy, 
on  December  3,  1848,  son  of  Joseph  W.  and 
Sarah  A.  (Putney)  Fassett.  His  grandfather 
Fassett,  who  was  a  farmer  and  lumber  dealer, 
was  born  in  Fitzwilliam,  N.H.  He  married 
Tabitha  Wright,  and  had  a  family  of  nine 
children,  named  as  follows:  Tabitha,  Ben- 
jamin, Joseph  W. ,  Gardner,  Ephraim,  Luther, 
Danvers,  Catherine,  and  Lois. 

Joseph  W. ,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  Fitzwilliam  on  June  6, 
1822.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Jaffrey,  and  after  his  school 
days  were  ended  worked  at  brickmaking  for 
several  years.  He  subsequently  became  a 
farmer,  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1 89 1.  In  religion  he  was  a  Congregation- 
alist.  He  was  very  active  in  town  affairs, 
and  held  many  public  offices,  being  Selectman 
for  twenty-five  years  and  Overseer  of  the  Poor 
for  many  years.  He  was  also  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  and  for  two  terms  Representative  to 
the  State  legislature.  He  married  Sarah  A. 
Putney,  daughter  of  Ezra  Putney,  of  Putney, 
Vt.  She  was  born  on  the  25th  of  August, 
1 82 1.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  VV.  Fassett  had 
three  children;  namely,  Charles  W. ,  Abbie 
Ann,  and  Frank  P.  Abbie  Ann,  now  de- 
ceased, married  Alvin  Simons,  and  lived  at 
Fitchburg,  Mass.  Frank  P.  died  in  infancy. 
There  is  also  an  adopted  son,  Henry  J.,  who 
is  married,  and  lives  at  VVellesley,  Mass. 
He  has  no  children. 

Charles  W.  Fassett  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Jaffrey  and  at  a  business 
college  in  Manchester,  N.H.  Entering  upon 
the  work  of  life  as  travelling  salesman  for  a 
business  house,  and  being  thus  employed  for 
one  year,    he   then    engaged    in    farming   and 


gardening,  which  occupation  he  has  followed 
up  to  the  present  time.  Enterprising,  dili- 
gent, and  painstaking,  he  makes  a  specialty 
of  small  fruits,  which  he  cultivates  with  much 
success.  Like  his  father,  he  has  been  and  is 
active  in  town  affairs,  having  held  the  office 
of  Selectman  for  two  years,  that  of  Ta.\  Col- 
lector for  five  years,  arid  of  Supervisor  for  a 
number  of  years. 

He  married  Adelia  P.  Upton,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  L'pton,  of  Jaffrey.  She  was  born  on 
January  14,  1851.  Mrs.  Fassett's  paternal 
grandfather,  Eli  Upton,  who  lived  in  Peter- 
boro,  N.H.,  was  of  the  sixth  generation  in 
descent  from  John  Upton,  the  immigrant  pro- 
genitor of  the  New  England  family  of  Uptons 
(see  large  volume  entitled  "Upton  Family 
Records,"  by  the  Hon.  William  H.  Upton, 
of  Walla  Walla,  Wash.),  the  line  being  that 
of  William^,  the  second  of  the  five  sons  who 
married  and  left  posterity.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fassett  have  one  son,  Fred  W. ,  born  in 
Jaffrey  on  December  22,  1879,  who  is  now 
attending  school  in  his  native  town.  The 
family  attend  the  Congregational  church. 
Mr.  Fassett  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member 
of  the  grange. 


Tt:^OBERT  CRISTY,  who  was  a  native  of 
I  ^-^  New  Boston  and  one  of  the  benefac- 
|_b\  tors  of  the  town,  was  born   Novem- 

ber 30,  1803,  son  of  Jesse  and 
Olive  (Waterhouse)  Cristy.  His  grandfather, 
Deacon  Jesse  Cristy,  came  from  Londonderry 
with  his  wife,  Mary  Gregg  Cristy,  and  set- 
tled on  Clark  Hill,  the  estate  known  as 
Whipple  farm  being  his  first  home  in  New 
Boston.  Subsequently  Deacon  Cristy  sold 
his  farm  to  John  Whipple,  and  removed  to 
that  part  of  the  town  since  known  as  P-Tpey- 
mill  Village,  where  he  erected  the  mills  from 
which  it  takes  its  name.  He  was  chosen 
Deacon  of  the  Presbyterian  church  during  the 
ministry  of  the  Rev.  Solomon  Moore.  His 
wife,  who  was  a  woman  of  unusual  size, 
weighing  between  three  and  four  hundred 
pounds,  reared  a  large  family  of  children. 
These  were:  Jean,  Peter,  Samuel,  John, 
Mary,    Elizabeth,    James,    Mary    Ann,    Jesse, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


269 


Robert,  Anna,  and  William.  The  eldest 
ilaugliter  married  James  Wilson,  and  lived  on 
tiie  Peter  Jones  farm.  Several  of  the  sons 
removed  to  New  Brunswick  after  the  war  of 
tiie  Revolution.  Robert  went  to  Ohio  after 
the  death  of  his  mother,  and  was  accompanied 
by  his  father,  who  died  at  his  home  there. 
Jesse,  whose  wife  died  about  1806,  had  four 
children  —  Abigail,  John,  Melinda,  and  Rob- 
ert. Later  in  life  he  became  an  invalid,  and 
was  unable  to  care  for  all  his  children. 

Robert  Cristy  was  placed  in  the  family  of 
Mr.  Henry  at  the  early  age  of  three  years. 
Subsequently  he  lived  with  different  families 
in  the  town  until  able  to  care  for  himself. 
Then  he  went  to  Goffstown,  and  remained 
there  until  about  eighteen  years  old.  When 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  having  learned  the 
trades  of  wheelwright  and  mason,  he  found 
his  way  to  Dover,  with  only  fifty  cents  in  his 
pocket.  Here  he  soon  obtained  employment 
with  the  Cocheco  Manufacturing  Company. 
Afterward  by  prudence  and  industrious  habits 
he  accumulated  a  fortune  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  In  his  will 
he  left  to  his  native  town  one  hundred  shares 
of  Boston  &  Maine  stock,  the  income  to  be 
used  for  the  support  of  common  schools  in 
New  Boston,  English  branches  to  be  taught 
exclusively.  His  second  gift  was  a  bequest 
of  ten  shares  of  Fitchburg  stock,  the  income 
of  which  was  to  be  used  for  the  support  of 
preaching  in  the  Presbyterian  church;  and  the 
income  of  his  last  gift,  ten  shares  of  the  same 
stock,  was  left  for  the  support  of  the  deserving 
poor  of  the  church.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-nine,  leaving  no  children,  an  only 
child  having  died  in  infancy.  He  was  twice 
married.  His  second  marriage  was  contracted 
with  the  widow  Demerrit,  who  died  before 
his  decease.  Mr.  Cristy  was  a  strong  aboli- 
tionist, and  it  is  said  that  he  helped  many  a 
fugitive  on  his  way  to  freedom. 


lUWIN  FLANDERS,  a  farmer  of  Goffs- 
town, was  born  in  this  town,  July  i, 
1845,  son  of  Gideon  and  Betsey 
(Little)  Flanders.  He  belongs  to  the  seventh 
generation  descended   from   Stephen  Flanders, 


who  came  from  luigland  in  1638,  and  located 
in  Salisbury,  Mass.  Stephen  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  in  Salisbury,  engaged  in 
farming,  and  died  there  in  1684.  The  ne.xt 
in  line  was  Stephen  (second),  a  native  of 
Salisbury,  born  in  1646,  who  died  in  1744. 
His  son,  Stephen  (third),  born  in  1672,  was 
followed  by  Asa,  who  was  born  in  1707,  and 
lived  in  South  Hampton.  Asa's  children 
were:  Stephen,  Simon,  and  David.  Stephen 
and  David  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary 
War. 

Simon  Flanders,  the  grandfather  of  Edwin 
Flanders,  born  February  26,  1750,  in  South 
Hampton,  was  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Goffstown,  to  which  he  came  about  the  year 
1770.  He  located  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
town,  where  he  took  up  new  land,  and  carried 
on  general  farming.  He  was  a  Universalist 
in  religion.  His  death  occurred  April  26, 
1836.  He  married  Hannah  Leavitt,  who  was 
born  December  26,  1753,  in  Rockingham 
County,  and  died  January  3,  1847.  They  had 
ten  sons,  who  all  grew  to  manhood  except  one. 
All  are  now  deceased.  They  were  born  as 
follows:  Asa,  November  27,  1773;  Isaac, 
April  2,  1777;  Phillips,  March  24,  1779; 
Jonathan,  December  2,  1781;  Simon,  Febru- 
ary 20,  1785;  Isaac  (second),  July  22,  1787; 
Leavitt,  November  15,  1789;  Gideon,  Novem- 
ber 8,  1 791;  James,  December  12,  179S;  and 
David,  May  13,  1799.  Gideon  Flanders,  who 
resided  throughout  his  life  in  Goffstown,  kept 
a  store  for  a  number  of  years.  His  main 
business,  however,  was  general  farming.  He 
owned  and  resided  on  the  homestead  which  is 
now  occupied  by  his  son.  He  was  Selectman 
for  a  time,  and  was  also  in  the  legislature  for 
two  terms;  he  was  a  Republican  from  the  date 
of  the  formation  of  that  party:  and  he  was  an 
attendant  at  the  Congregational  church.  His 
wife,  Betsey  Little  Flanders,  had  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Mary,  born  September  11, 
1828,  now  deceased,  who  married  Clark  Had- 
ley;  Elizabeth,  born  March  7,  1834,  who  died 
November  30,  1852;  Sarah,  born  August  21, 
1841,  who  is  now  living  in  Goffstown;  and 
Edwin,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Edwin  Flanders  grew  to  manhood   in   Goffs- 
town, and  was   educated    in    Meriden   at    Kim- 


jyo 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ball  Union  Academy.  In  y\ugust,  1863,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  First  New  Hamp- 
shire Heavy  Artillery,  under  Captain  Barton, 
but  was  in  no  active  engagements.  He  was  on 
service  until  September,  1865,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged.  After  his  return  from 
the  war  he  operated  a  grist  and  feed  mill  lo- 
cated at  Grasmere,  and  was  also  engaged  in 
general  farming.  He  still  carries  on  the 
latter,  owning  the  old  homestead  of  his  father, 
which  contains  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  he  has  invariably  voted  with  his 
party.  He  is  greatly  interested  in  educa- 
tional matters,  and  has  served  three  terms  on 
the  School  Board. 

In  September,  1873,  Mr.  Flanders  married 
Mary  A.  Emerson,  who  was  born  in  Weare, 
N.  H.,  in  March,  1842,  daughter  of  Jesse  and 
Harriet  (Duke)  Emerson.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Flanders  have  no  children.  They  are  both 
members  of  the  Congregational  church  in  the 
town.  Mr.  Flanders  is  regarded  as  an  author- 
ity on  questions  of  historical  interest. 


RTHUR  L.  MAXFIELD,  for  many 
years  a  leading  resident  of  Win- 
chester, was  born  in  Gilmanton, 
N.  H. ,  now  Belmont,  on  August  31, 
1818.  His  early  life  was  devoted  to  agricult- 
ural pursuits,  for  which  he  always  had  a 
strong  liking.  He  was  still  in  his  youth 
when  he  went  to  Lowell,  and  secured  work  in 
a  cotton-mill  as  bobbin  boy.  His  attention 
to  his  work  and  observant  habit  won  for  him 
the  respect  of  his  fellow-workmen  and  the  ap- 
proval of  his  employers,  and  he  was  soon  pro- 
moted. In  time  he  became  overseer  of  the 
mill  in  which  at  first  he  had  occupied  so 
humble  a  position.  He  subsequently  was 
overseer  in  mills  at  Hallowell,  Me.,  and  at 
Chicopee  Falls.  Mass. ;  and  for  fifteen  years  he 
held  the  reponsible  position  of  paymaster  and 
book-keeper  in  the  Hampden  Mills  at  Hol- 
yoke,  Mass.  He  left  the  latter  position  to 
organize  and  build  the  Holyoke  Warp  Com- 
pany's mills,  which  he  successfully  managed 
as  agent  for  several  years.  In  1869  Mr.  Ma.x- 
field  returned  to   New  Hampshire   in  order  to 


take  a  position  as  superintendent  of  the  Strat- 
ton  Mills  at  West  Swanzey.  Here  he  soon 
resumed  the  warp  business.  In  1872  he  sold 
out  and  removed  to  Ashuelot,  where  he  en- 
gaged again  in  the  warp  business.  So  suc- 
cessful was  this  enterprise  that  the  Ashuelot 
Warp  Company  was  formed.  Of  this  company 
Mr.  Maxfield  was  partner  and  subsequently 
the  sole  proprietor.  The  business  increased 
to  large  proportions,  and  at  the  time  of  Mr. 
Ma.xfield's  death,  which  occurred  on  August 
24,  1890,  it  had  for  several  years  been  worth 
from  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars  annually.  Two  sons,  S.  Willis  and 
Fred  G.  Maxfield,  were  associated  in  the  busi- 
ness, and  since  the  death  of  their  father  have 
continued  it.  The  financial  depression  has 
affected  this  as  nearly  all  other  lines  of 
manufacture,  but  the  Maxfield  Brothers  expect 
to  be  at  the  front  in  their  line  of  goods  when 
business  shall  revive. 

Mr.  Maxfield  was  a  man  of  strong  constitu- 
tion and  a  great  worker.  Perhaps  in  these 
two  facts  lies  much  of  the  secret  of  his  suc- 
cess. No  man  in  his  employ  worked  so  hard 
as  he  did.  Requiring  but  a  comparatively 
small  amount  of  sleep,  he  would  often  be  at 
his  ofifice  at  four  o'clock  in  the  m.orning,  alert, 
active,  and  ready  to  look  after  any  loose  de- 
tails, to  oversee  the  books,  or  to  plan  new 
ways  for  extending  his  business.  He  was  a 
loyal  Republican,  but,  although  an  active 
worker  in  his  party,  he  never  cared  for  office 
for  himself.  He  was  a  radical  temperance 
man,  and  gave  the  whole  weight  of  his  manly 
aggressiveness  in  combating  the  liquor  evil. 
Always  outspoken  on  any  question  of  prin- 
ciple, he  was  especially  so  on  this,  and  he 
never  lost  an  opportunity  to  promulgate  what 
he  believed  to  be  the  truth.  In  religious 
views  he  was  a  ]-?aptist  and  his  simjjie-hcarted 
yet  firm  faith  has  encouraged  and  uplifted 
many  a  faint  heart.  He  was  preparing  for 
church  on  Sunday  morning  when  the  summons 
to  take  a  longer  journey  came  to  him. 

Mr.  Maxfield  was  the  father  of  nine  chil- 
dren, seven  of  whom  are  living.  These  are: 
Anna,  Ella,  Susie,  G.  A.  Maxfield,  Willis, 
Fred   G.,    and    Sadie.      Sadie   lives    in    Provi- 


4 


DANA     B.    GOVE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


273 


dcnce,  R.I.  Anna  is  a  successful  music 
teacher  and  organist,  and  resides  in  Holyoke, 
Mass.  Ella  began  teaching  school  in  Hol- 
yoke at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  continued  in  that 
profession  until  her  marriage  with  Dr.  G.  VV. 
Davis.  After  her  marriage  she  began  the 
study  of  medicine,  graduated  from  the 
Women's  College  at  Thiladelphia,  and  is  now 
a  practising  physician  in  Holyoke,  her  hus- 
band being  deceased.  Susie  is  a  well-known 
school  teacher  in  Holyoke.  Dr.  G.  A.  Max- 
field  is  a  prominent  dentist  of  that  city  and  a 
lecturer  in  one  of  the  New  York  City  Dental 
Colleges;  and  he  invented  some  dental  appli- 
ance, which  is  meeting  with  a  large  sale.  He 
is  married,  and  has  one  child.  S.  Willis  Max- 
field  is  the  executive  member  of  the  Ashuelot 
Warp  Manufacturing  Company,  and  thoroughly 
understands  all  the  details  of  the  manufacturing 
process,  as  well  as  the  mechanism  of  the  ma- 
chinery. In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republi- 
can. He  has  been  for  ten  years  on  the  Re- 
publican Executive  Committee,  and  he  was 
for  a  time  vice-president  of  the  organization. 
Enterprising,  progressive,  and  wide-awake,  he 
is  one  of  the  popular  young  men  in  town  and 
a  leader  in  social  and  business  circles.  He 
is  a  Master  Mason  and  a  member  of  Cheshire 
Royal  Arch  Chapter,  No.  4,  at  Keene. 


M 


ANA  BUZZELL  GOVE,  who  was 
for  many  years  successfully  en- 
^1  gaged  in  legal  practice  in  Lowell 
and  Boston,  is  now  residing  on  the 
illd  Gove  homestead  in  Weare,  Hillsboro 
County,  N.H.,  giving  his  attention  to  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  Mr.  Gove  was  born  in  South 
Weare,  October  20,  1821,  son  of  Jesse  and 
Rhoda  (Atwood)  Gove.  His  father,  Jesse 
Gove,  born  in  1796,  son  of  Daniel  Gove,  learned 
the  trade  of  a  clothier,  and  successfully  fol- 
lowed that  line  of  business.  He  was  drowned 
while  skating  in  1822,  when  about  twenty-six 
years  of  age.  Rhoda  Atwood  Gove,  his  wife, 
a  native  of  Weare,  also  died  at  an  early  age. 

Dana  B.  Gove  was  an  only  child,  and,  being 
left  an  orphan  when  but  a  little  over  a  year 
old,  was  taken  care  of  for  some  time  by  his 
grandmother  Gove.     Later  he  lived  with   his 


uncles,  Ebenezer  and  Asa  Gove.  His  school- 
ing was  received  in  the  different  places  in 
which  he  had  a  home,  and  at  Clinton  Grove 
Academy,  Weare.  Learning  the  shoemaker's 
trade,  he  followed  it  for  a  while  in  youth  and 
early  manhood,  but  subsequently  took  up  the 
study  of  law  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  with  Robert  B. 
Caverly,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  began 
practising  in  Lowell.  He  afterward  opened 
an  office  in  Boston.  An  able  lawyer,  he  de- 
voted many  years  to  his  profession,  and  before 
his  retirement  had  acquired  a  large  clientage. 
During  the  latter  part  of  his  legal  career  he 
was  assisted  by  his  sons,  whom  he  received 
into  partnership,  under  the  firm  name  of  D.  B. 
Gove  &  Sons,  and  who  now  carry  on  the  busi- 
ness. In  1885  he  returned  to  Weare,  his  na- 
tive town,  and  has  since  been  profitably  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  at  the  old  Gove 
homestead.  He  has  remodelled  the  buildings, 
and  made  numerous  other  improvements  on 
the  place,  which  comprises  about  two  hundred 
acres,  and  affords  a  beautiful  landscape  view, 
including  on  a  clear  day  the  White  Mountains, 
grandly  looming  up  in  the  distance. 

Mr.  Gove  was  married  June  13,  1849,  to 
Miss  Susan  Morse,  who  was  born  in  Crafts- 
bury,  Orleans  County,  Vt.,  November  13, 
1823,  daughter  of  Leonard  and  Elizabeth 
Morse.  Five  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  and  three,  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  are 
living,  namely:  Horace  D.  Gove,  a  lawyer  in 
Boston;  Jesse  M.  Gove,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  law  with  his  brother,  is  mar- 
ried, and  has  two  sons  —  Dana  B.  and  Edward 
J.  ;  and  Anna  Gove  Richardson,  M.D.,  a  prac- 
tising physician,  wife  of  Oscar  Richardson, 
of  Boston.  In  political  views  Mr.  Gove  is  a 
Republican.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  church. 


■OHN  W.  STORY,  a  retail  lumber 
dealer  of  Goffstown,  was  born  in  this 
town,  July  7,  1S49,  son  of  Alfred  and 
Sarah  (Little)  Story.  Nehemiah  Story, 
the  father  of  Alfred,  came  here  from  Essex, 
Mass.,  about  the  year  1800,  settling  on  a 
small  farm  in  the  central  part  of  the  town. 
An   energetic  man,   he  became   influential   in 


:74 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


the  community.  In  religions  belief  he  was  a 
Congregationalist.  He  had  two  sons  and  two 
ilaiighters,  of  whom  the  only  survivor  is  Han- 
nah, now  Mrs.  Col  burn,  of  New  Boston. 
Emily  married  Luther  Sargent.  The  sons 
were  Alfred  and  William. 

Alfred  Story  began  his  business  career  as  a 
tradesman,  and  for  about  ten  years  had  a  store 
in  Newport,  N.H.  He  subsequently  engaged 
in  lumbering,  and  for  a  number  of  years  did  a 
large  business  in  this  line,  being  one  of  the 
largest  dealers  in  Hillsboro  County.  He 
bought  many  wood  lots  from  which  he  cut  the 
lumber,  and  he  owned  a  considerable  amount 
of  other  real  estate.  Besides  attending  to  his 
personal  affairs,  he  was  frequently  employed 
to  settle  estates.  During  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  he  made  his  home  in  Goffstown.  He 
died  here,  May  23,  1892,  survived  by  his 
widow,  Sarah  Little  Story,  who  continues  to 
reside  here.  He  took  much  interest  in  local 
affairs,  served  his  town  as  Selectman  and 
Town  Treasurer,  and  was  for  several  terms  in 
the  New  Hampshire  legislature.  Of  his  three 
children  Charles  A.  died  September  10,  1872, 
aged  twenty-five  years.  The  others  are:  John 
\V.  and  Mardie  L.  Story. 

After  obtaining  his  education,  which  was 
completed  in  the  Francestown  and  New  Lon- 
don Academies,  John  \V.  Story  dealt  in  dry 
goods  and  groceries  in  Goffstown  for  about 
eleven  years.  Selling  out  then,  he  took  up 
the  retail  lumber  business,  in  which  he  is  now 
engaged.  He  keeps  a  large  supply  of  build- 
ing and  finishing  lumber,  and  has  a  good 
trade,  having  but  little  competition.  He  also 
has  a  lumber  yard  at  Henniker,  N.H. 

Mr.  Story  was  married  November  5,  1871, 
to  Miss  Annie  Austin,  who  was  born  in  Goffs- 
town, daughter  of  Daniel  B.  and  Zebia 
Austin.  Mr.  Austin,  born  April  5,  1828,  is  a 
carpenter  by  trade.  Mrs.  Austin  is  a  native 
of  New  Boston,  born  January  25,  183 1. 
Three  of  their  five  children  are  living, 
namely:  Mrs.  Story;  Morris  Austin,  of  Man- 
chester; and  Mabel.  The  last  named  is  the 
wife  of  Arthur  Pattee,  of  Goffstown.  Jennie, 
who  married  Edward  E.  Lawrence,  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two  years;  and  Miltimore 
died  when  four  years  of  age.     In  politics  Mr. 


Story  is  a  Democrat.  Fraternally,  he  is  a 
member  of  Webster  Lodge,  No.  24,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
of  Goffstown  ;  and  of  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  of  Manchester.  In  1884 
he  was  appointed  Postmaster,  and  served  four 
years.  His  religious  views  are  liberal.  Mrs. 
Story  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.  They  reside  in  Goffstown  village, 
and  have  a  very  pleasant  and  attractive  home. 


OHN  RUTHERFORD,  the  Tax  Col- 
lector of  Harrisville  and  a  highly  re- 
spected resident  of  the  town,  was  born 
November  3,  1823,  in  County  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  son  of  Thomas  and  Jane  (Pendleton) 
Rutherford.  His  grandfather,  John  Ruther- 
ford, had  four  children — ^ Joseph,  Thomas, 
Jane,  and  Margaret.  Thomas,  who  was  born 
at  Dumfries,  Scotland,  in  1790,  died  in 
i860.  He  came  to  America  when  a  young 
man,  and  settled  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  where  he 
worked  as  stone  mason  and  bricklayer.  His 
wife,  Jane,  a  native  of  Scotland,  was  the 
mother  of  eight  children  —  Allen,  John,  Mary 
Ann,  Eliza,  Jane,  Robert,  George,  and  Joseph. 
John  Rutherford  received  his  early  school- 
ing in  Ireland.  When  a  young  man  he  came 
to  America  with  his  parents,  and  shortly  after 
went  to  work  in  a  woollen-mill  in  Lowell. 
After  spending  fifteen  years  in  the  mill,  he 
came  to  Harrisville  to  take  charge  of  the  spin- 
ning-room in  the  mill  here,  and  he  afterward 
managed  it  for  about  fourteen  years.  Mr. 
Rutherford  has  been  active  in  public  affairs, 
and  has  faithfully  served  the  town  in  various 
important  positions.  He  has  been  Overseer 
of  the  Poor  and  policeman,  and  for  the  last 
eight  years  he  has  been  Collector  of  Ta.xes. 

Mrs.  Rutherford,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Diana  L.  Clarry,  was  born  at  Brooks,  Me.,  on 
April  6,  1 83 1.  She  has  had  five  children; 
namely,  George,  Frank,  May,  Charles,  and 
Fred.  George,  born  at  Lowell  in  1865,  is  en- 
gaged in  railroading  on  the  Boston  &  Maine 
Railroad.  He  is  unmarried.  Frank,  who 
was  born  at  Nelson  in  1869,  resides  at  Syra- 
cuse, N.Y.,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  study 
of  law.  May,  who  was  born  at  Harrisville  in 
1867,    is   now   Mrs.   John    Carroll,    has   three 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


275 


children,  and  resides  at  Northfield,  Mass. 
Fred,  born  at  Nelson  in  1871,  is  also  em- 
ployed on  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad. 
Charles,  who  was  born  at  Nelson  in  1S73,  is 
attending  school  at  Montpelier,  Vt.  Frank 
and  Charles  are,  like  their  father,  members  of 
the  Masonic  organization  and  of  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Fred  belongs  to 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Odd  Fellows. 
Mr.  Rutherford,  Sr. ,  is  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church. 


/  ^TeORGE  W.  MUZZEY,  a  representa- 
\  •)  I  tive  man  of  New  Boston,  where  he 
carries  on  a  successful  business  in 
farming  and  lumbering,  was  born  in  Weare, 
N.H.,  July  18,  1841,  son  of  John  D.  and 
Louise  (Goodale)  Muzzey.  His  paternal 
great-grandfather  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  Weare.  The  son  of  this  pioneer,  Thomas, 
who  was  born  there,  and  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  farmer,  became  a  leader  in  town 
affairs.  He  was  Selectman  and  legislative 
Representative,  besides  being  for  many  years 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  When  he  died  he  was 
seventy-seven  years  old.  He  married  Polly 
Paige,  a  native  of  Henniker,  who  was  more 
than  seventy  years  old  at  her  death.  In  re- 
ligion both  were  Universalists.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics.  Of  their  si.x  children, 
all  of  whom  attained  maturity,  Mrs.  Julia 
Herrick,  of  Illinois,  is  the  sole  survivor. 
The  others  were:  Page,  Phcsbe,  John  D. , 
Family,  and   Melissa. 

John  D.  Muzzey,  born  April  ig,  1812,  was 
a  native  of  Weare,  where  his  boyhood  and  ac- 
tive period  were  spent.  He  was  profitably 
engaged  in  farming  and  in  the  business  of 
butcher.  During  the  last  fourteen  years  of 
his  life  he  resided  at  the  home  of  his  son  in 
New  Boston,  where  he  died  July  14,  1886. 
In  religion  and  politics  he  adhered  to  the 
principles  supported  by  his  father,  being  a 
Universal ist  in  the  former  and  a  Democrat  in 
the  latter.  Louise  Goodale  Muzzey,  his 
wife,  who  survives  him,  is  now  in  her  eighty- 
fiftii  year,  having  been  born  in  Deering, 
N.H.,  July  28,  1812.      She  lives  with  her  son. 

George   W.    Muzzey,    the   only  child   of   his 


parents,  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
of  Weare.  He  has  since  given  his  attention 
to  general  farming  and  lumbering.  Coming 
to  New  Boston  in  1873,  he  purchased  the  farm 
where  he  now  lives,  and  which  is  known  as 
the  old  Shirley  farm.  He  conducts  it  chiefly 
as  a  dairy  farm,  having  a  good  herd  of  cattle 
and  improved  facilities  for  dairying.  He 
also  has  some  good  horses.  The  farm  con- 
tains about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
acres.  Though  he  superintends  the  work 
connected  therewith,  his  time  is  principally 
given  to  his  saw-mill  and  lumber  business. 

On  August  29,  1864,  Mr.  Muzzey  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Edna  J.  Shirley,  who  was  born 
on  this  farm  December  17,  1842,  daughter  of 
John  and  Anna  (Dodge)  Shirley.  John  Shir- 
ley, born  in  Derry,  N.H.,  in  1800,  died  in 
1856,  and  his  wife,  who  was  born  in  New  Bos- 
ton in  1803,  died  in  1882.  He  was  a  brick- 
maker  by  trade,  and  he  also  followed  farming. 
He  was  bound  out  in  boyhood;  but,  although 
he  began  his  career  without  pecuniary  re- 
sources, he  had  a  goodly  fund  of  energy  that 
enabled  him  to  become  the  owner  of  the  Shir- 
ley farm.  He  was  an  attendant  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  in  politics  a  Democrat.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Shirley  had  four  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living,  namely:  Rachel,  the  widow  of 
William  Woodbury,  late  of  New  Boston,  who 
died  February  12,  1897;  Elizabeth,  now  liv- 
ing in  Manchester,  N.H.,  the  widow  of  Josiah 
Philbrick;  John  Shirley,  of  La  Crosse,  Wis.; 
and  Mrs.  Muzzey.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Muzzey 
have  no  children.  In  politics  Mr.  Muzzey  is 
a  Democrat.  In  religion  he  is  a  Universalist. 
Both  he  and  Mrs.  Muzzey  are  members  of  Joe 
English  Lodge,  No.  53,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry. 


J -X  AVID  A.  PARKER,  who,  with  his 
=i  brother,  J.  M.  Parker,  conducted  a 
'^J  store  at  Parker's  Station,  Goffstown, 
for  forty  years,  also  carr^-ing  on  a 
very  extensive  lumber  business,  was  l^orn 
here,  October  5,  1824,  son  of  William  and 
Hannah  Adams  (McGaw)  Parker.  Before  the 
dawn  of  the  eighteenth  century  Josiali  Parker, 
from    whom    this    family    is   descended,    came 


276 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


from  England  and  settled  in  Cambridge, 
Mass.  Thomas,  his  son,  was  the  first  settled 
minister  at  Dracut,  Mass.,  where  he  died  in 
1765.  A  son  of  Thomas,  the  grandfather  of 
David  A.,  settled  in  Litchfield,  N.H.  Will- 
iam Parlter,  the  father  of  David  A.,  was  born 
in  Litchfield  in  1775.  He  was  twice  married, 
first  to  Hannah  Aiken,  who  died  September 
30,  181S.  His  second  marriage  was  made 
with  Hannah  Adams  McGaw,  who,  born 
August  22,  1788,  died  February  26,  1869. 
The  children  of  the  first  union  were:  Rodney, 
George  W.,  Caroline,  and  Margaret  Ann. 
Those  of  the  second  were:  Hannah  A.,  boin 
November  15,  1819;  John  McGaw,  born  Sep- 
tember 17,  1822;  David  Adams,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  and  William  Henry,  born  Au- 
gust 6,   1 83 1. 

David  Adams  Parker  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  place  and  at  a  private 
academy.  Owing  to  the  death  of  his  father 
he  started  upon  his  business  career  when  but 
fifteen  years  old.  Beginning  in  1847,  he  and 
his  brother,  John  McGaw  Parker,  kept  the 
store  established  by  their  father  at  Parker's 
Station  for  forty  years.  They  were  also  part- 
ners in  a  large  lumber  and  mercantile  busi- 
ness, and  were  the  leading  men  in  this  line  in 
Southern  New  Hampshire.  David  always  re- 
sided at  Parker's  Station,  where  he  owned  a 
substantial  residence.  He  was  twice  married, 
first  to  Emily  S.  Palmer,  of  Manchester,  who 
died  in  October,  1865,  leaving  two  children. 
Mr.  Parker's  son,  William  A.,  died  Septem- 
ber 19,  1887,  leaving  a  widow,  who  lives  in 
Goffstown,  and  two  children —  David  W.  and 
Olive  A.  Alice  S.,  his  daughter,  is  the  wife 
of  Irving  A.  Porter,  of  West  Medfield,  Mass. 
Mr.  Parker's  second  marriage  was  contracted 
December  6,  1867,  with  Mrs.  Olive  A. 
Hall  Cogswell,  widow  of  Daniel  A.  Cogs- 
well, of  Ipswich,  Mass.  She  was  born  in 
South  Reading,  now  Wakefield,  Mass.,  March 
27,  1839,  daughter  of  William  and  Olive  S. 
(Patch)  Hall,  who  were  natives  respectively 
of  Newton,  Mass.,  and  South  Reading.  The 
father  died  April  20,  1891,  and  the  mother  on 
August  23,  1847.  Three  of  their  children 
are  living,  namely:  William,  a  resident  of 
Allston,  Mass. ;  Edward,  in  Wenham,  Mass. ; 


and  Mrs.  Parker.  There  were  no  children 
by  Mr.  Parker's  second  union.  He  died  at 
his  residence  at  Parker's  Station,  May  26, 
1895.  His  widow,  who  continues  to  live  at 
the  homestead,  is  a  capable  business  woman. 
Since  her  husband's  death  she  has  had  charge 
of  certain  matters  relating  to  the  settlement 
of  his  estate. 

Mr.  Parker  was  a  Republican  voter,  but 
would  accept  no  official  position.  He  was  a 
man  of  rare  business  capacity,  and  was  a  Trus- 
tee of  the  Guarantee  Savings  Pank  at  Man- 
chester from  its  organization.  Though  not  a 
church  member,  he,  as  well  as  his  wife,  was 
a  constant  attendant  at  the  Congregational 
church. 


TT^HARLES  F.  APPLETON,  a  leading 
I  v-^  farmer  and  the  present  Representative 
^U  ^  of  Dublin  in  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature,  was  born  in  this  town 
on  April  6,  1856,  son  of  Jesse  R.  and  Abbie 
S.  (Mason)  Appleton.  His  grandfather, 
Francis  Appleton,  died  in  Dublin,  after 
spending  the  greater  part  of  his  life  here. 
Francis  was  a  highly  successful  farmer  and 
one  of  the  most  progressive  in  the  district. 
In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Unitarian,  and  he 
was  a  Deacon  of  the  church.  He  married 
May  Ripley,  whose  children  by  him,  in  addi- 
tion to  one  or  two  that  died  in  infancy,  were: 
Ashley,  Gilman,  Jesse  R.,  Serena,  and  Sophia 
Mary.  Jesse  R.  Appleton,  born  at  Dublin, 
April  25,  1808,  who  resided  all  his  life  on  the 
old  homestead,  was  a  highly  successful  farmer. 
He  was  active  in  town  affairs,  and  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  legislature  in  1871  and 
1872.  In  the  Unitarian  church  he  was  also 
a  Deacon.  His  first  wife,  Louisa  Mason 
Appleton,  bore  no  children.  His  second 
wife,  Abbie  S.,  a  daughter  of  Calvin  Mason, 
of  Dublin,  was  the  mother  of  two  children: 
Ellen  R.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years; 
and  Charles  F. 

Charles  F.  Appleton  received  a  practical 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Dublin. 
After  leaving  school  he  went  to  work  at  farm- 
ing on  the  old  homestead,  where  he  has  re- 
mained to  the    present    time.      For    the   past 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


m 


twenty  years  he  has  owned  the  farm,  and  has 
managed  it  alone.  On  the  property,  which 
contains  about  two  hundred  acres,  he  carries 
on  general  farming,  and  at  the  same  time  pays 
considerable  attention  to  dairying.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Appleton  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
served  on  the  Board  of  Selectmen  for  the  past 
three  years,  and  is  at  present  the  chair- 
man of  the  Board.  He  has  also  been  Town 
Auditor  for  a  number  of  years,  and  he  was 
Supervisor  for  four  years.  He  is  now  the 
Representative  to  General  Court. 

Mr.  Appleton  married  Lillian  G.  Jones, 
who  was  born  in  1858,  daughter  of  Corydon 
Jones,  of  Dublin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Appleton 
have  two  children  living — Ellen  E.  and 
Arthur  T.  A  son,  Martin,  died  in  infancy. 
Mr.  Appleton  attends  the  Unitarian  church. 
He  is  a  prominent  and  active  member  of  the 
local  grange. 


EENDELL  DODGE,  a  prominent  and 
enterprising  farmer  of  New  Boston, 
^  and  a  son  of  Elzaphan  and  Levina 
(Dodge)  Dodge,  was  born  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  lives,  May  28,  1838.  He 
is  descended  from  early  settlers  of  Massachu- 
setts. His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Dodge, 
of  Wenham,  Mass.,  lived  and  died  in  New 
Boston.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Antipas 
Dodge,  born  in  New  Boston,  was  a  son  of 
Benjamin  Dodge,  a  sea  captain,  who  located 
among  the  first  settlers  of  the  place,  near  the 
centre  of  the  town.  Both  father  and  son  were 
farmers,  and  they  lived  and  died  on  the  farm. 
Elza]ihan  Dodge,  who  was  born  in  Wenham, 
Mass.,  December  26,  1790,  came  to  New  Bos- 
ton about  the  year  1816,  and  there  lived  for 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  purchased  the 
present  Dodge  farm  from  one  William  Mc- 
Millan, and  worked  hard  to  improve  it,  which 
he  succeeded  admirably  in  doing.  He  was  a 
remarkable  man  in  some  respects,  holding 
strong  opinions  much  ahead  of  his  time.  For 
instance,  he  was  an  earnest  temperance  man, 
and  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  espouse  the  anti- 
slavery  cause.  These  peculiarities  rendered 
him  somewhat  unpopular,  especially  as  he  was 
wholly  fearless   in   expressing   his   views;  but 


his  sincerity  won  respect,  and  he  lived  to  see 
some  of  his  ideas  put  into  practice.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  Deacon  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  His  wife,  Levina,  who  was 
born  in  New  l^ostoii,  March  i,  1797,  died 
March  10,  1891,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-four  years.  He  died  at  the  old  home- 
stead, April  4,  1857,  leaving  the  record  of  an 
industrious  and  conscientious  man.  Of  their 
ten  children,  who  all  attained  maturity,  Anna, 
Elnathan,  Uziel,  Willard,  Edwin,  Sarah,  and 
Maria  are  now  deceased.  Those  living  are: 
Mrs.  Mary  A.  Ross,  born  March  27,  1831, 
now  of  Danvers,  Mass. ;  Allen,  born  Decem- 
ber 27,  1836,  now  of  Lowell,  Mass.  ;  and 
Lendell,  the  subject  of  this  biography. 

Lendell  Dodge  obtained  his  education  in 
the  New  Boston  schools.  Since  then  he  has 
devoted  his  life  to  general  farming  and  dairy- 
ing. He  owns  an  excellent  farm  of  over  two 
hundred  acres  of  good  land.  The  original 
estate  left  him  by  his  father  was  smaller. 
Besides  enlarging  it,  he  has  considerably  en- 
hanced its  value  by  improvements.  He  has  a 
comfortable  residence  and  good  out-buildings. 
The  dairy  arrangements  are  in  accordance 
with  the  most  advanced  ideas.  He  keeps 
twenty-five  head  of  graded  Jerseys,  and  does 
an  extensive  business  in  butter  and  cream. 
The  farm-house  has  a  picturesque  location, 
and  commands  a  beautiful  view.  Mr.  Dodge 
has  been  Supervisor  of  the  Check  List,  and 
also  a  member  of  the  School  Board.  His  re- 
ligious beliefs  are  those  of  the  Presbyterian 
faith,  and  his  family  are  members  of  that 
church.  In  politics  he  and  his  sons  are  Re- 
publicans. Both  he  and  Mrs.  Dodge  are 
charter  members  of  Joe  ICnglish  Grange,  Pa- 
trons of  Husbandry. 

Mr.  Dodge  was  married  December  25,  1871, 
to  Ellen  O.,  daughter  of  William  O.  and 
Orinda  (Odell)  Lamson,  who  was  born  in 
Mont  Vernon,  December  4,  1S51.  The  Lam- 
sons  are  an  old  family  of  the  latter  place. 
Mr.  Lamson,  who  was  a  farmer  there  through- 
out his  mature  life,  died  July  17,  1896;  and 
his  wife's  death  occurred  November  24,  1874. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  have  two  children  — 
William  O.  and  Edwin  H.  A  daughter,  IClla 
May,  born  to  them  August  2,  1878,  died  Janu- 


>78 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ary  27,  1879.  William  O.,  who  was  born 
September  26,  1872,  is  associated  with  his 
father  in  business,  and  lives  at  home.  He 
was  married  November  27,  1895,  to  Cora  L. 
Fisk.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Joe  English  Grange,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry. Edwin  H.,  born  April  26,  1874, 
who  also  resides  at  home,  is  a  clerk  in  At- 
wood's  store  in  New  Boston,  and  is  likewise  a 
member  of  the  Joe  English  Grange.  One  of 
the  leading  farmers  of  the  community  now, 
Mr.  Dodge,  Sr.,  has  earned  his  position  by 
his  industry  and  enterprise. 


KRANK  J.  WILSON,  a  farmer  of  high 
standing  in  Antrim,  was  born  in  that 
town,  March  13,  1850,  son  of  James  M. 
and  Achsah  (Boutelle)  Wilson.  His  grand- 
father, Jesse  Wilson,  who  was  born  in  Pelham, 
N.H.,  followed  the  trade  of  carpenter  for  some 
years.  In  his  latter  days  Jesse  was  engaged 
in  farming  in  Antrim.  He  married  Patty 
Hall,  of  whose  seven  children  by  him  the 
youngest  was  James  M.  None  of  them  are 
now  living.  Jesse  Wilson  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-two,  while  his  wife  lived  to  be  sixty-two 
years  old. 

James  M.  was  born  in  Antrim,  and  lived 
there  all  his  life.  An  industrious  and  suc- 
cessful farmer,  his  life  was  an  e.Kcmplary  one, 
and  he  was  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics.  His 
wife  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  forty-nine,  and  he  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two.  Of  their  seven  chil- 
dren five  are  living;  namely,  Aurella,  James 
IL,  Abbie  S.,  Frank  J.,  and  George  C.  Au- 
rella is  the  wife  of  Allen  J.  Skinner,  of 
Springfield,  Mass.,  and  they  have  one  child 
living,  Arthur  J.  James  H.  married  Sarah 
Tucker,  of  Lockport,  N.Y.,  who  has  had  no 
children.  Abbie  S.  is  the  wife  of  James 
Gove,  of  Antrim,  and  has  three  children  — 
Harry  J.,  Walter  Samuel,  and  Willie  B. 
George  C.  married  Lillian  Lewis,  of  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  and  has  three  children  —  Bertha, 
Raymond,  and  Lewis. 

Frank  J.  Wilson  went  to  the  common 
schools  in  his  native  town,  and  after  leaving 


school  took  up  farming,  which  he  has  fol- 
lowed to  the  present  time.  He  now  owns  and 
lives  on  the  farm  where  he  was  born.  The 
property  embraces  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
nine  acres.  Besides  this  he  has  about  seventy 
acres  of  other  land.  He  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  general  farming,  and  is  a  most  pop- 
ular and  influential  citizen.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  he  is  an  Elder  of  that  society.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  belongs  to  the 
grange  of  Antrim.  Mr.  Wilson  was  married 
September  14,  1880,  to  Junia  Barker,  daugh- 
ter of  Alvin  Barker,  of  Antrim,  and  they  have 
two  children  —  Ida  M.  and  Achsah  M. 


UTHER  A.  BLOOD,  a  native  and 
prominent  resident  of  Rlason,  was 
born  October  23,  1831,  son  of 
Calvin  and  Inda  (Blood)  Blood, 
both  of  the  same  place.  Amaziah  Blood,  the 
grandfather  of  Luther,  was  a  farmer  and  a 
resident  of  Groton,  Mass.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Hannah  Green,  had  two 
children,  neither  of  whom  is  now  living. 
The  younger,  Calvin,  who  was  born  in  Gro- 
ton, and  who  came  to  Mason  when  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  in  the  course  of  time 
purchased  a  farm  in  order  to  devote  himself 
to  agriculture.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
nine  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 
His  wife,  Inda,  was  eighty-three  years  old  at 
her  death.  Both  were  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  of  Mason,  and  they  brought  up 
their  eight  children  in  good  old  Puritan 
fashion.  Of  the  latter,  three  are  now  living, 
namely:  Zoa  G. ,  who  is  the  wife  of  George 
Barrett,  of  Wilton,  N.  H.,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren—  Everet,  Wilbur,  Oldis,  and  Elsie; 
Luther  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Laura  J.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Henry  G.  Shat- 
tuck,  of  Brookline,  N.H.,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren. 

Luther  A.  Blood  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  At  an  early  age  he  learned  the 
trade  of  carpenter,  and  thereafter  followed  it 
for  several  years.  At  the  present  time  he  is 
a  farmer.  Besides  a  farm,  containing  about 
one  hundred    acres  of    tillage   land,    he  owns 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


279 


about  two  hundred  acres  of  other  land.  In 
1862,  on  the  last  day  of  December,  Mr.  Blood 
married  Harriet  A.  Blood,  daughter  of  Isaiah 
Blood,  of  Townsend,  Mass.  The  eldest  of 
their  four  children,  Lillian,  is  now  the  wife 
of  Frank  Marshall,  of  Hull,  Mass.  The  others 
are:  Eda  M.,  Kittie  Belle,  and  Abbie  B. 

Both  Mr.  Blood  and  his  wife  hold  liberal 
views  in  religious  matters.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat.  He  has  held  the  office  of  Se- 
lectman and  also  of  Ta.x  Collector  in  his  na- 
tive town  for  a  number  of  years.  At  pres- 
ent he  is  a  trustee  of  the  library  and  of  the 
school  fund.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  men  of 
Mason,  and  is  highly  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  him. 


iEV.    CHARLES    BROWN    ELDER, 
the  pastor  of  the  Unitarian  church  at 
lis  \  Keene,     was     born      February      16, 

1 8 56,  in  the  city  of  Portland,  Me. 
He  attended  the  Portland  High  School,  win- 
ning while  there  a  "Brown  Medal."  Gradu- 
ating in  the  class  with  him  was  Lieutenant 
Peary,  since  so  widely  famous  as  an  explorer 
in  the  Arctic  regions.  While  a  student  of 
Brown  University,  Mr.  Elder  deteimined  to 
devote  his  life  to  the  ministry.  Me  graduated 
when  twenty-one  years  old,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing September  entered  Harvard  Divinity 
School,  from  which  he  graduated  with  the 
class  of  18S0.  He  was  ordained  to  the  minis- 
try at  Neponset,  Mass.,  and  preached  there 
for  the  ensuing  four  years.  He  was  then 
called  to  South  Boston,  where  he  remained 
four  years,  during  which  his  work  was  pleas- 
ant though  arduous,  and  he  was  able  to  unite 
the  two  societies  of  that  place  under  one  pas- 
torate. In  the  fall  of  1889  Mr.  Elder  was  in- 
stalled at  Keene.  Since  his  coming,  the  so- 
ciety has  increased  in  influence,  and  Mr. 
Elder  has  found  zealous  helpers  and  harmoni- 
ous conditions. 

The  Unitarian  Society  of  Keene  was  cstab- 
lislied  March  18,  1824;  and  the  original 
church  structure,  which  stood  on  the  present 
site  of  Chamberlain's  store,  was  erected  in 
1830.  In  1868  it  was  remodelled  and  rededi- 
cated.      The  present   artistic   structure,  stand- 


ing at  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Taler 
Streets,  was  dedicated  January  24,  1895.  Its 
erection,  together  with  that  of  the  parish 
house,  cost  thirty-two  thousand  dollars.  The 
main  church  building,  forty-three  fett  by 
ninety  feet,  is  constructed  of  Ro.xbury  granite, 
and  has  a  slate  roof.  The  parish  house, 
which  is  connected  as  an  L,  is  fifty-si.x  feet 
by  thirty  feet,  and  contains  kitchen,  dressing- 
rooms,  and  an  assembly-room.  In  the  church 
are  three  handsome  memorial  tablets.  The 
bell  is  the  one  that  was  donated  to  the  old 
society.  About  two  hundred  and  fifty  fami- 
lies are  connected  with  this  church  organiza- 
tion, and  the  society  is  popular  and  prosper- 
ous. It  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  denom- 
ination in  the  State,  and  makes  liberal  con- 
tributions to  all  charitable  and  benevolent 
objects.  Some  of  the  ablest  men  Keene  has 
known  have  been  connected  with  the  organiza- 
tion. One  of  the  former  ministers,  the  Rev. 
William  O.  White,  now  living  in  Brookline, 
Mass.,  venerable  in  years,  was  in  charge  for 
twenty-seven  years.  The  Rev.  Abiel  Abbott 
Livermore,  now  deceased,  was  for  thirteen 
years  pastor  of  this  church.  Both  of  these 
clergymen  exerted  great  influence  in  the  com- 
munity. Under  the  society's  auspices  is  the 
Unitarian  Club,  embracing  about  seventy-five 
of  the  most  prominent  business  men  of  the 
city.  The  club,  which  meets  once  in  every 
month  during  the  fall  and  winter,  aims  to  en- 
courage friendly  relations  among  Unitarians, 
and  to  promote  the  general  interests  of  the 
denomination. 

Mr.  Elder's  wife,  in  maidenhood  Miss  Al- 
mira  Adie  Brown,  of  Providence,  R.I.,  is  his 
active  assistant  in  church  work.  She  is  the 
mother  of  Marion,  Christine,  and  Marjorie 
Elder.  Mr.  Folder's  vacations  have  been 
largely  spent  in  travel,  by  which  he  has  been 
able  to  secure  that  liberal  culture  so  essential 
to  breadth  of  view  and  large  charity.  He  has 
visited  Europe  twice,  and  has  journeyed  in 
France,  Germany,  Holland,  and  England. 
His  parishioners  and  the  people  of  Keene, 
generally,  have  been  able  to  follow  his  travels 
in  thought,  as  he  has  often  spoken  in  his  Sun- 
day evening  discourses  of  the  various  places 
of  interest  visited  by  him. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


KREDERICK  J.  LAWRENCE,  a  prom- 
inent farmer  of  Jaffrey,  Cheshire 
County,  N.H.,  was  born  in  this  town 
on  October  13,  1851,  his  parents  being  John 
S.  and  Eliza  (Emery)  Lawrence.  His  grand- 
father was  Ithamar  Lawrence,  who  was  born 
in  this  State  and  lived  and  died  in  Jaffrey,  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  He  had  a  family  of 
three  children. 

John  S.  Lawrence,  father  of  Frederick  J., 
was  born  in  Jaffrey,  was  educated  in  the  town 
schools,  and  here  spent  all  his  life  engaged 
in  farming.  He  was  noted  for  honesty  and 
fair  dealing,  and  as  being  a  man  who  could 
always  be  depended  upon  to  keep  his  word. 
His  wife,  Eliza,  was  a  daughter  of  Ralph 
Emery,  of  Jaffrey.  She  was  the  mother  of 
three  children ;  namely,  Corrie  E.,  Ella  F., 
and  Frederick  J,  Corrie  E.  Lawrence  mar- 
ried Lucius  A.  Cutter,  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Jaffrey.  Ella  F.,  who  is  now  deceased, 
was  the  wife  of  Albert  A.  French,  also  of 
Jaffrey. 

Frederick  J.  received  his  education  in  the 
Jaffrey  schools,  and  being  the  only  son  of  his 
parents,  on  arriving  at  man's  estate,  naturally 
settled  down  to  farming  on  the  old  home- 
stead, where  he  may  be  found  at  the  present 
time  Proprietor  of  a  farm  of  about  three 
hundred  acres,  he  carries  on  a  large  business 
in  general  agriculture.  During  the  summer 
the  Lawrence  dwelling  is  opened  as  a  board- 
ing-house, and  guests  from  Boston  and  other 
cities  come  here  year  after  year  to  seek  rest 
and  recuperation.  Mr.  Lawrence  is  active 
in  town  affairs.  He  has  served  as  Selectman 
for  six  years,  has  also  served  as  Supervisor, 
and  has  held  minor  offices.  In  1892  he  rep- 
resented Jaffrey  in  the  legislature,  where  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Agri- 
culture. 

Mr.  Lawrence  married  Clara  A.  Cutter, 
daughter  of  Nehemiah  Cutter,  of  Jaffrey. 
She  was  born  on  June  14,  1851.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lawrence  have  one  son,  Loren  W.,  who 
was  born  on  November  12,  1877.  He  is  with 
his  father  on  the  farm. 

Mr.  Lawrence  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  grange,  and  is  known  throughout  the 
county  and    State.     He    was    first    Master  of 


the  local  lodge.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  the  Golden  Cross.  He  and  his  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Congregational  church, 
and  are  generous  supporters  of  that  body,  both 
morally  and  financially. 


SEONARD  ROBERTSON,  an  energetic 
farmer  and  a  respected  resident  of 
^  Goffstown,  was  born  March  8, 
1832,  on  the  farm  he  now  occupies 
on  Shirley  Hill,  son  of  Oilman  and  Relief 
(VVyman)  Robertson.  Oilman  Robertson,  a 
native  of  Amherst,  N.H.,  born  in  1800, 
came  to  this  farm  before  his  marriage,  some 
time  between  1821  and  1823.  Besides  gen- 
eral farming  he  made  a  specialty  of  hop- 
raising,  at  which  he  was  quite  successful, 
becoming  one  of  the  largest  hop  raisers  in 
this  section.  He  served  the  town  in  the 
capacities  of  Selectman  and  Representative 
in  the  New  Hampshire  legislature.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Jacksonian  Democrat,  while  in 
religion  he  was  a  liberal.  He  died  here 
January  7,  1872.  His  wife,  Relief  Wyman 
Robertson,  who  was  a  native  of  Goffstown, 
died  November  16,  1891.  Their  children 
were:  Noel,  who  died  when  si.xteen  months 
old;  Leonard,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Oilman  F.,  born  February  2,  1837,  a  farmer 
and  saw-mill   owner  of   Goffstown. 

Leonard  Robertson  grew  to  manhood  on 
the  home  farm,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
town  schools  and  at  New  Lontlon  Academy. 
General  farming  and  lumbering  have  been  the 
chief  occupation  of  his  mature  years,  and  he 
now  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  land  in  New 
Boston,  Bedford,  and  Goffstown. 

On  November  26,  1857,  Mr.  Robertson 
married  Elizabeth  Hatch,  who  was  born 
August  24,  1832,  in  England,  'whence  she 
came  to  Canada  with  her  parents  when  a  little 
child.  Two  daughters  have  been  born  of  the 
union,  namely:  Emma  E.,  on  September  26, 
1858,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  William  Mc- 
Dougal,  of  Goffstown;  and  Nettie  J.,  on  Au- 
gust 31,  1866,  who  is  the  wife  of  George  L. 
Eaton,  of  Grasmere,  and  has  one  son,  Will- 
iam R.,  born  September  5,  1896.  Mr.  Roji- 
ertson    has   always   supported   the    Republican 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


281 


party.  He  acceptably  filled  the  office  of 
Selectman  for  two  terms,  and  in  1879  he 
represented  the  town  in  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robertson  are  not 
identified  with  any  religions  body,  but  con- 
tribute toward  the  support  of  the  Baptist 
church  here. 


IBEN  L.  BARTLETT,  a  successful 
farmer  of  New  Boston  and  a  son  of 
Daniel  and  Anar  (Loveren)  Bartlett, 
was  born  in  Deering  Hillsboro  County,  No- 
vember 23,  1835.  His  grandfather,  Daniel 
l^artlett,  who  was  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Deering  and  a  farmer  of  high  standing  there, 
died  on  the  old  homestead  when  about  ninety- 
three  years  of  age.  Of  Grandfather  Bartlett's 
eight  children  his  daughter  Eleanor  is  living. 
The  others  were:  John,  Daniel,  Caleb,  Josiah, 
Abigail,  Dolly,  and  Harvey. 

Daniel  Bartlett,  Jr.,  the  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  born  in  Deering,  July  i, 
1 800,  was  also  a  farmer,  owning  land  in  Deer- 
ing. He  was  a  highly  respected,  industrious 
man,  a  Universalist  in  religious  belief,  and  in 
politics  a  Democrat.  He  married  Anar 
Loveren,  who,  born  February  11,  1802,  died 
July  16,  1884.  His  death  occurred  August 
13,  1S49.  They  had  six  children;  namely, 
Reuben  L. ,  Abigail,  Elmeda  and  Climena 
(twins),  Eben  L.,  and  Mary.  Reuben  L. , 
born  January  21,  1822,  died  November  19, 
1847.  Abigail,  born  February  10,  1824,  is 
now  the  widow  of  John  M.  Wallace,  and  lives 
in  New  Boston.  The  twins  were  born  No- 
vember 25,  1827.  Elmeda  became  the  wife 
of  William  Orne,  of  New  Boston.  Climena 
was  twice  married,  first  to  Joseph  M.  Orne, 
who  died.  Her  second  husband  was  Milton 
J.  Wallace,  of  New  Boston.  Mary,  born  Jan- 
uary 13,   1844,  died  seven  days  after. 

Eben  L.  Bartlett  spent  his  boyhood  in 
Deering  till  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  He 
received  his  education  in  that  town,  in  Han- 
cock, and  in  Saxtonville,  Vt.  After  complet- 
ing his  schooling,  he  was  engaged  in  teaching 
for  a  short  time,  and  then  worked  at  various 
occupations  for  a  number  of  years.  Later  on 
he  became  interested  in  farming,  and  located 


in  New  Boston,  buying  an  estate  of  sixty-five 
acres,  known  as  the  Deacon  J5ennett  farm. 
He  has  since  enlarged  the  farm  and  made 
improvements.  At  present  he  owns  about 
one  thousand  acres  in  New  ]?oston  and  Deer- 
ing. The  old  Bartlett  home  in  Deering, 
which  is  also  his,  has  been  in  the  possession 
of  the  family  for  over  a  hundred  years.  He 
resided  for  thirty-five  years  on  the  farm  in 
New  Boston  where  his  son  now  lives,  and  still 
owns  the  property.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Bart- 
lett are  Universalists,  and  he  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics.  He  has  been  Collector  and  Town 
Agent  for  several  years. 

Mr.  Bartlett  was  married  March  4,  1855,  to 
Abbie  M.  Hall,  who  was  born  in  New  Boston, 
January  15,  1836,  daughter  of  Nathan  and 
Lucy  (Dodge)  Hall.  Mr.  Hall,  born  in 
Brookfield,  Mass.,  was  a  farmer  and  black- 
smith, while  his  wife  was  a  native  of  Amherst, 
N.H.  She  died  March  7,  1855,  and  he,  No- 
vember 16,  1877.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bartlett 
have  one  son,  Daniel  H.,  who  is  a  farmer, 
and  lives  in  New  Boston.  Daniel  has  been 
twice  married,  first  to  Nettie  Tewksbury, 
who  died.  For  his  second  wife  he  married 
Lydia  A.  Jones.  He  has  had  three  children, 
namely:  Ernest  A.,  born  September  25, 
1876;  Linnie  A.,  who  died  when  nine  years 
old;  and  Fred  D.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
four  months.  The  elder  Mr.  Bartlett  and 
his  wife  lost  three  children.  These  were: 
Fred  and  Frank,  twins,  who  died  aged  re- 
spectively four  and  ten  months;  and  Lucy  A., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years. 


lOSES  FREEMAN  FOSTER,  a 
prominent  resident  of  the  town  of 
Milford,  having  an  interest  in 
various  cotton  -  mills  in  New 
England,  the  West,  and  the  South,  was  born 
here,  January  6,  1832,  a  son  of  Moses  and 
Fannie  (Coggin)  Foster.  (An  extended  ac- 
count of  his  ancestry  will  be  found  in  the 
biography  of  his  brother,  John  It.  Foster,  on 
another  page.)  He  remained  with  his  parents 
until  about  seventeen  years  old,  attaining  a 
practical  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
at  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Institute  which 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


flourished  for  a  time  in  Hancock,  this  State. 
He  then  entered  the  Milford  cotton-mill,  be- 
ginning in  the  lowest  department,  and  during 
the  three  years  that  he  remained  there  became 
familiar  with  the  work  of  various  rooms. 
Going  then  to  Hampden  County,  he  continued 
his  residence  in  that  part  of  the  State  for  four 
years,  being  employed  in  the  mills  of  Chico- 
pee,  Holyoke,  and  Indian  Orchard.  From 
Indian  Orchard  he  went  to  Cannelton,  Ind., 
where  he  was  employed  as  overseer  in  a 
cotton-mill  for  two  years.  Returning  to  New 
England  after  this,  he  was  for  a  time  em- 
ployed in  the  Pemberton  Mills  at  Lawrence, 
Mass.  In  1858  he  accepted  the  position  of 
overseer  in  the  Augusta  Cotton  Factory  at  Au- 
gusta, Ga.,  and  afterward  held  it  throughout 
all  the  troublous  times  of  the  Civil  War.  On 
leaving  there  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
Franklin  Factory  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for  a 
year.  Again  returning  to  New  England,  Mr. 
Foster  was  for  a  year  connected  with  the  Kit- 
son  Machine  VVorks  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  as 
agent  and  draughtsman,  making  his  residence 
in  Milford.  He  was  subsequently  employed 
by  William  C.  Langley  &  Co.,  of  New  York 
City,  to  look  after  their  mill  property  in 
South  Carolina.  While  there  he  organized 
the  Langley  Manufacturing  Company  in 
Langley,  S.C.,  for  the  manufacture  of  cotton 
goods,  becoming  financially  interested  in  the 
factory,  and  for  eighteen  years  serving  in  the 
capacity  of  superintendent  of  the  entire  busi- 
ness, having  from  three  to  four  hundred  hands 
under  his  control.  He  also  assisted  in  organ- 
izing the  Sibley  Manufacturing  Company  at 
Augusta,  Ga.,  becoming  a  stockholder  and  one 
of  the  original  directors.  In  1886  he  returned 
to  his  native  town,  where  he  owns  a  homestead 
of  one  hundred  acres,  and  which  has  practi- 
cally been  his  home  since  then.  Subse- 
quently he  helped  to  organize  the  Denison 
Cotton  Manufacturing  Company  at  Denison, 
Te.\. ,  furnishing  the  plans  for  the  mills, 
superintending  their  construction,  and  for  a 
time  acting  as  the  general  manager  of  the  busi  - 
ness,  in  which  he  has  a  financial  interest. 
Mr.  Foster's  success  in  his  various  undertak- 
ings may  be  attributed  solely  to  his  enterprise 
and   persistence,  having   been  obliged   to  work 


his   way   from   an    inferior   position   as   a   mill 
hand. 

In  i860,  September  13,  Mr.  F"oster  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Adelaide  L. 
Doane,  of  Lawrence,  Mass.  Their  only  child, 
Fannie  D.,  was  born  during  the  residence  of 
her  parents  in  Georgia.  Mr.  Foster  has 
served  as  Selectman  of  Milford  for  one  year. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  with  Indepen- 
dent proclivities.  He  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  Benev- 
olent Lodge,  No.  7,  of  Milford;  to  King  Sol- 
omon Chapter,  also  of  this  town ;  and  to  St. 
George's  Commandery  of  Nashua. 


DWARD  WILCOX,  who  has  for  many 
years  been  identified  with  the  manufact- 
uring interests  of  Swanzey,  Chesh- 
ire County,  was  born  in  Gilsum,  N.  H.,  De- 
cember 31,  1824,  son  of  Edmund  and  Abi- 
gail Willey  (Sanger)  Wilco.x.  The  family  is 
probably  of  Scotch  origin;  and  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  a  descendant  of  Obadiah  Wilcox, 
who  was  born  in  Guilford,  Conn.,  in  171 7. 
He  was  the  first  of  the  name  to  settle  in 
Gilsum,  and  he  died  there  in  1796.  He  was 
the  father  of  Eleazar,  who  was  born  in  Guil- 
ford in  1749,  and  died  in  1823.  Edmund 
Wilcox,  si.xth  child  of  Eleazar,  was  born  in 
Gilsum,  May  25,  1793.  He  married  Abigail 
Willey  Sanger,  and  had  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Valeria;  Sarah;  Leonard;  and 
Edward,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Edmund 
Wilcox  died  August  7,  1S25,  having  passed 
his  entire  life  of  but  little  over  thirty-two 
years  in  his  native  town. 

Edward  Wilcox  began  his  studies  in  the  dis- 
trict schools,  and  completed  his  education  at 
the  Hancock  Academy.  He  was  engaged  in 
mechanical  and  business  pursuits  until  1861, 
when  he  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of 
clothes-pins  at  Swanzey;  and  here  in  1874  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  boxes.  He 
was  for  a  short  time  associated  with  a  partner, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bigelow  &  Wilcox,  but 
afterward  carried  on  business  alone  until  ad- 
mitting his  son,  Allen  C,  to  j^artnership  in 
1884,  since  which  time  the  firm  has  been  E. 
Wilcox  &   Son.      They  manufacture  all   kinds 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


283 


of  wooden  boxes,  including  the  lock-corner 
box,  and  employ  an  average  of  ten  men. 
They  own  timber  land,  from  which  they  haul 
considerable  lumber,  and  they  also  buy  of 
other  oijerators. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wilcox  is  a  Republican, 
with  independent  views.  He  served  as  a  Se- 
lectman from  1880  to  1883,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  1878, 
the  last  annual  session  of  the  legislature.  He 
is  a  charter  member  of  the  local  commandery 
of  the  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross,  and  was  its 
first  Commander. 

Mr.  Wilcox  married  Eliza  A.  Heywood, 
daughter  of  Thomas  P.  Heywood,  formerly  of 
Troy,  N.H.  Mrs.  Wilcox's  father  was  for 
some  years  engaged  in  business  in  Vermont, 
and  his  last  days  were  passed  in  retirement  in 
Swanzey.  He  reared  a  family  of  three  sons 
and  two  daughters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilcox 
have  had  six  children. 

Allen  C.  Wilcox,  who  is  associated  with 
his  father  in  business,  was  a  Selectman  from 
i8gi  to  1896,  being  chairman  of  the  Board  for 
the  years  1894  and  1895,  was  elected  Repre- 
sentative to  the  legislature  in  1893,  and  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  School  Board  for  three 
years  in  1896.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can. He  has  occupied  the  important  chairs  in 
the  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross  and  the  local 
grange.  He  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  temper- 
ance, and  attends  the  Congregational  church. 
Allen  C.  Wilcox  married  Addie  M.  Lyman, 
daughter  of  Leonard  Lyman,  of  Swanzey,  and 
has  two  children  —  Florence  C.  and  Grace  I. 


-AMES  McCURDY  was  a  prominent 
farmer  of  New  Boston.  A  native  of 
Londonderry,  N.  H.,  he  was  born  in 
July,  1776,  son  of  John  and  Nancy 
(Cochrane)  McCurdy.  His  great-grandfather, 
also  named  James,  who  was  born  in  London- 
derry, Ireland,  came  to  America,  and  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Londonderry,  N.H. 
Robert,  the  grandfather,  married  Agnes 
Christie.  Their  son,  John,  who  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  in  Londonderry,  which 
•is  now  called  Derry,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary    War.      In   his    latter  years    he 


moved  to  New  Boston,  where  he  livetl  during 
the  rest  of  his  life.  His  wife,  Nancy,  died 
about  the  year  1779,  and  he  contracted  a  sec- 
ond marriage  with  a  Miss  Kelso.  By  the  first 
wife  there  were  two  children:  James,  the  sui)- 
ject  of  this  sketch;  and  John,  who  was  born 
in  1778.  The  offspring  of  the  second  wife 
were:  Jesse,  Robert,  and  Nancy.  The  father 
died  in  1824,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years. 

At  the  age  of  nine  James  McCurdy  lived  on 
a  farm,  doing  what  work  a  boy  of  that  age 
could  do.  He  was  with  a  Mr.  Kelso  till  he 
was  about  eighteen  or  twenty  years  of  age,  re- 
ceiving only  his  board  and  scanty  clothing  in 
compensation  for  his  labor.  It  need  hardly  be 
said  that  his  opportunities  for  an  education 
were  decidedly  limited.  After  leaving  Mr. 
Kelso,  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade, 
which  he  followed  off  and  on  for  the  greater 
portion  of  his  life.  He  bought  his  first  land 
where  his  daughter.  Miss  A.  E.  McCurdy, 
now  lives.  It  was  only  half  a  lot,  but  he 
added  to  it,  and  subsequently  became  a  large 
land-owner.  He  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  on 
the  place,  in  a  comfortable  and  connnodious 
residence,  which  he  erected  there.  He  was 
an  attendant  at  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
in  politics  during  his  latter  years  he  was  a  Re- 
publican. 

Mr.  McCurdy  was  married  in  April,  1813, 
to  Elizabeth  C.  Moore,  who  was  a  native  of 
New  Boston.  Her  father,  Solomon  Moore, 
born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  was  of  Scotch 
descent.  A  graduate  of  Glasgow  University, 
he  came  to  this  country,  settling  in  New  Bos- 
ton as  the  first  minister  in  the  town.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ann  Davidson, 
was  a  daughter  of  William  Davidson,  one  of 
the  first  settled  ministers  in  Londonderry, 
N.H.  It  is  said  that,  on  the  arrival  of  Pastor 
Moore  and  his  wife,  the  people  of  the  town 
were  so  rejoiced  that  they  carried  lier  in 
triumph  to  her  new  home  there.  James  Mc- 
Curdy died  October  4,  1857.  His  life  was  an 
example  of  what  determination  and  persever- 
ance can  do.  Starting  a  poor  boy,  he  was  at 
his  death  the  owner  of  more  than  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  The  entire  north  side  of 
Joe  English  Hill  was  his  property.  His  wife 
died   April    28,    1876.      Their  children    were: 


2S4 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REYIFAV 


Solomon  M.,  who  was  born  October  22,  1814, 
and  died  March  16,  [896,  in  New  Boston; 
Witter  S. ,  born  April  ig,  181 7,  who  is  a 
real  estate  man  in  Lawrence,  Kan.  ;  John, 
born  February  6,  1819,  who  died  in  Nevada, 
September  3,  1895;  James  was  born  October 
21,  1 82 1,  who  died  March  10,  1896;  Jesse, 
born  September  21,  1S24,  who  was  an  enter- 
prising, retired  business  man,  and  now  lives 
in  Lawrence,  Kan.;  and  Ann  Elizabeth,  who 
was  born  February  18,  1827.  Ann  Elizabeth 
McCurdy  has  always  lived  on  the  old  home 
place.  She  has  a  beautiful  home  here.  Joe 
English  Hill,  the  highest  in  the  town,  is 
largely  her  property.  It  is  a  lovely  wooded 
eminence  named  after  the  Indian,  Joe  Eng- 
lish, who  was  a  true  and  trusted  friend  to  the 
early  settlers  of  New  Boston,  and  who  finally 
lost  Ills  life  by  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  his 
white  friends.  A  more  extended  account  of 
this  interesting  place  may  be  found  in  the 
History  of   New  Boston. 


OHN  E.  FOSTER,  a  skilful  and  suc- 
cessful agriculturist  of  the  town  of 
Milford,  was  born  May  17,  1824,  on 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  son  of 
Moses  and  Fannie  (Coggin)  Foster.  The 
Foster  family,  which  is  of  English  origin,  was 
first  represented  on  American  soil  by  one 
Reginald  Foster,  who,  with  his  family,  emi- 
grated to  Massachusetts  in  1630.  His  son, 
Abraham,  was  born  in  Devonshire,  England, 
in  1622.  The  next  in  line  of  descent  was 
Caleb  Foster,  born  in  Ipswich,  Mass.,  who 
was  followed  by  Jonathan  Foster,  Sr. ,  and 
Jonathan  Foster-,  Jr.,  both  also  natives  of  Ips- 
wich. Then  came  Moses  Foster,  Sr.,  the  pa- 
ternal grandfather  of  John  E.  He  removed 
from  Massachusetts  to  New  Hampshire,  locat- 
ing in  Milford,  being  the  founder  of  the  fam- 
ily here. 

I\Ioses  Foster,  Jr.,  spent  his  entire  life  in 
Milford,  having  been  a  well -to-do  farmer  and 
an  influential  citizen  of  his  day.  He  was  a 
public-spirited  man,  liberal  in  his  views  con- 
cerning local  matters.  On  the  formation  of 
the  Free  Soil  party  he  became  one  of  its  most 
ardent  supporters.      He  was  a  member  of  the 


Baptist  church.  A  man  of  good  habits,  he 
had  a  long  life,  and  died  in  1874.  Of  the 
children  born  to  him  and  his  wife,  there  are 
still  living:  the  Rev.  Joseph  C.  Foster,  D.D., 
of  Randolph,  Mass. ;  John  E. ;  Moses  F.  ;  and 
Benjamin  F. 

John  E.  Foster  was  reared  to  man's  estate 
on  the  homestead,  obtaining  his  elementary 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  this  town, 
and  at  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Institute  of 
Hancock,  N.  H.  F"or  about  three  years  after 
his  graduation  he  was  engaged  in  teaching, 
spending  his  first  year  in  Amherst  and  the 
remainder  of  the  time  in  Woodford  County, 
Illinois.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  chiefly 
engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  agriculture.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  transacted  probate  busi- 
ness for  Hillsboro.  He  has  a  well-equipped 
farm  of  seventy-five  acres,  which  he  has  man- 
ageil  in  an  able  and  systematic  manner.  Hav- 
ing taken  much  interest  in  local  history,  he 
is  well  informed  on  the  subject,  and  has 
largely  contributed  to  the  new  history  of  Mil- 
ford. In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  for  four  years  he  served  his  fellow-towns- 
men as  Selectman. 

On  February  15,  1848,  Mr.  Foster  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sophia  P.  Farley,  daughter  of 
Jesse  and  Mary  (Phelps)  Farley.  Both  her 
parents,  who  were  natives  of  Hollis,  N.  H., 
where  they  spent  their  lives,  died  when  she 
was  very  young,  leaving  ten  children.  Of 
these  John,  Alfred,  and  Jefferson  are  living, 
all  residents  of  Hollis,  their  native  town. 
Benjamin  Farley,  the  great-grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Foster,  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers 
of  Hollis,  having  removed  there  from  Bedford, 
Mass.,  when  the  land  was  in  its  primeval 
wildness.  Possessing  much  force  of  charac- 
ter, he  had  considerable  influence  in  the  com- 
munity, which  he  served  in  various  official 
capacities,  and  he  was  prominent  in  church 
work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foster  have  two  chil- 
dren, namely:  George  E.,  who  is  a  graduate 
of  Cornell  Lfniversity,  resides  in  Ithaca, 
N.Y.,  and  is  the  manager  and  editor  of  the 
\X.\\^.CcL  Democrat,  a  leading  local  journal;  and 
Flora  S.,  the  wife  of  George  N.  Woodward, 
of  Milford.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foster  are 
members     of     the      Milford      Congregational 


BIOCiRAI'IIICAL    REVIEW 


285 


Church,  of  which  he  has  been   Deacon   for  a 
quarter  of  a  century. 


/m-c 


KORGE  G.  PAGE,  a  leading  dairy- 
%  >)  I  man  of  Svvanzey,  was  born  in  this 
^ — ^  town  on  March  13,  1852,  son  of 
Leander  Page.  His  great-great-grandfather 
was  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Swanzey, 
coming  here  when  there  were  no  roads,  and 
when  men  fount!  their  way  through  unbroken 
forests,  inhabited  by  savage  animals,  and  per- 
haps by  hostile  Indians.  A  barrel,  brought 
here  on  horseback  by  this  early  ancestor,  and 
preserved  in  the  family  for  several  genera- 
tions, was  destroyed,  much  to  the  regret  of 
Mr.  Fagt,  on  March  17,  1894,  at  the  time 
when  his  barn  was  burned.  Ezekiel  Page, 
grandfather  of  George  G. ,  was  a  man  of  me- 
chanical and  inventive  genius.  He  invented 
a  spinning-wheel,  which  was  looked  upon  as  a 
marvellous  production.  He  also  made  many 
barrels,  which  he  easily  disposed  of  among  his 
neighbors;  and  he  made  a  rude  kind  of  buggy, 
which,  though  not  so  graceful  as  those  now  in 
use,  was  braced  thoroughly,  and  was  strong 
and  durable.  Samuel  Page,  the  great-grand- 
father of  George  G.  Page,  built  the  first 
house,  a  part  of  which  is  the  L  of  the  present 
house. 

Leander  Page,  the  father  of  George  G.,  was 
born  on  the  old  homestead,  and  died  there  in 
June,  1893.  He  was  a  very  industrious  man, 
and  was  engaged  chiefly  in  buying  and  sell- 
ing cattle  and  in  raising  stock.  In  politics 
he  was  successively  a  Whig  and  a  Republi- 
can. His  health  failing,  he  gave  the  charge 
of  the  farm  to  his  son  George.  Leander  had 
a  family  of  ten  children.  One  of  his  sons, 
Charles  K.,  is  at  West  Swanzey;  another, 
Henry,  who  resides  in  Marlboro,  N.H.,  is  in 
the  meat  business.  The  daughters  are:  Mrs. 
Lillian  Dickinson,  who  resides  in  Piovidence; 
Mrs.  Ida  Spofford,  who  lives  at  Winchendon, 
Mass.  ;  Mrs.  Sarah  L.  Cloudman  lives  in 
Alexandria,  N.H.;  and  Elsie  and  Clara  live 
in  Keene. 

George  G.  Page  attended  the  common 
schools  in  the  Swanzey  district,  and  subse- 
quently assisted  his  father  on  the  farm.      He 


was  but  twenty-one  years  of  age  when  he  re- 
ceived the  entire  charge  of  the  farm.  After 
the  death  of  his  father  he  bought  the  property. 
It  then  embraced  about  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  Mr.  Page  has  since  added  pasture 
lands,  and  it  now  contains  about  two  hundred 
acres.  Making  a  specialty  of  the  milk  busi- 
ness, he  has  acquired  a  profitable  milk  route 
between  Swanzey  and  Keene,  the  best  people 
there  being  his  customers.  He  keeps  about 
twenty-five  head  of  cattle,  of  which  about 
twenty  are  milch  cows.  Many  old  articles  of 
furniture,  such  as  chairs,  clocks,  etc.,  which 
have  the  marks  of  use  and  age,  are  cherished 
for  their  history  and  associations.  His  chil- 
dren are  the  fifth  generation  of  Pages  that  have 
been  born  in  the  old  house. 

Mr.  Page  married  Alice  C.  Eastman,  a 
daughter  of  George  W.  Eastman,  and  four 
children  have  been  born  to  him;  namely, 
Guy  C,  Ernest  E. ,  Leander,  and  Arthur  G. 
He  is  a  member  of  Golden  Rod  Grange  of 
Swanzey  and  of  the  United  Order  of  Pilgrim 
Fathers  of  Keene.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  has  never  sought  office,  and  he  re- 
fused to  serve  as  Road  Agent  for  the  town 
when  he  was  elected  some  four  years  ago.  He 
has,  however,  charge  of  the  roads  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  town.  The  destruction  of  his  barn 
three  years  ago  was  a  heavy  loss  to  him,  but 
he  has  well  recovered  from  it  since.  He 
makes  friends  readily,  and  his  genial  manners 
have  been  important  factors  in  bringing  about 
his  success. 


T^HARLES  S.  PARKER,  an  esteemed 
I  Vr^  resident  of  Milford,  was  born  .Septem- 
\rls^  her  15,  1843,  in  Amherst,  this 
county,  son  of  Thomas  B.  Parker. 
He  is  of  English  ancestry  and  the  representa- 
tive of  a  prominent  pioneer  family  of  Hollis, 
Hillsboro  County.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Josiah  Parker,  was  a  native  of  Hollis. 

Thomas  B.  Parker,  who  was  also  born  in 
Hollis,  removed  in  his  boyhood  with  his  par- 
ents to  Amherst,  which  remained  his  place  of 
residence  until  his  death  at  an  advanced  age 
in  August,  1892.  He  was  endowed  by  nature 
with  great  mechanical  and  constructive  talent, 


j86 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


becoming  proficient  in  the  use  of  tools  of  all 
kinds.  For  many  years  he  carried  on  cooper- 
ing in  connection  with  general  farming,  being 
skilful  and  successful  in  each  industry.  He 
was  a  strong  Democrat  in  politics.  Though 
often  solicited  by  his  many  friends  to  accept 
important  offices  of  trust  in  the  town,  he  per- 
sistently refused,  preferring  the  quietude  of 
his  home  circle,  although  he  did  at  times  at- 
tend county  conventions  as  a  delegate.  Pos- 
sessed of  much  musical  talent,  having  a  re- 
markably rich,  strong,  and  flexible  voice,  he 
was  for  many  years  the  leader  of  the  choir  of 
the  Baptist  church.  Held  in  high  regard  for 
his  many  sterling  qualities  of  head  and  heart, 
his  death  was  mourned  in  Amherst  as  the  loss 
of  a  most  valued  member  of  the  community. 
Of  his  union  with  Miss  Mary  Hildreth,  of 
Amherst,  five  children  were  born,  two  of 
whom  survive  their  parents.  These  are: 
Henry  M.,  of  Amherst;  and  Charles  S.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Charles  S.  Parker  was  reared  to  manhood  on 
the  parental  homestead,  acquiring  a  practical 
education  in  the  district  schools  of  Amherst. 
Inheriting  the  mechanical  skill  for  which  his 
father  was  noted,  he  was  engaged  in  mechani- 
cal pursuits  to  a  large  extent  during  his 
earlier  years,  working  both  in  wood  and  iron 
with  equal  dexterity.  For  over  thirty  years 
he  made  casks.  He  also  manufactured  vine- 
gar, having  all  modern  appliances  for  that 
purpose.  He,  however,  made  farming  his 
chief  occupation,  and  still  owns  the  old  home- 
stead of  one  hundred  acres,  which  he  managed 
with  good  success.  In  1894  he  removed  to 
Milford,  building  a  commodious  residence  in 
the  village  on  Amherst  Street,  where  he  now 
resides,  occupying  a  place  of  prominence 
among  the  foremost  citizens  of  the  town. 
While  living  in  his  native  town,  Mr.  Parker 
served  as  Selectman  for  four  years,  and  for  a 
long  time  he  was  Town  Auditor.  In  politics 
he  is  independent,  voting  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  his  conscience. 

On  April  28,  1880,  Mr.  Parker  married 
Miss  Hattie  M.  Grater,  who  was  born  in  Am- 
herst, a  daughter  of  the  late  James  Grater,  of 
that  place.  Of  this  union  two  children  were 
born — -Leon   H.   and   Minnie  C.     The   latter 


died  August  6,  1884.  On  January  26,  1 8g6, 
the  devoted  wife  and  tender  mother  was  taken 
from  the  home  circle. 


HARLP:S  B.  dodge,  a  capable  and 
enterprising  business  man  of  Milford, 
is  well-known  as  a  dealer  in  paints, 
oils,  varnishes,  artists'  supplies, 
hardware,  glassware,  besides  carrying  house 
and  picture  mouldings,  and  framing  pictures  to 
order.  He  was  born  September  15,  1849,  in 
Nashua,  this  county,  son  of  Charles  Dodge. 
The  father  was  born  in  Peterboro,  N.H., 
where  his  father,  Moses  Dodge,  familiarly 
known  as  Captain  Dodge,  was  for  many  years 
a  prominent  resident.  Charles  Dodge  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  town,  but  subse- 
quently moved  to  Nashua,  where  he  was  over- 
seer of  the  spinning  department  in  the  Indian 
Hill  Cotton  Mills  for  a  long  time.  In  1853 
he  went  to  Mexico,  accepting  the  position  of 
agent  for  the  large  cotton-mill  established  at 
Tizapan,  about  eleven  miles  from  the  city  of 
Mexico,  where  he  still  resides,  being  now  an 
active  man,  though  seventy-six  years  old. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
Saunders,  spent  her  entire  life  in  Nashua, 
dying  there  in  1856,  not  many  years  after  her 
marriage. 

Charles  B.  Dodge  was  a  pupil  in  the  public 
schools  of  Nashua  until  thirteen  years  old. 
Then  he  was  sent  to  Mont  Vernon  to  complete 
his  education  in  what  was  then  known  as  Ap- 
pleton  Academy,  but  is  now  called  McCoIlom 
Institute.  When  sixteen  years  old  he  went 
with  his  father  to  Mexico,  where  he  lived  two 
years,  seeing  much  of  the  country,  and  acquir- 
ing a  knowledge  of  the  habits  and  customs  of 
the  people.  Returning  then  to  the  United 
States,  Mr.  Dodge  again  became  a  resident  of 
Hillsboro  County.  Securing  a  situation  with 
H.  H.  Bragg,  a  manufacturer  of  fancy  boxes, 
he  worked  as  an  employee  for  three  years, 
learning  the  details  of  the  business,  showing 
such  ability  that  he  was  then  promoted  to  the 
office  of  superintendent  of  the  factory.  This 
responsible  position  he  held  through  the  vari- 
ous changes  in  the  proprietorship  for  a  period 
of    twenty-four    years.       The    last     firm    was 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


287 


Conant     Brothers     &     Bragg     Company,     who 
closed  the  factory  in  1894. 

The  first  of  Mr.  Dodge's  three  marriages 
was  contracted  with  Miss  Henrietta  Bragg, 
chiughter  of  H.  H.  Bragg,  late  of  Boston, 
Mass.  She  lived  but  a  few  years  after  their 
union.  On  the  second  occasion  he  married 
Miss  Nellie  S.,  daughter  of  the  late  George 
Fitch,  of  Concord,  N.H.  She  died  April 
15,  18S2,  leaving  one  daughter,  Beatrice. 
On  December  21,  1883,  Mr.  Dodge  con- 
tracted his  third  marriage  with  Miss  Lizzie 
E.,  daughter  of  Charles  Spalding,  of  Milford. 
Mr.  Dodge  is  active  in  Masonic  circles,  being 
a  member  of  Benevolent  Lodge  of  Milford; 
and  of  King  Solomon's  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  are  held  in  high  re- 
gard throughout  the  village  of  Milford,  their 
attractive  home  being  a  centre  of  social 
activity. 


APPLETON  SKINNER,  an  es- 
teemed resident  and  a  prosperous  agri- 
culturist of  Amherst,  is  the  owner  of 
a  well -stocked  farm.  He  was  born 
Octojjer  17,  1830,  in  Reading,  Middlesex 
County,  Mass.,  son  of  Joshua  F.  Skinner. 
The  Skinner  family  is  of  English  origin.  Its 
members  were  strong  adherents  of  Cromwell 
during  his  protectorate.  It  was  first  repre- 
sented in  New  Elngland  by  three  brothers  who 
emigrated  to  this  country.  Two  of  them  sev- 
erally settled  in  New  York  and  Vermont. 
The  other,  from  whom  J.  Appleton  Skinner  is 
descended,  located  in  Woburn,  Mass.  Jo- 
sepii  Skinner,  the  paternal  great-grandfather 
of  J.  Appleton,  and  a  lifelong  resident  of  the 
Bay  State,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  His  son.  Captain  Samuel 
Skinner,  the  ne.xt  in  line  of  descent,  was  an 
officer  in  the  War  of  18 12,  commanding  a 
company  of  Massachusetts  militia  from  Lynn- 
field,  Mass.,  and  being  on  duty  at  a  fort  in 
Salem,  Mass. 

Joshua  F.  Skinner,  born  in  1806  in  Lynn- 
field,  Mass.,  was  engaged  in  shoemaking  in 
Reading  for  a  time.  From  Reading,  in  1840, 
he  came  with  his  family  to  Amherst,  and  was 
here  engaged  at  his  trade,  and  to  some  extent 


in  farming,  until  his  demise  in  1883.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  J.  Pea- 
body,  was  born  in  Mont  Vernon,  N.H.  Of 
their  children,  besides  J.  Appleton,  there  is 
living  Julia  A.,  the  wife  of  John  A.  Boynton, 
of  Nashua,  N.H.  The  father  in  his  younger 
days  was  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 
Afterward  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Free 
Soilers,  and  from  the  formation  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  he  was  one  of  its  firmest  sup- 
porters. 

J.  Appleton  Skinner  was  a  sturdy  lad  of  ten 
years  when  he  came  with  his  parents  from 
Reading,  Mass.,  to  Amherst.  Having  com- 
pleted his  schooling  in  this  town,  he  began  to 
earn  his  living  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years. 
He  worked  first  in  a  cotton-mill  of  Milford, 
this  county,  and  subsequently  was  similarly 
employed  in  Ware  and  Palmer,  Mass.  He 
then  turned  his  attention  to  shoemaking,  con- 
tinuing at  that  trade  in  Massachusetts  in 
different  towns  for  several  years.  Returning 
to  Amherst  in  1854,  he  resumed  his  trade  for 
a  time,  and  then  became  an  employee  in  a 
whip  factory.  On  August  15,  1S62,  cheer- 
fully responding  to  his  country's  call,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  H,  Tenth  New  Hampshire 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  subsequently  served 
with  it,  first  in  the  Ninth  and  later  in  the 
Eighteenth  Army  Corps.  With  his  brave 
comrades  he  fought  in  many  of  the  more  im- 
portant battles  of  the  war,  including  the  en- 
gagements at  Fredericksburg,  Suffolk,  Drury's 
Bluff,  Hill's  Point,  Cold  Harbor,  Walthall, 
Petersburg,  Swift's  Creek,  Fort  Harrison,  the 
second  battle  of  F'air  Oaks,  and  Kingsland; 
and  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  enter  Richmond 
after  its  evacuation  by  General  Lee.  F"or  two 
years  of  his  term  Mr.  Skinner  was  a  member 
of  the  brigade  band.  On  June  21,  1865,  he 
was  mustered  out  of  service,  subsequently  re- 
ceiving his  honorable  discharge  at  Concord, 
N.H. 

After  his  return  to  civil  life  he  was  for  a 
time  employed  at  a  stove  foundry  in  Amherst. 
Afterward  he  secured  a  situation  with  the 
Francestown  Soapstone  Company,  then  lo- 
cated in  Milford.  The  company  subsequently 
built  a  large  establishment  at  Nashua,  N.H., 
of  which  Mr.  Skinner  was  superintendent  for 


288 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ten  years.  Resigning  this  position  in  1876, 
he  again  returned  to  Amherst,  where  he  has 
since  been  actively  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  or 
more  acres.  In  addition  to  general  farming, 
he  is  sonrewhat  interested  in  raising  small 
fruit,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  dairying,  ship- 
ping his  milk  to  Manchester,  N.H.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  While  in 
Nashua  he  was  a  member  of  the  City  Council 
for  two  years,  and  was  also  identified  with  the 
Board  of  Trade  of  that  city.  Mr.  Skinner  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Odd 
Fellows  order,  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  all 
of  Nashua.  He  is  prominent  in  Grand  Army 
circles,  belonging  to  the  C.  H.  Phelps  Post, 
No.  43,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Amherst,  and  having 
served  as  Quartermaster  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire State  department. 

On  October  8,  1850,  Mr.  Skinner  married 
Miss  Caroline  S.  Winn,  who  was  born  in 
Wilton,  N.H.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Silas 
and  Dorcas  (Woods)  Winn,  natives  respec- 
tively of  Woburn  and  Lexington,  Mass.  Mr. 
Skinner  had  two  chilciren  —  Carrie  F.  and 
Willie  C,  who  died  successively  in  1854  and 
1864. 


ON.    JAMES    BURNAP    was  a  prom- 
inent business    man  of  Marlow,    and 


ably  served  the  public  in  the  capac- 
ities of  State  Senator  and  member 
of  the  Executive  Council.  Born  September 
6,  1 8 16,  in  Nelson,  N.H.,  he  was  a  son  of 
Pious  LI.  and  Sally  (Whitney)  Burnap.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  John  Burnap,  was  a 
prosperous  farmer  of  Nelson  in  the  early  days 
of  that  town.  By  his  wife,  Mary  Hay  ward 
Burnap,  he  became  the  father  of  five  children; 
namely,  John.  Eli,  Pious  U.,  Molly,  and 
Amos. 

Pious  U.  Burnap,  born  in  Nelson,  February 
5,  1775,  was  engaged  in  farming  and  manu- 
facturing from  early  manhood  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  August  11,  1827.  He  was 
one  of  the  leading  residents  in  his  day.  His 
wife,  Sally,  who  was  born  June  26,  1778,  be- 
came the  mother  of  twelve  children,  born  as 
follows:   John,    April  4,    1803;    Upton,   June 


20,  1804;  Josiah,  August  26,  1805;  Eli, 
February  15,  1807;  Polly,  September  20, 
1808;  Nancy,  May  13,  18 10;  Mary,  June  26, 
1 8 12;  Lura,  April  3,  18 14;  James,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  George,  July  15,  1818; 
and  Laura  and  Loren,  twins,  October  13, 
1 8 19.      The  mother  died  February  26,   1846. 

James  Burnap  attended  school  in  Nelson, 
and  learned  the  tanner's  trade  with  his  uncle, 
Asa  Spaulding.  He  worked  for  a  time  in 
Reading  and  Danvers,  Mass.,  and  was  also 
employed  as  a  journeyman  in  Charlestown, 
N.H.  On  December  21,  1837,  he  settled  in 
Marlow,  where,  in  company  with  his  brother 
Josiah,  he  was  engaged  in  the  tanning  busi- 
ness until  the  firm  dissolved  in  1856.  Sub- 
sequently, after  carrying  on  business  alone  for 
three  years,  Mr.  Burnap  admitted  to  partner- 
ship J.  M.  Howard,  with  whom  he  was  asso- 
ciated for  a  few  years.  Then,  purchasing  his 
partner's  interest,  he  conducted  business  alone 
until  his  retirement,  which  took  place  in  May, 
1 891.  His  tannery  supplied  the  principal  in- 
dustry in  Marlow,  affording  employment  to  a 
large  force  of  men,  and  was  the  means  of 
building  up  and  maintaining  the  prosperity  of 
the  village.  He  was  president  of  the  Guar- 
anty Savings  Bank,  and  a  director  of  the  Citi- 
zens' National  Bank  of  Keene,  and  the  owner 
of  several  farms.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Selectmen  for  a  time,  a  Representa- 
tive to  the  legislature  in  1861  and  1862,  a 
State  Senator  in  1876  and  1877,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Governor's  Council  in  1 879  and  1880. 
He  also  served  in  other  important  town 
ofifices,  and  acted  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
He  was  connected  with  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, and  for  two  years  was  Master  of  the  local 
grange  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  As  an 
active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  he  contributed  generously  toward  its 
support,  and  was  a  trustee  for  over  thirty  years. 

Mr.  Burnap  wedded  Mary  A.  Gilman,  who 
was  born  October  24,  18 19,  daughter  of  limer- 
son  and  Delia  (Way)  Gilman,  of  Lowell, 
Mass.  The  only  child  of  the  union  is  Sarah 
Abbie,  born  in  Marlow,  September  22,  1847. 
Mrs.  Burnap  died  September  i,  1890.  After 
surviving  his  wife  more  than  four  years,  Mr. 
Burnap  died  October  28,   1894. 


JAMES    BURNAP. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


2gi 


iMiss  Sarah  Abbie  Burnap  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Marlow  and  at  the  New 
Hanipsiiire  Conference  Seminary,  Tilton. 
She  resided  with  her  parents  as  long  as  they 
lived.  Since  the  death  of  her  father  much  of 
the  care  of  his  large  estate  has  devolved  upon 
her,  and  she  has  displayed  business  ability  of 
a  high  order.  She  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  has  been 
officially  connected  with  the  grange. 


RANKLIN  FIELD,  a  retired  farmer  of 
J'eterboro  and  an  ex-member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  legislature,  was  born 
in  this  town,  May  i,  1819,  son  of  William 
and  Mary  (McAllister)  Field.  The  grand- 
father, John  Field,  who  was  born  in  Braintree, 
Mass.,  April  10,  1752,  moved  with  his  family 
to  Peterboro  in  1786.  He  followed  his  call- 
ing of  tanner  in  this  town  during  the  rest  of 
his  active  period,  and  died  January  8,  1826. 
He  married  Riith  Thayer,  and  had  a  family  of 
eight  children,  none  of  whom  are  living.  His 
wife  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four 
years.  Both  were  Presbyterians  in  religious 
belief. 

William  Field,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  in  Braintree,  November 
18,  1781.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Peterboro ;  and  when  a  young  man  he  engaged 
in  farming,  and  followed  it  industriously 
thereafter  as  long  as  his  strength  permitted. 
When  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  he 
left  a  good  estate.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  His  wife,  Mary,  who 
was  a  native  of  Peterboro,  became  by  him  the 
mother  of  fifteen  children.  Of  these  five  are 
living;  namely,  Catherijie,  Franklin,  Ruth, 
Albert,  and  Lois.  Catherine  is  the  widow  of 
I^IoraceHusej  late  of  Missouri,  and  has  eight 
childre^ii  —  Horace,  Catherine,  Mary,"  JcT" 
sephine,  Ella,  Richard,  Kirk,  and  Fremont. 
Albert  has  been  twice  married.  By  his  first 
union, contracted  with  Mehitable  Perkins,  there 
is  one  daughter,  Lizzie.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  second  wife  was  Augusta  Russell. 
Lois  is  the  widow  of  George  Pierce.  Mrs. 
William  Field  died  at  the  age  of  si.\ty-seven 
years. 


Franklin  Field  was  educated  in  Peterboro. 
After  leaving  school  he  began  to  serve  an  ap- 
prenticeship at  the  machinisfs  trade,  which, 
after  following  it  as  a  journeyman  in  Nashua, 
N.H.,  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  other  places  for 
some  years,  he  finally  abandoned.  In  1 S49 
he  purchased  a  farm  in  Peterboro,  and  tilled 
the  soil  successfully  as  a  general  farmer  for 
considerably  more  than  forty  years.  In  1896  n^  jj^^^, 
he   retired   from   active   labor,  and  is   now   oc-  vff"^^ 

cupying  a   comfortable    home    in    the   village.        r^ 
Politically,    he    is    a    Republican.       He    has    M^iA^tJi^Q 
served    as    Road    Surveyor    for    a    number    of  -=s. 

terms,  was  a  Selectman  three  years,  and  he 
represented  this  town  in  the  legislature  in 
1875  and  1876. 

On  January  ig,  1847,  Mr.  P'ield  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Luvia  Miner,  daughter  of 
William  Miner,  of  Lyman,  N.H.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Field  have  been  born  six  children, 
of  whom  William  Y.,  Martin  E.,  Forest  G., 
and  Walter  are  living.  William  married 
Augusta  Russell,  of  Lyndeboro,  N.H.,  and 
has  one  son,  Arthur  R.  ;  Martin  married 
Jennie  E.  Hadley,  of  Peterboro;  Poorest  mar- 
ried Clara  Morse,  of  Marlboro,  Mass.  ;  and 
Walter  E.  married  Genevieve  Little,  of  Peter- 
boro. Mr.  Field  is  a  Past  Master  of  Peterboro 
Grange.^  For  several  years  he  has  acted  as  a 
Deacon  of  the  Unitarian  church.  Mrs.  Field 
is  a  member  of  the  same  church. 


iILAN  A.  DICKINSON,  general 
manager  of  the  West  Swanzey 
woollen  manufactory,  was  born 
in  that  part  of  the  town  of  Win- 
chester called  Ashuelot,  November  2,  1871, 
son  of  Ansel  and  Mary  Theresa  (Felch)  Dick- 
inson. His  father  was  the  founder  of  the 
large  business  interests  carried  on  in  Swanzey 
and  Winchester  by  the  firm  of  Ansel  Dickin- 
son &  Sons,  and  an  extended  account  of  his 
career  may  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Milan  A.  Dickinson  was  graduated  from  the 
Winchester  High  School  in  1889;  and  imme- 
diately afterward  he  joined  his  brothers.  La 
Fell  and  John  H.  Dickinson,  in  looking  after 
the  large  business  enterprises  left  by  their 
father,  who  died  July  31    of  that  year.      The 


292 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


elder  Dickinson  was  a  heavy  stockholder  in 
the  West  Swanzey  Woollen  Manufacturing- 
Company,  which  made  a  specialty  of  produc- 
ing flannel  shirtings  of  a  superior  quality; 
and  his  successors,  the  firm  of  Ansel  Dickin- 
son &  Sons,  having  purchased  the  entire  plant, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  enterprise  in  1S92.  The  mills 
furnish  employment  to  about  seventy-five  hands 
when  running,  and,  when  they  closed  on  ac- 
count of  the  recent  business  depression,  were 
manufacturing  flannels  and  cheviots.  Mr. 
Dickinson  has  given  much  time  and  attention 
to  the  mechanical  as  well  as  the  business  part 
of  the  enterprise  ;  and,  as  he  has  a  natural  taste 
for  mechanics,  he  is  himself  able  to  take  apart 
and  readjust  the  intricate  machinery  used  in 
the  establishment.  The  property  includes, 
besides  the  two  brick  buildings,  four  and  three 
stories  high  respectively,  the  box  factory  of 
C.  S.  Russell,  a  shop  used  by  Snow  &  Rus- 
sell, and  the  Whitcomb  Mill.  With  the  re- 
turn of  business  prosperity  the  woollen-mills 
will  resume  operations,  and  the  present  man- 
ager is  looking  forward  to  busy  times  in  the 
near  future.  Politically,  Mr.  Dickinson  is  a 
Gold  Democrat.  He  has  resided  in  West 
Swanzey  since  taking  charge  of  the  woollen- 
mills,  is  actively  interested  in  the  industrial 
development  and  general  prosperity  of  the 
town,  and,  although  a  young  man,  has  already 
acquired  much  influence  in  town  affairs. 

On  December  16,  1896,  Mr.  Dickinson  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Josie  E.  Taylor, 
daughter  of  Charles  W.  Taylor,  of  this  town. 


fs^AMES  SHELDON,  one  of  Wilton's 
representative  farmers,  was  born  upon 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  July 
12,  1825,  son  of  Samuel  and  Betsey 
(Simonds)  Sheldon.  His  great-grandfather, 
Samuel  Sheldon  (first),  who  is  thought  to  have 
been  a  native  of  Reading,  Mass.,  moved  his 
family  from  that  town  to  Wilton  in  1770,  and 
was  among  the  first  settlers  here.  Samuel  was 
identified  with  the  early  development  of  agri- 
culture in  Wilton,  and  took  a  prominent  part 
in  church  affairs.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
wife  was  Sarah  Wellman ;  and  he  had  a  family 


of  eight  children,  of  whom  Samuel  (second), 
was  the  second  child.  He  died  December  24, 
1832,  aged  ninety-two.  His  wife's  death  oc- 
curred January  7,  1826,  when  she  was  eighty 
years  old. 

Samuel  Sheldon  (second),  James  Sheldon's 
grandfather,  was  born  in  Reailing  in  1767. 
He  was  reared  to  farm  life  in  Wilton,  and  fol- 
lowed agriculture  during  his  active  years. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  Uni- 
tarian in  his  religious  belief.  He  married 
Phcebe  Keyes,  who  bore  him  twelve  children. 
Of  these  the  survivors  are:  Abiel  W.  Shel- 
don, born  in  April,  181 7;  and  Lucy,  who  was 
born  August  5,  1806.  Lucy  is  now  the  widow 
of  Joseph  Barrett  Howard,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren —  Carrie,  Lucy,  Ada,  and  Maria.  Sam- 
uel Sheldon  (second)  died  May  21,  1847, 
and  his  wife  on  November  21,  1821,  aged 
fifty  years.  Samuel  Sheldon  (third),  James 
Sheldon's  father,  was  born  at  the  old  home- 
stead in  Wilton,  March  16,  1794.  In  early 
life  he  worked  at  the  mason's  trade  during  the 
summer  season,  and  followed  shoemaking  in 
the  winter.  In  1830  he  purchased  the  farm 
which  is  now  owned  by  his  son,  and  the  rest 
of  his  active  period  was  spent  in  tilling  the 
soil.  By  industry  and  thrift  he  acquired  con- 
siderable property.  He  attended  the  Unita- 
rian church.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat, 
and  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Selectmen  in  1846  and  1847.  He  died  April 
20,  1873,  aged  seventy-nine  years.  His  wife, 
Betsey,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Eliphalet 
Simonds,  of  Milford,  N.  H.,  had  four  children, 
two  of  whom  are  living.  These  are:  Betsey 
Ann,  the  widow  of  Sumner  Hazelton ;  and 
James,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The 
mother  died  July  6,   1S56. 

James  Sheldon  acquired  his  education  in 
Wilton.  Since  leaving  school  he  has  been 
engaged  in  general  farming.  He  succeeded 
to  the  possession  of  the  home  farm.  The  es- 
tate, which  contains  three  hundred  acres,  is 
kept  in  a  high  state  of  fertility.  Politically, 
he  acts  with  the  Democratic  party.  While 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Select- 
men in  1888  and  1889,  he  officiated  as  its 
chairman.  On  December  22,  1847,  he  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Nancy  Morse,  daugh- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


293 


ter  of  Hazen  Morse,  of  Chester,  N.  H.  Mrs. 
Sheldon  is  the  mother  of  three  children, 
namely:  John  A.,  born  December  i  r,  1848; 
Samuel  J.,  born  October  16,  1850:  and  Hattie 
F.  John  A.  married  Alice  Gray,  of  Wilton, 
and  has  four  children  —  Grace  A.,  William 
A.,  Fanny  B.,  and  Charles  E.  Samuel  J. 
married  Clara  Curtis,  who  is  now  deceased. 
Hattie  F.  is  the  wife  of  Henry  E.  Payson,  of 
Pembroke,  N.H.,  and  has  one  daughter, 
Clara  B.  , 

Mr.  Sheldon  is  connected  with  the  Patrons 
of  Husbandry,  and  in  1888  and  1889  was 
Master  of  Adrance  Grange,  No.  20.  In  1892 
he  was  Master  of  Hillsboro  County,  Pomona 
Grange,  No.  i.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  able  farmers  in  Wilton,  and  is  highly 
esteemed  as  a  citizen.  Both  he  and  Mrs. 
Sheldon  attend  the  Unitarian  church. 


kARK      MERRITT      HADLEY,     a 

prominent  resident  of  Hillsboro, 
was  born  in  Deering,  N.H.,  No- 
vember 14,  1839,  son  of  Enoch 
and  Mary  Ann  (Buzzel  Bailey)  Hadley.  His 
great-grandfather,  Captain  George  Hadley, 
who  served  as  an  ofiHcer  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  afterward  settled  in  South  Weare,  N. H., 
where  he  resided  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Captain  Hadley  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  and 
he  figured  prominently  in  military  affairs. 
Enoch  Hadley  (first),  the  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  a  native  of  South 
Weare,  followed  agriculture  in  that  town  for 
some  years.  He  subsequently  moved  to  a 
farm  in  Deering,  where  he  continued  to  till 
the  soil  for  the  rest  of  his  active  period, 
spending  his  last  days  upon  his  farm.  He 
married  Abigail  George,  and  reared  a  family 
of  five  children,  of  whom  Enoch  (second)  was 
the  only  son. 

Enoch  Hadley  (second),  Mark  M.  Hadley's 
father,  was  born  in  Deering.  The  greater 
part  of  his  life  was  devoted  to  general  farming 
in  his  native  town.  He  was  quite  prominent 
in  public  affairs,  serving  as  a  Selectman  for  a 
number  of  terms.  In  his  later  years  he  was  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  he  worshipped  at 
the  Free  Will  Baptist  church.      His  last  days 


were  passed  in  West  Andover,  N.H.,  and  he 
lived  to  be  about  seventy  years  old.  He  mar- 
ried for  his  first  wife  IVIrs.  Mary  Ann  Bailey 
Buzzel,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-three 
years.  She  left  two  children  —  Mark  M.  and 
Captain  Elbridge  D.  Hadley.  The  latter  was 
in  the  Civil  War,  and  was  wounded  by  a  bullet, 
which  has  not  been  extracted.  He  married 
Mary  Borne,  and  resides  in  Des  Moines,  la. 
Enoch's  second  marriage  was  made  with  Mary 
Ann  Gove,  of  Deering,  of  whose  four  children 
by  him  Enoch  C.  is  living.  She  resides  in 
West  Andover. 

Mark  Merritt  Hadley  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  and  at  a  private 
academy.  After  finishing  his  studies  he 
bought  a  farm  in  Deering,  which  he  cultivated 
for  three  years.  Then  he  was  engaged  in  a 
general  merchandise  business  at  Hillsboro 
Bridge  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Newman  & 
Hadley.  Withdrawing  from  this  firm  three 
years  later,  he  purchased  a  store  at  East 
Washington,  where  he  conducted  a  mercantile 
business  for  six  years,  serving  as  Postmaster 
for  a  part  of  the  time.  In  Hillsboro,  at  the 
end  of  that  period,  he  bought  a  farm,  which 
he  carried  on  for  twelve  years.  While  so 
doing  he  also  taught  school  every  winter.  In 
1886  he  purchased  the  Hillsboro  Mtssi-ngcr 
and  job  printing  establishment  at  Hillsboro 
Bridge,  and  conducted  both  until  September, 
1896,  when  he  sold  out  to  parties  from  Bos- 
ton, Mass.  Politically,  he  acts  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  has  been  Town  Treas- 
urer and  Ta.x  Collector,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  School  Board  for  several  years. 

On  March  3,  1862,  Mr.  Hadley  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Abbie  J.  Carr,  daughter  of 
Robert  Carr,  of  Hillsboro.  Mrs.  Hadley  is 
the  mother  of  three  children  —  Alma  C,  Clif- 
ton H.,  and  Harrison  C.  The  last  two  are 
twins.  Alma  C.  is  the  widow  of  Bela  A. 
Wellman,  late  of  Allegheny  City,  Pa.,  and 
has  one  daughter,  Mabel  A.  Clifton  H.  mar- 
ried Grace  A.  Winn,  of  Somerville,  Mass., 
and  has  one  daughter,  Barbara.  Harrison  C. 
married  Ella  Robbins,  of  Hillsboro.  Mr. 
Hadley  was  made  a  Mason  in  1863,  and  is 
now  a  member  of  Harmony  Lodge,  No.  38,  of 
which  he  acted  as  Master  for  two  years.      He 


294 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


was  Master  of  Valley  Grange  for  six  years, 
and  the  secretary  four  years.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  acted  as  drum-major  for  the  Hills- 
boro  Mechanics'  Band.  He  also  served  for 
several  years  as  Associate  Justice  of  the 
Police  Court  of  Hillsboro.  Both  he  and  Mrs. 
Hadley  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 


"ir^vANIEL  T.  BUTTRICK,  who  is 
1=^  identified  with  the  mercantile  in- 
^TSy  terests  of  Hillsboro  County  as  a 
lumber  dealer,  having  his  residence 
in  the  town  of  Milford,  was  born  November 
15,  1 83 1,  in  Londonderry,  Rockingham 
County,  son  of  Nathan  Buttrick.  Nathan 
Buttrick,  born  in  Pelham,  N.  H.,  was  there 
brought  up  a  farmer,  which  calling  he  fol- 
lowed throughout  the  rest  of  his  life.  From 
Pelham  he  removed  to  Londonderry,  going 
thence  to  Derry,  and  eventually  to  Brookline. 
In  Brookline  he  spent  his  declining  years, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-three.  His  first 
wife,  Catherine  Witherspoon  Buttrick,  the 
.mother  of  Daniel  T. ,  was  born  in  Vermont. 
She  died  while  the  family  were  living  in 
Nashua,  N.H.,  leaving  one  other  child,  who 
is  Barnett  C.  Buttrick,  of  Nashua.  The  father 
subsequently  married  Mrs.  Willoughby,  of 
Brookline,  N.  H. 

Daniel  T.  Buttrick  obtained  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools  of  Londonderry. 
His  schooling  was  continued  for  four  years  in 
Derry,  to  which  jilace  the  family  removed 
when  he  was  twelve  years  old.  He  afterward 
remained  with  his  parents  until  he  attained 
bis  majority.  Then,  lured  by  the  flattering 
prospects  of  making  a  speedy  fortune  in  the 
gold  fields  of  the  Far  West,  he  went  to  San 
Francisco  by  the  Isthmus,  starting  from  New 
York  City,  and  accomplishing  the  journey 
in  thirty  days.  He  stayed  there  less  than  two 
years,  being  a  part  of  the  time  employed  in 
gold  mining  and  the  remainder  in  carpenter- 
ing. Returning  then  to  the  old  Granite 
State  by  the  Nicaragua  route,  which  took 
him  through  Central  America,  he  settled  in 
Amherst.  Here  in  1S54  he  established  him- 
self in  the  lumber   business,  which   he  carried 


on  in  that  vicinity  for  five  years.  In  1859 
Mr.  Buttrick  transferred  his  business  interests 
to  Milford,  and  since  that  time  has  been  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  lumbering  in  this  and 
adjacent  towns.  In  addition,  he  has  carried 
on  general  farming  to  a  limited  extent,  meet- 
ing with  signal  success  in  this  as  in  the  other 
undertaking. 

Mr.  Buttrick  was  united  in  marriage,  Janu- 
ary 26,  1859,  with  Miss  Sarah  J.,  daughter  of 
Elbridge  and  Sarah  (Bonney)  Hall,  of  Nashua. 
Of  the  four  children  born  to  them  a  son  died 
in  infancy,  and  a  daughter,  Helen  L.,  passed 
away  March  13,  1889,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
nine  years.  The  others  are:  Mabel  A.,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Frank  H.  Stanyan,  of  \Vest 
Medford,  Mass.  ;  and  Kate  T. ,  the  wife  of 
Herbert  F.  Keeler,  of  Milford,  N.  H.  Politi- 
cally, Mr.  Buttrick  is  a  sound  Republican. 
He  is  a  member  of  Granite  Grange,  No.  7, 
of  Milford. 


TT^HARLES  L.  BEMIS,  Postmaster  of 
I  \y  Marlboro,  Cheshire  County,  was  born 
^^Hs  in   this    town,   June  6,    1854,  son   of 

Luther  G.  and  Abbie  H.  (Cutter) 
Bemis.  His  paternal  great-grandfather  was 
Jonathan  Bemis;  and  his  paternal  grandfather, 
whose  Christian  name  was  Luther,  married 
Sally  Farrar.  Luther  G.  Bemis,  father  of 
Charles  L. ,  was  born  in  Troy,  N.  H.  At  an 
early  age  he  began  the  manufacture  of  wooden- 
ware,  and  he  continued  in  that  business  in 
Marlboro  for  many  years.  He  married  Abbie 
H.  Cutter,  a  native  of  Jaffrey,  N.H.,  and  she 
is  the  mother  of  three  children,  namely: 
Charles  L. ,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Fred- 
erick C.  ;  and  Louisa  A.  Frederick  C.  mar- 
ried Minnie  G.  Harvey,  and  resides  in  Keene. 
Louisa  A.,  who  became  the  wife  of  J.  L. 
Hardy,  died  leaving  one  daughter —  Bessie  B. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Luther  G.  Bemis  are  living  in 
Marlboro. 

Charles  L.  Bemis  acquired  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  this  town.  After  finishing 
his  studies  he  worked  in  a  woodenware  factory 
for  some  time.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he 
entered  the  store  of  Clinton  Collins,  where  he 
was  employed  for  the  succeeding  five  years;  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


295 


he  afterward  worked  for  George  G.  Davis  until 
January  i,  1890,  when  he  was  appointed  Post- 
master of  Marlboro,  the  duties  of  which  position 
he  has  capabl}'  performed  up  to  the  present  time. 
Mr.  ]^eniis  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for 
Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  in  1876,  and  he  has 
since  supported  the  Republican  party.  He 
has  been  Supervisor  of  the  Check  List  fourteen 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  the  local 
grange,  No.  iiS,  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  On 
March  13,  1877,  he  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  Sarah  Amelia  Gould,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Gould. 


SUTHER  M.  BURNS,  residing  on 
Union  Street,  in  the  town  of  M i  1  - 
^  ford,  N.H.,  was  born  here,  January 
28,  1827,  son  of  Captain  Peter  and 
Sallie  J.  (Duncklee)  Burns.  He  is  a  descend- 
ant of  the  family  from  which  the  vvorld-famed 
poet,  Robert  Burns,  sprung.  The  first  of  his 
ancestors  to  locate  in  America  was  one  John 
Burns,  who  came  to  Milford  directly  from 
Scotland,  bringing  with  him  his  family.  His 
son,  John,  who  was  the  ne.xt  in  line  of  descent, 
had  a  son,  John,  who  was  a  life-long  resident 
of  Milford  and  the  grandfather  of  Luther  M. 
Captain  Peter  Burns,  the  father  of  Luther 
M.,  was  born,  lived,  and  died  in  Milford.  In 
the  War  of  181 2  he  commanded  a  company  of 
light  artillery.  He  was  an  industrious,  hard- 
working man,  acquiring  a  goodly  amount  of 
this  world's  goods,  having  been  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  for  many  years,  and  also 
during  the  later  years  of  his  life  was  employed 
in  granite  quarrying.  He  lived  to  the  ripe 
old  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  passing  away 
at  the  old  homestead,  October  18,  1865.  To 
him  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Sallie  J.  Duncklee,  several  children  were  born, 
the  following  of  whom  survive  their  parents: 
Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  James  Burns,  of  Milford  ; 
Alvira,  the  wife  of  John  Towne,  of  Milford; 
Luther  M.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
John  M.,  of  whom  an  account  will  be  found 
elsewhere  in  this  work. 

Luther  M.  Burns  inherited   from    his  ances- 
tors  the   habits  of  thrift   and    industry  charac- 


teristic of  the  Scotch  race.  After  leaving  the 
district  schools  of  his  native  town,  he  began  in 
earnest  the  battle  of  life.  He  labored  with 
persistent  energy  on  the  homestead  farm,  and, 
as  he  accumulated  money,  invested  it  in  land, 
being  now  the  owner  of  three  hundred  acres, 
lying  mostly  in  Milford.  Until  1874  Mr. 
Burns  was  actively  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing. At  that  time  he  removed  to  his  present 
home  in  the  village,  and  has  since  dealt  in 
real  estate  to  some  extent.  Asa  man  and  a 
citizen  he  is  held  in  high  regard  by  his  fellow- 
townsmen,  whom  he  served  five  years  as  Select- 
man, having  been  chairman  of  the  Board  for 
one  year.  In  politics  he  is  an  unswerving 
Republican,  sustaining  the  principles  of  that 
party  by  voice  and  vote. 

Mr.  Burns  was  united  in  marriage,  April 
15,  1852,  with  Miss  Sarah  J.  Wyatt,  who  was 
born  in  Amherst,  N.  H.  Her  parents,  Foster 
and  Mary  (Gregg)  Wyatt,  were  natives,  re- 
spectively, of  Amherst  and  New  Boston,  N.  H. 
Mr.  Wyatt  was  a  prominent  resident  of  his 
native  town,  which  he  served  for  a  number  of 
years  in  the  capacity  of  Selectman.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  now  deceased.  They  had 
several  children,  of  whom  four  are  living, 
namely:  Harriet,  of  Milford;  Mary  A.,  the 
widow  of  the  late  Ephraim  Jones,  of  Amherst; 
Adaline,  the  wife  of  John  M.  Burns,  of  Mil- 
ford; and  Sarah  J.,  now  Mrs.  Luther  M. 
Burns.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burns  have  one  child, 
Fred  L.,  a  civil  engineer,  who  is  at  present 
in  New  York  City. 


IDWARD  ADAM  COBURN,  who  con- 
ducts a  flourishing  blacksmith  and 
wheelwright  business  in  East  Jaffrey, 
Cheshire  County,  was  born  in  Lowell,  Mass., 
April  8,  1857,  son  of  David  and  Emeline 
(Abbott)  Coburn.  His  father  was  born  in 
Dracut,  Mass.,  April  28,  1814;  and  his  pater- 
nal grandfather  followed  the  shoemaker's 
trade  in  connection  with  farming  in  that 
town.  The  latter  married  Lydia  Fo.x,  and 
their  children  were:  Herbert,  Maria,  Phineas, 
David,  Clarissa,  and  Mercy. 

David  Coburn,    father    of    Edvi'ard    A.,  com- 
pleted  his   studies  at    Phillips  Academy,    An- 


296 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


dover,  Mass.  He  learned  the  blacksmith's 
trade  in  Pelham,  N.  H.  ;  and,  after  following  it 
subsequently  in  Lowell  until  1858,  he  then 
moved  to  Sharon,  N.H.,  where  he  remained 
about  four  years.  In  1862  he  settled  in  East 
Jaffrey,  where  he  conducted  business  as  a 
blacksmith  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  which  ter- 
minated in  1887.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  pol- 
itics and  a  Universalist  in  his  religious  be- 
lief. He  married  Emeline  Wells  Abbott,  a 
native  of  Maine,  born  September  16,  1822, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  Abbott,  of  Sidney, 
that  State.  They  had  six  children,  namely: 
William;  I-'rank  H.  ;  Charles;  Emma;  Ed- 
ward A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Flora  G.  The  mother  died  November  22, 
1896. 

Edward  Adam  Coburn,  after  beginning  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  Jaffrey,  pursued 
more  advanced  studies  at  the  academy  in  New 
Ipswich.  Having  learned  the  blacksmith's 
and  wheelwright's  trades,  he  succeeded  to  the 
business  formerly  carried  on  by  his  father, 
and  is  now  profitably  engaged  therein.  He  is 
connected  by  membership  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, and  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry. 

Mr.  Coburn  married  Eva  Hanscomb,  who 
was  born  in  Kinsey,  P.O.,  November  25, 
1855,  daughter  of  Theodore  Hanscomb,  of 
Jaffrey.  Mrs.  Coburn  is  the  mother  of  three 
children:  Marion,  born  June  12,  1882;  Guy, 
born  March  19,  1887;  and  Bernice,  born 
June  8,   1891. 


SAAC  J.  PAIGE,  a  successful  farmer 
and  milk  dealer  of  Goffstown,  was  born 
in  this  town  on  the  old  Paige  farm,  July 


I 

14,  1829,  son  of  John  G.  and  Nancy  M. 
(Campbell)  Paige.  James  Paige,  the  great- 
grandfather, one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Goffs- 
town, lived  here  until  his  death.  He  came 
from  England  with  two  sons,  who  also  settled 
in  Goffstown.  Benjamin  Paige,  a  native  of 
Goffstown,  and  the  father  of  John  G.,  followed 
farming  throughout  his  active  life.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Polly  Goff,  was  a 
kinswoman  of  the  Goffs  from  whom  the  place 
obtained    its    name.       He    lived    to    be    over 


seventy    years    old,    and    she    was    nearly   the 
same  age  when  she  died. 

The  birth  of  John  G.  Paige  occurred  here, 
June  10,  1803.  He  was  an  energetic  and  re- 
spected farmer.  His  wife,  Nancy,  was  born 
in  Acworth,  Sullivan  County,  December  3, 
1805.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican.  In 
religion  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Congregational  church.  They  had  eight 
children,  si.x  sons  and  two  daughters.  Of 
these  three  sons  and  one  daughter  have  died, 
and  three  sons  and  one  daughter  are  living. 
They  were:  Isaac  J.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Francis  N.,  born  July  10,  1831,  who 
died  F"ebruary  10,  1856;  P'rank  J.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1S33,  who  served  in  the  Northern 
army  during  the  last  year  of  the  Civil  War; 
Harland,  born  September  16,  1836,  who 
served  for  three  years  in  the  war,  and  died 
January  3,  1866;  Henry  C,  born  January  7, 
1839,  who  served  throughout  the  war,  and 
died  April  16,  1866;  David  A.,  born  March 
30,  1842,  who  also  served  throughout  the  war; 
Martha  J.,  born  November  23,  1843,  who  died 
in  September,  1S89;  and  Sarah  A.,  born  July 
29,   1846. 

Isaac  J.  Paige  received  a  district-school 
education.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  went  to 
Manchester,  N.  H.,  and  there  was  watchman 
for  the  Stark  Corporation  for  five  years,  and 
was  employed  in  their  cloth  room  for  two 
years.  Returning  then  to  Goffstown,  he 
bought  land.  After  cultivating  this  purchase 
for  two  years,  he  sold  it  and  purchased  an- 
other place  that  he  carried  on  for  five  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  disposed  of  his 
second  purchase,  and  bought  the  interest  of 
the  other  heirs  to  the  old  Paige  estate  and  re- 
sided on  it  for  five,  years.  Then  he  sold  out 
to  his  brother,  David  A.,  who  now  occupies 
the  place.  From  Goffstown  he  now  removed 
to  Acworth,  there  purchased  a  farm  and  re- 
sided on  it  for  five  years.  Returning  to 
Goffstown  after  that,  he  entered  Austin's  sash 
and  blind  factory,  in  which  he  worked  for 
three  years.  Subsequently  he  worked  for 
Kendall,  Hadley  &  Co.,  following  the  busi- 
ness about  twenty  years.  In  1893  he  again 
took  up  farming,  and  now  he  has  a  milk  route 
in  the  village. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


297 


On  June  17,  1851,  Mr.  Paige  married  Jane 
R.  Curtis,  who  was  born  in  Lyme,  N.H.,  Au- 
gust 10,  1833,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Mary 
(Kendrick)  Curtis.  Mr.  Curtis  was  born  in 
Granville,  Vt.,  November  27,  1800,  and  Mrs. 
Curtis  in  Lyme,  N.H.,  May  10,  1804.  He 
died  in  Goffstovvn,  September  7,  1864,  and 
she  at  Rye  Beach,  June  16,  1878.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Paige  have  three  sons  and  a  daughter  — 
George  VV.,  Frank  E.,  Willey  P.,  and  Lottie 
E.  —  all  of  whom  live  in  Goffstown.  George 
W.,  born  December  29,  1852,  was  married 
May  20,  1876,  to  Harriet  Simons,  and  has 
two  sons  and  a  daughter  —  Natt  L,  Willie  A., 
and  Lena  A.  P^rank  E.,  born  August  23, 
1S54,  married  on  August  26,  1876,  Miss  Josie 
Perkins,  and  has  a  son  and  daughter — Guy  F. 
and  Laura  J.  Willey  P.,  born  May  27,  1856, 
married  first  on  January  10,  1882,  Miss  Susie 
E.  McLane,  who  died  September  16,  1892. 
He  made  a  second  marriage  June  27,  1894, 
with  Miss  Mary  E.  McLane,  his  first  wife's 
sister.  He  has  two  children  —  Zetta  McLane 
and  Charles  P.  Lottie  E.  Paige,  born  Janu- 
ary 24,  1SO2,  was  married  October  3,  1S88, 
to  James  E.  Dow,  and  has  two  children  — 
Elmer  C.  and  Frank  H. 

Tn  politics  Mr.  Paige  is  an  independent. 
He  is  a  member  of  Bible  Lodge,  ¥.  &  A.  M.  ; 
and  of  Webster  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mrs. 
Paige  and  he  belong  to  Uncanoonuck  Grange, 
P.  of  H.,  the  Rebecca  Lodge,  and  the  Eastern 
Star  Lodge.  Both  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational church. 


^  'YLVESTER  O.  DAVENPORT, 
owner  of  one  of  the  fine  estates  of 
Hinsdale,  was  born  September  16, 
1829,  son  of  James  and  Jerusha 
(Stebbins)  Davenport.  His  grandfather, 
Charles  Davenport,  who  belonged  to  an  old 
Kentucky  family,  came  to  Vermont,  settling 
in  Dummerston.  He  was  a  farmer.  His 
children  were:  James,  Charles,  William, 
John,  and  Lydia,  all  born  in  Vermont. 
Charles  remained  in  Vermont.  William  and 
John  went  to  Arkansas.  William  had  seven 
sons,  all  of  whom  fought  on  the  Confederate 
side    during  the  late  war.     John   never  mar- 


ried. He  was  engaged  in  business  on  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  met  his  death  by  an 
explosion  on  his  steamboat.  Lydia  married 
Arad  Fesendon,  and  resided  in  Guilford,  Vt. 
Charles,  the  son  of  James,  studied  surgery 
with  the  late  Dr.  Boyden,  of  Hinsdale,  and  in 
a  New  York  school,  and  practised  in  Missis- 
sippi. He  was  a  surgeon  in  the  Confederate 
army. 

James  Davenport,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  removed  to  Hinsdale,  N.H.,  and 
bought  a  farm  here,  which  is  now  owned  by 
Hoyt  Day.  In  addition  to  his  farming  he 
kept  high-blooded  stock,  and  his  entire  life 
was  devoted  to  business.  Though  interested 
to  have  the  town  grow  and  prosper,  he  stead- 
ily declined  ofifice,  and  when  chosen  Select- 
man refused  to  serve.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church.  He  died  Septem- 
ber 16,  1852,  his  wife,  a  daughter  of  Elihu 
Stebbins,  surviving  him  thirteen  years.  Six 
of  their  seven  children  have  also  departed  this 
life,  the  record  being  as  follows:  James  H. 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four;  Lockhart  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty;  Jerusha  was  but  twenty- 
four  at  the  time  of  her  death;  Charles  was 
forty-two;  William  was  but  twenty-four; 
John  married  Lydia  Doolittle,  and  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-eight  years. 

Sylvester  O.,  now  the  only  survivor,  was 
apprenticed  to  J.  B.  Merrill,  the  blacksmith, 
at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  served  at  the  forge 
four  years.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  went  to 
California,  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  the 
mining  districts.  A  short  time  later,  taking 
passage  for  Australia,  he  was  shipwrecked  on 
the  Pacific  coast,  near  the  Isthmus,  and  re- 
turned to  Hinsdale,  N. H.  The  next  eight 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  the  employ  of 
Mr.  Merrill  in  manufacturing  chisels  and  car- 
penter tools.  He  then  bought  the  old  home- 
stead, and  turned  his  attention  to  farming  for 
five  years,  at  the  end  of  that  time  selling  to 
Sereno  Higgins,  and  buying  his  present  estate 
on  the  river  road,  formerly  known  as  the 
Smith  place.  It  was  not  a  large  farm,  but 
Mr.  Davenport  has  added  considerably  to  the 
acreage;  and  the  residence  and  grounds  are 
kept  up  with  great  taste  and  care.  He  makes 
a  specialty  of  raising  tobacco  for  the   market, 


298 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


and  also  sells  large  quantities  of  milk  to  the 
trade. 

Mr.  Davenport  has  been  a  Selectman  for 
three  terms;  and  in  1893  he  represented  his 
town  in  the  legislature,  and  served  on  the 
Committee  on  Military  Claims.  He  is  a 
strong  temperance  man,  and  while  in  office 
worked  incessantly  for  this  noble  cause.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church;  a 
member  of  the  Grange  Mantasquet,  No.  133, 
and  has  been  Master  of  the  society  for  three 
years;  has  belonged  to  the  Masonic  order  for 
the  past  forty  years;  is  a  member  of  the  Hugh 
de  Payens  Commandery,  K.  T.,  at  Keene,  N.H. 
He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Ellen  Haile,  daughter  of  the  late  ex- 
Governor  William  Haile;  and  by  her  he  has 
one  child,  Gertrude,  who  married  Edmund  P. 
Dole.  His  second  wife,  the  present  Mrs. 
Davenport,  is  Juliette,  daughter  of  Nahum 
Nimbs,  of  Sullivan,  N.H. 


/®To 


EORGE  LANGDELL,  an  influential 
\    '•)  I       farmer   of   New    Boston,  was   born    in 

—  this  town,  January  8,  1842,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Caroline  (Fisher)  Langdell. 
Livermore  Langdell,  the  father  of  Samuel, 
born  in  Beverly,  Mass.,  came  in  1771  to  New 
Boston,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  west  part 
of  the  town.  He  had  previously  been  the 
commander  of  a  vessel.  When  the  Baptist 
church  was  established  here,  he  was  elected  one 
of  its  first  Deacons.  He  died  in  1S26.  The 
maiden   name  of  his  wife  was  Abigail  Dodge. 

Samuel  Langdell,  the  youngest  of  the  twelve 
children  of  Livermore  and  Abigail  Langdell, 
was  born  in  New  Boston,  July  14,  1804.  He 
became  the  owner  of  the  farm  that  his  father 
settled,  and,  like  him,  was  a  man  of  integrity 
and  much  business  capacity.  In  iS55-56he 
was  a  member  of  the  .State  legislature,  and  he 
served  the  town  as  Selectman  and  in  other 
capacities.  He  was  a  Baptist  in  religion  and 
a  Democrat  in  politics.  Caroline  Fisher 
Langdell,  his  wife,  who  was  born  in  Frances- 
town,  N.H.,  April  5,  1806,  died  May  17, 
1876,  and  he  on  January  23,  1890.  They 
had  nine  children,  of  whom  five  reached  ma- 
turity.     These  were:  Asenath,  now  deceased; 


Elzaphan,  residing  in  Milford;  Jacob,  in  New 
Boston;  George,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and    Adoniram  J.,    a   resident   of    Muddy,    la. 

George  Langdell  received  his  education  in 
the  town  schools  and  at  Mont  Vernon  Acad- 
emy. He  has  carried  on  general  farming, 
making  a  specialty  of  dairying.  His  farm  in- 
cludes the  land  first  purchased  by  him  in  1S68, 
containing  one  hundred  acres.  He  has  erected 
on  it  a  new  house  and  out-buildings.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Langdell  favors  Prohibition  princi- 
ples. He  was  Selectman  in  1873,  1874,  and 
1875  ;  and  he  was  Tax  Collector  for  two  years. 

Mr.  Langdell  was  married  June  6,  1868,  to 
Miss  Lydia  S.  McNeil.  She  was  born  in  New 
Boston,  January  29,  1840,  daughter  of  Deacon 
Peter  and  Mary  S.  (Stiles)  McNeil.  Her 
grandfather.  Deacon  William  McNeil,  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  New  Boston.  Both  he 
and  his  son,  Peter,  were  sturdy  farmers. 
Peter,  born  December  5,  1787,  who  died  in 
1849,  aged  si.\ty-two  years,  married  on  Sep- 
tember 23,  1 8 18,  Mary  S.  Stiles.  She  was 
born  in  Amherst,  N.  H.,  in  1798,  and  died 
in  1882.  They  had  eleven  children,  of  whom 
there  are  living:  Mary  J.,  Hannah  E.,  Will- 
iam, Cyrus  G.,  John,  James,  Rachel  P.,  Peter 
P.,  and  Lydia  S.  Two  daughters  have  died 
—  Abbie  S.  and  Harriet  N.  Mrs.  Langdell 
taught  school  for  fourteen  years  in  New 
Hampshire,  Missouri,  and  Indiana.  She  has 
two  sons  —  Harry  W.  and  Samuel  F.  Harry, 
born  May  4,  1871,  who  is  a  machinist  in 
Maiden,  Mass.,  married  Mary  Patch,  and  has 
two  sons  —  George  W.  and  Frank  H.  ;  and 
Samuel,  born  January  8,  1876,  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  New  Boston.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Langdell  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


RANK  BLAISDELL,  M.D.,  a  highly 
successful  physician  and  surgeon,  who 
for  a  score  of  years  or  more  has  been  in 
continuous  practice  in  GofTstown,  was  born 
here,  May  28,  1852,  son  oT  Stephen  and 
Amanda  (Marshall)  Blaisdell.  Dr.  Blaisdell 
represents  the  eighth  generation  descended 
from  Ralph  Blaisdell,  who,  born  in  England, 
settled  in  Salisbury,  Mass.,  about  the  year 
1640.        Beginning     with     Ralph,     the     other 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


299 


lineal  representatives  were:  Henry  (first), 
John,  Henry  (second),  Henry  (third),  Henry 
(fourth),  Stephen,  and  Frank. 

Henry  Blaisdell  (third),  who  was  horn  in 
Amesbury,  Mass.,  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  the 
eastern  part  of  Goffstown.  Henry  Blaisdell 
(fourth),  born  here  April  5,  1769,  who  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  married  Jane  Taggart, 
a  native  of  Hookset,  N.  H.,  born  May  8, 
1777.  His  twelve  children  are  deceased. 
He  died  November  2,  1838,  and  his  wife,  Jan- 
uary 4,  1858.  In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat, in  religion  a  Congregational ist.  Stephen 
Blaisdell,  who  was  born  in  Goffstown,  learned 
the  harness-maker's  trade,  and  thereafter  fol- 
lowed it  throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  was  a  great  lover  of  music,  and  for  years 
was  the  leader  of  the  Congregational  church 
choir.  His  wife,  Amanda,  was  a  native  of 
East  Weare,  N.H.  Both  are  now  deceased. 
Their  children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  are 
all  living,  namely:  George  C. ,  a  physician 
and  surgeon  at  Contoocook,  N.H.  ;  Edwin  A., 
who  has  a  general  store  at  Goffstown ;  Frank, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Louisa  A.,  the 
wife  of  John  L.  Whipple,  of  this  place. 

On  completing  the  course  of  the  public 
schools,  Frank  Blaisdell  entered  the  Sweden- 
borgian  Academy,  Contoocook,  and  was  there 
fitted  for  college  under  Professor  Thomas  B. 
Richardson.  In  1872,  having  decided  upon 
a  professional  career,  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  at  Manchester,  N.H.,  under  Dr. 
George  E.  Hersey  and  Professor  Lyman  B. 
How,  of  that  city,  and  subsequently  pursued 
it  under  the  tutorship  of  Professor  Carlton  P. 
Frost,  of  Hanover,  N.I-L  He  next  attended 
two  courses  of  lectures  at  Dartmouth  Medical 
College;  and  he  graduated  from  that  institu- 
tion in  November,  1876,  after  four  years  of 
medical  study.  He  chose  his  native  town  as 
his  field  of  practice,  and  his  success  here  has 
proved  the  wisdom  of  his  choice.  He  is  par- 
ticularly interested  in  surgery  and  o]5erative 
obstetrics,  and  in  1879  he  introdLiced  the  use 
of  wood  pulp  for  splints.  He  has  also  en- 
tered the  field  of  medical  literature,  and 
among  his  published  writings  is  a  paper  on 
"Obstetrics";  the  Report  of  the  State  Board 
of  Health  of  New  Hampshire,    1S84;  Transac- 


tions of  the  New  Hampshire  Medical  Society, 
18S6;  and  a  paper  on  "  I^ffect  of  Ensilage 
upon  Milk." 

On  August  29,  1877,  Dr.  Blaisdell  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  I.  White, 
of  Goffstown.  They  have  three  sons- — Arthur 
George,  Percy  Newton,  and  Willie  Pldwin 
Blaisdell.  The  Doctor  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  Since  1890  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  PIducation,  and  since  1892  he 
has  been  president  of  the  town  Board  of 
Health.  In  1895  he  was  appointed  physician 
and  surgeon  in  charge  of  the  New  Hillsboro 
County  Almshouse  and  Hospital,  and  he  is 
associate  physician  and  surgeon  to  Elliott 
Hospital,  Manchester,  N.H.  He  is  also 
medical  examiner  for  a  number  of  life  insur- 
ance companies.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  has  also 
membership  in  the  Centre  District  Society, 
the  New  Hampshire  Medical  Society,  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Manches- 
ter Medical  Association,  and  Manchester  Med- 
ical Club.  Dr.  Blaisdell  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church. 


Y^TARRY  R.  CHASE,  a  progressive 
j-^-l  farmer  of  Lyndeboro  and  a  member 
J_U  I  of   the    New    Hampshire    Plouse   of 

— '  Representatives,  was  born  in 
Worcester,  Mass.,  November  3,  1865,  son  of 
Rufus  P.  and  Mary  A.  (Blanchard)  Chase. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  Aquilla  Chase.  His 
grandfather,  Jacob  K.  Chase,  was  a  native  of 
Massachusetts;  and  he  residetl  in  Newbury- 
port,  of  that  State.  Jacob  married  Elsie 
Hodges,  of  whom  three  children  were  born; 
namely,  Rufus  P.,  Jacob  D.,  and  Caroline  W. 
Chase. 

Rufus  P.  Chase  was  born  in  Newbur)i)ort, 
April  I,  1804.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a 
shoemaker,  and  afterward  followed  that  call- 
ing in  Worcester  for  several  years.  Subse- 
quently he  removed  to  a  farm  in  Lyndeboro, 
where  he  passed  his  last  days,  and  died  De- 
cember 7,  1876,  aged  seventy-two  years.  He 
first  married  Emily  I'cck,  of  whose  four  chil- 
dren  by  him   Walter  P.  and    Fred    M.  are   liv- 


300 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ing.  He  contracted  a  second  marriage  with 
Mary  A.  Blancliard,  a  daugliter  of  Asa 
Blancliard,  of  Lyndeboro.  She  also  bore  him 
four  children,  of  whom  two  survive.  These 
are:  Harry  R.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  Homer  F.,  who  married  Ada  E.  Cross,  of 
Methuen,  Mass.,  and  has  one  child,  Gladys 
Parker  Chase,  born  April  28,  1897.  Mrs. 
Rufus  P.  Chase,  now  sixty-one  years  old,  is 
residing  with  her  son  at  the  homestead.  She 
attends  the  Congregational  church. 

Harry  R.  Chase  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Worcester  until  he  was  ten  years  old,  at 
which  time  his  parents  moved  to  Lyndeboro. 
The  death  of  his  father  forced  him  to  begin 
work  at  an  early  age,  and  his  youth  was  spent 
in  assisting  upon  the  farm.  When  old  enough 
he  took  charge  of  the  homestead,  and  has 
since  managed  the  property  with  energy  and 
good  judgment.  He  has  seventy  acres  of 
fertile  land,  which  he  devotes  to  general  farm- 
ing, making  a  specialty  of  fruit  culture  and 
poultry,  and  dealing  in  milk. 

Mr.  Chase  actively  supports  the  Republican 
party.  For  four  years  he  served  as  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Selectmen,  and  he  was  elected 
a  Representative  to  the  legislature  in  1896. 
He  has  occupied  the  principal  chairs  of  Laurel 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Wilton,  and  was  for- 
merly District  Deputy.  His  industry  and 
progressive  tendencies  are  heartily  commended 
by  his  neighbors,  and  his  fellow-townsmen 
place  the  fullest  confidence  in  him  as  their 
Representative  at  Concord.  Mr.  Chase  is  un- 
married, 
church. 


He    attends     the     Congregational 


AMES  D.  CUTTER,  a  prominent  resi- 
dent of  Stoddard,  was  born  in  this 
town,  October  11,  1844,  son  of  Xeno- 
phon  and  Nancy  H.  (Aids)  Cutter. 
He  is  of  Scotch  ancestry.  His  grandfather, 
Moody  Cutter,  familiarly  known  by  his  fel- 
low-townsmen as  Judge  Cutter,  was  a  lawyer, 
and  resided  upon  a  farm  in  Stoddard  for  the 
greater  part  of  his  life.  Moody  reared  si.x 
children;  namely,  Henrietta,  Emily,  Marietta, 
Frederick,  Ferdinand,  and  Xenophon. 

Xenophon  Cutter,  a  native  of  New  Ipswich, 


N.PL,  born  in  1808,  in  his  young  manhood 
worked  upon  the  Lowell  Railroad,  and  later 
carried  on  a  farm  in  Windsor,  N.  H.  After- 
ward he  returned  to  Stoddard,  was  engaged  in 
butchering  for  some  time,  then  entered  the 
glass  business,  and  died  in  1850.  His  wife, 
Nancy,  who  was  born  in  181  i,  daughter  of 
Isaac  Aids,  of  Antrim,  N.H.,  became  the 
mother  of  six  children — John  M.,  Emily  A., 
Sarah  Jane,  Albert  O. ,  James  D.,  and  Charles 
X.  John  M.,  who  followed  the  trade  of  a 
glass-blower,  married  Mary  A.  Mullen,  of 
Ellenville,  N.Y. ,  had  one  son,  Horatio  S. , 
and  was  drowned  in  Philadelphia  in  1857. 
Emily  A.  married  Horatio  R.  Smith,  of 
Keene,  N.  H.,  who  was  also  a  glass-blower. 
Her  only  daughter  died  in  infancy.  .Sarah 
Jane  married  William  Gibney,  a  native  of  New 
York  City,  and  a  glass-blower,  and  has  three 
children — Charles,  William,  and  Nettie. 
Albert  O. ,  who  is  a  prosperous  farmer  of  An- 
trim, married  Ruby  Wyman,  and  has  three 
children  —  Alberto,  Clara,  and  Charles. 
Charles  X.,  who  resides  upon  a  farm  in  .Stod- 
dard, married  Frankie  Glover,  who  died 
April  16,  1890,  leaving  four  children  —  Mary 
J.,  Morris  J.,  Frederick  C. ,  and  Orlow  A. 
Mrs.  Xenophon  Cutter  died  October  27,   1884. 

James  D.  Cutter  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Stoddard  and  at  the  Marlow 
Academy.  Afterward  he  learned  the  glass- 
blower's  trade,  and  followed  it  in  Connecticut 
and  in  Boston.  Later  he  resided  in  Lynde- 
boro and  Antrim,  N.  H.,  and  since  1875  he 
has  been  engaged  in  farming  and  butchering 
in  Stoddard.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  a  leading 
spirit  in  public  affairs,  serving  with  ability 
as  Selectman,  Supervisor,  Tax  Collector,  and 
Road  Agent.  He  is  connected  with  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  attends  the  Con- 
gregational church. 

Mr.  Cutter  married  Laurette  L.  Herrick, 
who  was  born  in  Windsor,  N.  H. ,  December 
22,  1850,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  B.  and  El- 
vira Herrick,  of  Antrim.  Mrs.  Cutter  died 
December  28,  18S9,  leaving  the  following 
children:  Arthur  E.,  born  in  Stoddard,  Au- 
gust 10,  1870;  Emma  E. ,  born  in  Antrim, 
June  23,  1873;  John  Walter,  born   September 


IJIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


30' 


1 6,  1875;  Alice,  born  March  13,  187S;  Ber- 
tlia,  born  September  30,  1SS3;  and  Leon  J., 
born  April  2,  1887.  The  last  four  are  natives 
of  Stoddard.  Arthur  E.  Cutter  married  Helen 
A.  Robb,  of  Stoddard,  is  engaged  in  teaming 
in  Stoddard,  and  is  the  present  Road  Agent. 
Emma  E.  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Shoults,  who  is 
in  the  cutlery  business  in  Antrim.  John 
Walter  is  collector  for  an  ice  company  in  New 
York  City.  Alice,  Bertha,  and  Leon  J.  are 
residing  at  home. 


ARRISON  E.  HERRICK,  a  well- 
known  farmer  and  prominent  citizen 

[S  \  of  Merrimac,  was  born  on  the  es- 
tate where  he  now  resides,  Septem- 
ber 30,  1849,  son  of  Isaiah  and  Sarah  Ann 
Putnam  (Gage)  Herrick.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Daniel  L.  Herrick,  who  was  a  native 
of  Massachusetts,  came  to  New  Hampshire, 
and  settled  in  Merrimac  about  the  year  1802. 
A  cooper  by  trade,  he  was  engaged  in  that 
business  here,  and  did  some  general  farming. 
Esteemed  for  his  excellent  judgment  and  fine 
character,  he  was  Selectman  for  a  number  of 
terms,  besides  serving  in  various  minor  public 
offices  as  well.  At  the  same  time  he  trans- 
acted considerable  probate  business,  including 
the  settlement  of  estates.  In  politics  he  be- 
longed to  the  old-time  Whig  party,  and  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 
His  wife,  Hannah  Weston  Herrick,  who 
came  from  Amherst,  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
nine.  Their  children — Thirza,  Franklin, 
Isaiah,  and  Anstress  —  who  attained  maturity, 
are  now  deceased. 

Isaiah  Herrick  was  born  and  spent  his  life 
on  the  farm.  In  his  early  days  he  worked  at 
the  wheelwright's  trade.  Afterward  he  was 
engaged  in  general  farming.  He  was  inter- 
ested in  politics  as  a  Republican.  While  a 
man  of  excellent  character,  and  believing  in 
the  beneficent  effects  of  a  broad  and  charitable 
Christianity,  he  was  not  connected  by  mem- 
bership with  any  church.  In  1840  he  built 
the  house  now  standing  upon  the  estate.  His 
wife,  who  survives  him,  has  won  a  host  of 
friends  by  her  unfailing  good  nature  and  kind- 


liness. She  lives  with  her  son  on  the  old 
home  to  which  she  came  when  she  was  first 
married.  Besides  Harrison  E.,  she  has  a 
daughter,  Miss  Elizabeth  Gage  Herrick,  who 
resides  with  her. 

After  leaving  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  town,  Harrison  Iv  Herrick  went  to 
work  on  his  father's  farm,  which  to-day  he 
owns  and  occupies.  Always  alive  to  ques- 
tions touching  the  general  welfare,  and  fully 
recognizing  his  duties  as  a  citizen,  he  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs.  He 
has  served  on  the  Board  of  Selectmen  and  in 
other  offices.  In  the  Board  of  Selectmen  he 
discharged  the  duties  of  chairman  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  entire  community.  At  the  late 
election  he  was  chosen  Representative  to  the 
legislature  on  the  Republican  ticket  for  the 
session  of  1897-98.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
P.  of  H.,  Thornton  Grange,  No.  31,  of  Merri- 
mac. An  earnest  Christian  he  is  a  religious 
man  and  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church. 


LIVER  CARTER,  one  of  the  oldest 
residents  of  Amherst,  was  born  in 
Wilmington,  Mass.,  June  5,  1810,  son 
of  Oliver  and  Betsy  (Gardner)  Carter. 
According  to  family  tradition  he  is  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  three  brothers  named  Car- 
ter who  settled  in  Wilmington.  His  father 
was  a  son  of  Nathan  Carter. 

Young  Carter  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Wilmington,  which  he  attended 
mainly  in  the  winter.  He  ceased  to  attend 
school  at  the  age  of  si.xteen  years.  When 
about  twenty  years  old  he  went  to  Andover, 
Mass.,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  about 
two  years  and  a  half,  and  then  returned  to 
Wilmington.  He  subsequently  became  an 
employee  in  the  construction  department  of 
the  Boston  &  Lowell  Railroad  as  a  stone 
mason.  Some  time  after  he  held  a  similar 
position  with  the  ]5oston  &  Maine  Railroad, 
working  on  the  line  between  Maiden  and 
New  Market.  He  afterward  followed  his 
trade  in  Concord  and  later  in  Nashua.  From 
Nashua  he  came  to  Amherst  in  1849,  and 
bought  the  farm  on  which   he  now  lives.      He 


302 


BIOCiRAPHICAL    REVIKVV 


has    about    three    hundred    acres    of    land,    and 
carries  on  mixed  farming. 

Mr.  Carter's  first  marriage  was  contracted 
November  lo,  1836,  with  Miss  Sarah  Good- 
hue. She  bore  him  four  children,  of  whom 
two  are  living — Elizabeth  and  James  O.,  both 
residents  of  Northvvood  Narrows,  N.  H.  Eliz- 
abeth is  now  the  widow  of  Henry  S.  Emerson. 
The  mother  died  August  5,  1875.  On  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1S83,  the  father  was  married  to  his 
present  wife,  Ida  Jennison  Carter,  who  was 
btirn  in  Wendell,  Mass.  Mr.  Carter  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics.  He  has  never  served  in 
office,  though  often  solicited  to  do  so.  While 
not  caring  for  positions  of  public  trust,  he 
takes  much  interest  in  whatever  will  elevate 
or  improve  the  condition  of  the  community. 
Mrs.  Carter  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 


DDISON  KNIGHT  was  well  known 
throughout  Mil  ford  and  Nashua  as  a 
man  of  superior  business  ability  and 
integrity.  He  was  born  June  16, 
1823,  in  Hancock,  N.  H.,  son  of  Asa  and 
Melinda  (Adams)  Knight,  both  natives  of 
the  Granite  State.  In  1832  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  Milford;  and  here,  after  finishing 
his  studies  in  the  district  schools,  he  learned 
the  trade  of  a  cabinet-maker,  at  which  he 
worked  for  a  number  of  years.  When  about 
thirty  years  old  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Nashua,  N.H.,  accepting  a  situation  with  the 
Jackson  Manufacturing  Company,  cotton  man- 
ufacturers, remaining  in  their  employ  for 
more  than  three  decades.  Beginning  first  in 
their  mechanical  department  as  a  carpenter,  he 
was  soon  made  overseer  of  their  yards,  and 
subsequently  promoted  to  the  office  of  superin- 
tendent of  their  mills.  In  this  capacity  Mr. 
Knight  served  with  credit  to  himself  and 
profit  to  the  company,  winning  the  respect  and 
good  will  of  both  his  employers  and  the  em- 
ployees until  18S5,  when  he  retired  from  busi- 
ness. In  1886  he  came  to  Milford,  where  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  By  thrift  and 
industry  he  acquired  a  good  deal  of  property. 
He  was  made  a  Mason  while  residing  in 
Nashua. 

On  October   3,    1844,    Mr.    Knight   married 


Miss  Margaret  Chase,  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
and  Lydia  (Crooker)  Chase.  Both  parents 
were  natives  of  New  Hampshire.  The  mother 
was  born  and  bred  in  Londonderry.  Mr. 
Knight  died  at  his  home  in  Milford,  January 
4,  1887.  The  event  was  mourned  by  the 
townspeople  as  the  loss  of  a  worthy  citizen. 
.Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Knight 
has  continued  her  residence  in  Milford,  having 
a  pleasant  and  attractive  home  on  Amherst 
Street.  She  is  a  woman  of  refinement,  noted 
for  her  hospitality  and  benevolence,  and  is 
a  regular  attendant  of  the  Unitarian  church, 
believing  fully  in  the  fatherhood  of  God  and 
the  brotherhood  of  man. 


/^YRUS     S.      MOORE,     American    E.x- 
I  Ky     press      agent     at      Marlboro     Depot 

\*«  Cheshire   County,   was    born   in  Jaf- 

rey,  this  county,  July  5,  1832,  son 
of  Luke  and  Mary  (Baker)  Moore.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  John  Moore,  was  a 
native  and  lifelong  resident  of  Sharon, 
N.  H.,  where  he  carried  on  a  farm.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Hannah  Fitch. 
Luke  Moore,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  cultivated  a  farm  of  seventy-five  acres  in 
Jaffrey  for  a  number  of  years.  He  later 
moved  to  Marlboro,  where  he  resided  until 
his  death,  which  was  caused  by  an  accident. 
His  wife,  Mary,  who  survived  him,  became 
the  mother  of  two  sons:  Loren  L.,  who  died 
in  Leominster,  Mass.,  leaving  a  wife  and  one 
child  ;  and  Cyrus  S. 

Cyrus  S.  Moore  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Marlboro.  Being  left  fatherless  at 
the  age  of  fourteen,  he  obtained  employment 
in  a  pail  manufactory,  where  he  worked  for 
about  four  years;  and  for  the  succeeding  three 
years  he  followed  the  carpenter's  trade.  He 
was  then  appointed  station  agent  at  Marlboro 
Depot,  the  responsible  duties  of  which  posi- 
tion he  capably  performed  for  over  thirty  years. 
Subsequently  he  drove  a  stage  and  carried 
the  mail  from  Marlboro  Depot  to  Marlboro 
Centre.  He  was  in  the  grocery  business  for 
about  a  year  and  a  half,  and  has  been  agent  for 
the    American    E.xpress  Company  since   1857. 


k' 


^^26^^2^^^^^^^^^ 


BIOGUAI'HICAL    RF.VIKW 


3°S 


Mr.  Moore  served  two  terms  as  Selectnian, 
and  is  now  a  Police  Officer  and  Deputy 
Sheriff,  having  held  the  latter  office  several 
years.  He  is  connected  by  membership  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  he  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church,  in 
which  he  has  held  the  position  of  chorister 
many  years. 

Mr.  Moore  has  been  three  times  married. 
His  first  wife,  who  was  in  maidenhood  Caro- 
line A.  Farrar,  became  the  mother  of  three 
children  —  Frederick  Sidney,  Lizzie  Caroline, 
and  Albert  Loren.  Frederick  S.,  who  is  no 
longer  living,  wedded  Mary  A.  Hall,  of  Wal- 
pole,  and  was  the  father  of  two  children  — 
Charles  E.  and  Carrie  M.  Lizzie  Caroline 
married  F.  E.  Adams,  and  has  three  children. 
Albert  Loren  married  Sarah  J.  Goldsmith. 
Mr.  Moore's  first  wife  died  March  14,  1866. 
His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Hattie  Frost  Har- 
rington, daughter  of  Sumner  Frost,  of  Derby, 
Vt.  She  died  January  16,  1885.  On  De- 
cember 29,  1885,  he  married  Mrs.  L.  E. 
Smith  Blodgett,  a  native  of  Westminster, 
Mass. 

Politically,  Mr.  Moore  is  a  Republican,  and 
cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  J.  C. 
P"remont  in  1856. 


fWr< 


<^»  ^> 


KORGE  E.  HOLBROOK,  one  of 
I  '•)  I  the  foremost  agriculturists  of  A m - 
^ —  herst,  Hillsboro  County,  was  born  in 
this  town,  November  12,  1854,  son  of  Francis 
\V.  and  Olivia  C.  (Howland)  Holbrook.  [F'ur- 
ther  information  regarding  his  ancestry  will 
be  found  in  the  biography  of  his  brother, 
Frank  A.  Holbrook.]  He  obtained  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town.  Afterward  he  attended  McCollom  In- 
stitute at  Mont  Vernon,  N.H.,  for  a  time. 
P'rom  his  earliest  youth  he  has  made  farming 
his  chief  occupation,  first  assisting  in  the 
care  of  the  home  farm,  and  then  working  with 
persevering  energy  in  the  improvement  of  his 
own  estate.  He  owns  two  hundred  acres  of 
land,  which  he  has  brought  to  a  fair  state  of 
cultivation.  Besides  tilling  the  soil  to  great 
advantage,    he  carries  on   a    substantial    busi- 


ness as  a  milk  producei',  and  pays  considerable 
attention  to  fruit-growing.  Mr.  Holbrook  is 
in  hearty  sympathy  with  all  movements  tentl- 
ing  to  improve  and  elevate  the  mental,  moral, 
and  religious  status  of  his  native  town  and 
county.  In  politics  he  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  for  several  years  he  has 
been  Moderator  at  the  annual  town  meetings. 
He  belongs  to  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of  Manches- 
ter, N.  H.,  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Souhegan  Grange,  No.  10,  of  Amherst,  of 
which  he  was  Master  for  two  years.  When 
twelve  years  of  age  Mr.  Holbrook  united  with 
the  Congregational  church,  of  which  he  has 
since  been  a  devoted  member.  P'or  a  short 
time  he  served  as  Deacon.  During  his  life  he 
has  been  influential  in  Sunday-school  work, 
and  for  three  years  acted  as  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday-school  connected  with  his  church. 
He  was  also  largely  instrumental  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.  of  this  place, 
and  during  the  most  of  the  time  since  its  for- 
mation has  been  the  president  of  the  society. 
Mr.  Holbrook  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Cora  II 
P'isher,  died  March  5,  1894,  leaving  him  two 
children  —  Bertha  M.  and  Jennie  E.  On  May 
•7,  1896,  he  married  Mrs.  Lestina  A.  Richard- 
son, who  was  born  in  East  Alstead,  N.  H.,  a 
daughter  of  John  \V.  and  Eveline  F.  (Brig- 
ham)  Sawyer,  of  Alstead. 


/Pfe 


FORGE  ALLEN  RAMSDELL,  Gov- 
\   '3 1       ernor     of     New     Hampshire    (1897- 

*"     _98),    was    born    in     Milford.     N.H., 

March  11,  1834.  His  first  ancestors  in 
America  upon  both  sides  were  English  emi- 
grants, and  among  the  early  settlers  of  I\Las- 
sachusetts. 

In  1 81 5  his  grandfather,  Captain  William 
Ramsdel),  then  of  Salem,  Mass.,  jnirchased 
the  farm  in  Milford,  which  has  been  the  home 
of  the  family  for  more  than  eighty  years,  and 
is  now  owned  by  Governor  Ramsdell  and  his 
brother. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the 
public  schools  in  his  native  town,  then  took  a 
preparatory  course  at  McCollom  Institute, 
Mont  Vernon,  and  completed  one  year's  study 


3o6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


at  Amherst  College.  He  subsequently  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from 
Dartmouth  College.  Upon  the  completion  of 
his  legal  studies  he  opened  an  office  at  Peter- 
boro,  N.H.,  where  he  remained  six  years,  and 
until  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  Supreme 
Court  for  the  county  of  Hillsboro,  which  oc- 
casioned his  removal  to  Nashua,  where  he 
now  resides.  During  his  long  term  of  ser- 
vice as  clerk  he  acted  as  auditor,  master  in 
chancery,  and  referee  in  a  large  number  of 
suits.  His  service  as  a  trier  of  causes  has 
never  been  exceeded  by  any  member  of  the 
bar  excepting  the  judges  of  the  courts  of  the 
State.  In  1893,  six  years  subsequent  to  his 
retirement  from  the  clerkship,  he  was  ten- 
dered a  seat  upon  the  bench  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State. 

During  the  thirty  years  of  his  residence  in 
the  city  of  his  adoption  he  has  filled  many 
positions  of  influence.  For  ten  years  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  and  for 
twice  that  time  he  has  been  trustee  of  the 
Public  Library.  In  1869-71  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  legislature;  in  1876  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention;  and  in  1891- 
92  a  member  of  the  Executive  Council.  For 
five  years  he  was  president  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  State  Industrial  School,  and 
he  has  at  times  filled  other  public  offices  of 
trust.  His  law  business  is  at  present  con- 
fined to  office  and  probate  practice. 

Among  the  positions  of  private  trust  which 
he  holds  may  be  enumerated :  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  and  treasurer  of  the  City 
Guaranty  Savings  Bank  in  Nashua,  director 
in  the  Nashua  Manufacturing  Company  and 
the  Jackson  Company,  the  leading  industries 
of  his  city.  He  is  also  a  director  in  the  Wil- 
ton and  Peterboro  Railroads;  but,  as  these 
roads  are  under  a  long  lease,  no  demand  is 
made  upon  his  time  by  reason  of  his  connec- 
tion with  them. 

Governor  Ramsdell  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  and  Society,  and  was 
one  of  the  promoters  of  the  erection  in  1893 
of  the  stone  church  of  the  parish,  which  is 
not  excelled  by  any  structure  of  the  kind  in 
the  State.  He  is  also  a  thirty-second  degree 
Scottish  Rite  Mason.      Mr.    Ramsdell   is  one 


of  the  most  unpretentious  citizens  of  his  city. 
He  has  a  pleasant  home  on  Concord  Street, 
where,  with  his  wife  and  two  children — two 
having  established  homes  of  their  own  —  he  is 
enjoying  the  latter  half  of  a  life  which  from 
the  beginning  has  been  one  of  ceasless  care 
and  labor.  Mr.  Ramsdell's  political  life  com- 
menced with  the  organization  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  and  during  the  forty  years  of  its 
existence  he  has  been  a  consistent  member. 
He  was  elected  Governor,  November  3,  1896, 
by  a  plurality  of  more  than  twenty  thousand 
votes.  His  vote  was  larger  than  that  attained 
by  any  gubernatorial  candidate  during  the  en- 
tire history  of  the  State,  and  his  vote  in  his 
own  city  was  larger  than  that  received  by  any 
man  at  any  election,  save  William   McKinley. 


er 


place.  May  31,  1831,  son  of  Isaac  and  Rachel 
(Watts)  Darrah.  The  grandfather,  James 
Darrah,  who  was  an  early  settler  of  London- 
derry, N.  H.,  moved  to  Hillsboro  County, 
where  the  greater  part  of  his  life  was  passed. 
He  was  a  stirring  farmer  and  the  proprietor 
of  a  saw  and  grist  mill  in  Bedford.  His  last 
days  were  spent  upon  the  farm  which  is  now 
occupied  by  his  grandson,  and  he  died  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1829.  His  wife  died  May  7,  1836. 
Isaac  Darrah,  a  native  of  Hillsboro  County, 
born  December  17,  1786,  settled  upon  a  farm 
in  Bedford,  and  followed  agriculture  for  the 
rest  of  his  active  period.  He  died  November 
13,  1867.  In  politics  he  was  originally  a 
Whig  and  later  a  Republican.  He  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  His 
wife,  Rachel,  who  was  born  August  23,  1795, 
on  territory  now  within  the  limits  of  Manches- 
ter, became  the  mother  of  nine  children,  three 
of  whom  are  living.  The  latter  are:  Sarah 
S.,  who  resides  in  Manchester;  Wingate  M., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Calista  J.,  who 
is  residing  in  Iowa.  The  others  were: 
Martha  W.,  Mary  A.,  Rufus  T.,  Juliet,  Isaac 
W.,  and  John  S.  Isaac  W.  was  also  a  resi- 
dent of  Manchester.  The  mother  died  May  7, 
1863. 


BIOGRAI'HICAL    REVIEW 


307 


VVingate  M.  Darrah  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Bedford  and  the  Normal  Institute 
at  Reed's  Ferry.  After  beginning  life  as  a 
farmer,  he  later  entered  the  railway  service, 
and  in  time  worked  his  way  forward  from  the 
post  of  a  section  hand  to  that  of  locomotive 
engineer.  He  relinquished  the  latter  occupa- 
tion to  engage  in  the  roofing  business  in  Man- 
chester, which  he  has  followed  for  the  past 
twenty-five  years,  making  a  specialty  of  gravel 
and  slate  roofs.  He  has  acquired  a  high  rep- 
utation for  skilful  work,  and  he  is  widely 
known  as  a  reliable  business  man.  He  also 
owns  and  cultivates  the  homestead  property  of 
three  hundred  acres.  The  property  has  been 
greatly  improved  in  his  hands,  and  his  resi- 
dence is  one  of  the  finest  in  Bedford. 

On  July  27,  1856,  Mr.  Darrah  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Sarah  E.  Batchelder.  She 
was  born  in  New  Market,  N.H.,  July  6,  1838, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Eliza  J.  (Durgin) 
Batchelder.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Darrah  have  seven 
children  living,  namely:  Walter  E.,  of  Con- 
cord; Fred  C,  of  Manchester;  George  W.,  of 
Merrimac;  Minnie  W. ,  of  Concord;  and 
Jennie  E.,  Mertie  M.,  and  Sadie  M., 
are  residing  in  Bedford.  In  politics 
Darrah  supports  the  Republican  party, 
is  highly  esteemed,  both  in  Manchester  and 
Bedford,  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances. His  success  in  business  is  espe- 
cially meritorious,  as  it  has  been  attained 
solely  through  his  own  energy  and  ability. 


who 
Mr. 
He 


"f'^V^^ASON      ADAMS      CARPENTER, 

1 1  =#      the  Representative  of   Surry  in  the 

J  JJjs  (         New   Hampshire  legislature,  was 

^~^  born    in   this   town,  December    5, 

1845,    son    of    William   and   Abigail    (White) 

Carpenter.     Ezra  Carpenter,  William's  father, 

was  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Surry,  served   the 

town  in  various  offices,  and  was  a  member  of 

the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.      His  family 

consisted  of  seven  children;   namely,  Willard, 

William,    Betsey,    Nancy,    John,    Ruth,    and 

another  child  who  died  in  infancy. 

William  Carpenter,  al.so  a  native  of  Surry, 
was  born  January  26,  18 14.  He  was  a  stir- 
ring   farmer  and   a   lifelong   resident   of    this 


town.  For  sonic  years  lie  was  intiuential  in 
the  local  government,  serving  as  a  Selectman, 
Highway  Surveyor,  and  in  other  offices.  He 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
His  death  occurred  in  1890.  lie  married 
Abigail  White,  who  was  born  in  Gilsum, 
N.H.,  December  25,  1820.  Her  children 
were:  Lnman  M.,  Josephine  A.,  Ellen  M. , 
Jasper  A.,  Frank  D.  W.,  Mason  A.,  Eugene 
R.,  Hattie  M.,  Marrictta  C,  Flora  A.,  Mer- 
rill D.,  Le  Forest  J.,  Mira  A.,  Martha,  and 
Fred.  Mrs.  William  Carpenter  died  July  20, 
1887. 

Mason  Adams  Carpenter  was  reared  and  ed- 
ucated in  Surry,  and  served  the  customary 
apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  He 
has  long  been  prominent  in  this  section  as  a 
reliable  contractor  and  builder,  and  has  car- 
ried on  a  large  business  in  that  line.  Valu- 
able service  has  been  rendered  by  him  to  the 
town  in  the  capacities  of  Selectman,  Town 
Treasurer,  Road  Agent,  and  legislative  Rep- 
resentative. In  the  legislature  of  1889  he 
was  assigned  to  the  Industrial  Schools  Com- 
mittee, and  in  the  last  session  of  the  House 
he  was  a  member  of  that  on  the  Division  of 
Towns. 

Mr.  Carpenter  married  Mary  E.  Pool,  who 
was  born  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  September  9, 
1847,  daughter  of  Samuel  Pool.  Mrs.  Car- 
penter is  the  mother  of  three  children,  born  as 
follows:  Arthur  M.,  October  19,  1868;  Maud 
L.,  January  24,  1872;  and  Gertrude  J.,  Au- 
gust I,  1874.  Arthur  M.,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Keene,  married  Eva  Edgell,  and 
has  two  children.  Maud  L.  is  the  wife  of 
George  N.  Conley,  a  storekeeper  in  Surry, 
and  has  three  children.  Gertrude  J.  married 
Herbert  R.  Crane,  of  this  town,  and  has 
three  children. 


/STTo 


EORGE  E.  BALES,  a  prominent 
\  'f)  I  lawyer  of  Wilton  and  its  present 
Representative  in  the  State  legislat- 
ure, was  born  here,  September  14,  1862,  son 
of  Charles  A.  and  Frances  M.  (Hardy)  Bales. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  John  Bales,  who 
was  an  industrious  blacksmith  of  Wilton,  mar- 
ried Milly  Shattuck,  and  became  the  father  of 


3o8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ten  children.  Of  these  Jane  B.,  Joanna  B., 
and  Charles  A.  are  living.  Jane  B.  is  the 
wife  of  William  Brown,  of  Greenfield,  N.H.; 
and  Joanna  B.  is  the  widow  of  Daniel  Ames, 
and  has  one  daughter,  Minnie  A. 

Charles  A.  Bales,  George  E.  Bales's  father, 
was  born  in  Wilton,  February  24,  1835. 
When  a  young  man  he  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade,  which  he  has  followed  success- 
fully up  to  the  present  time.  The  first  of  his 
three  marriages  was  contracted  with  Frances 
M.  Hardy,  a  native  of  Greenfield,  and  whose 
only  child  is  George  E.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  The  second  marriage  was  made  with 
Sarah  Brown,  of  Temple,  N.  H.,  who  had  one 
daughter,  Bessie  F.  The  third  marriage  of 
Charles  A.  Bales  united  him  with  Mary  C. 
Campbell,  of  New  Boston,  who  bore  him  one 
son,  Harold  C. 

After  obtaining  his  elementary  education  in 
the  schools  of  Wilton,  George  E.  Bales  at- 
tended the  academy  in  Francestown  for  a 
year.  Then  he  entered  Phillips  F^xeter  Acad- 
emy, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1883. 
He  next  completed  a  course  at  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, after  which  he  commenced  the  study 
of  law  in  Boston  with  ex-Governor  Brackett. 
He  graduated  from  the  Boston  University 
Law  School  with  the  class  of  1888,  and  in 
September  of  that  year  he  opened  an  office  in 
Wilton.  On  January  i,  i88g,  he  was  elected 
treasurer  of  the  Wilton  Savings  Bank,  a  posi- 
tion he  still  holds.  He  has  been  Tax  Col- 
lector for  some  time.  Town  Treasurer  for  six 
years,  and  a  member  of  the  School  Board  for 
seven  years.  He  was  elected  State  Repre- 
sentative in  1894  and  1896,  each  time  for  the 
term  of  two  years,  and  served  upon  the  Judi- 
ciary and  other  important  committees.  He 
has  been  trustee  of  the  public  library  for  sev- 
eral years.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
he  was  a  delegate  to  the  last  national  conven- 
tion of  his  party  in  Chicago. 

On  October  16,  1889,  Mr.  Bales  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Abbie  M.  French,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Francis  B.  French,  of  Wilton.  Both 
he  and  Mrs.  Bales  attend  the  Unitarian 
church.  Mr.  Bales  is  connected  with  Clinton 
Lodge,  No.  52,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he 
was  Master  for  three  years;    and   with   King 


Solomon  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of 
Milford.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Laurel 
Lodge,  No.  78,  L  O.  O.  F.  While  attending 
to  his  public  duties,  Mr.  Bales  conducts  an 
extensive  law  business,  and  is  one  of  the  busi- 
est men  in  Wilton. 


UGENE  C.  HUBBARD,  the  present 
Representative  of  Amherst  in  the  New 
Hampshire  legislature,  is  one  of  the 
most  thrifty  and  prosperous  agriculturists  of 
this  section  of  Hillsboro  County.  Born  July 
19,  1855,  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  he  was 
legally  adopted  by  the  late  William  H.  Hub- 
bard, when  about  five  years  of  age.  Williain 
H.  Hubbard,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Am- 
herst, at  the  death  of  his  father,  Amos  Hub- 
bard, became  the  possessor  of  the  paternal 
homestead.  There  he  was  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  during  his  active  years,  and 
he  died  in  1888.  He  was  a  strong  Republi- 
can in  politics.  A  charter  member  of  Sou- 
hegan  Lodge,  No.  10,  P.  of  H.,  of  Amherst, 
he  was  prominent  in  the  management  of  the 
society,  and  filled  with  fidelity  the  various 
offices  of  the  grange.  He  married  Betsey  H. 
Russell,  a  daughter  of  Otis  Russell,  of  Marl- 
boro, Mass.  She  survives  her  husband,  mak- 
ing her  home  in  the  village  of  Amherst,  being 
now  past  seventy  years  of  age. 

Eugene  C.  Hubbard  received  his  prelimi- 
nary education  in  the  common  schools  of  Am- 
herst. Then  he  attended  the  McCollom  In- 
stitute in  Mont  Vernon  for  three  years. 
Beginning  when  a  boy  to  assist  in  the  labors 
incidental  to  farm  life,  he  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits.  Under  his 
judicious  management  the  Hubbard  home- 
stead, to  which  he  has  succeeded,  and  which 
contains  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  compares 
favorably  in  point  of  cultivation  and  improve- 
ments with  any  estate  in  the  vicinity.  Be- 
sides carrying  on  general  farming  he  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  raising  various  kinds  of 
fruit.  A  shrewd  man  of  business,  endowed 
with  a  clear  intellect  and  much  force  of  char- 
acter, he  is  recognized  as  a  serviceable  guar- 
dian of  the  interests  of  the  town  and  county. 
For  four  years  he  served  with  credit  to  him- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


309 


self  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  constitu- 
ents as  Selectman  of  Amherst,  having  been 
chairman  of  the  Board  for  two  years.  In 
1896  he  was  chosen  as  the  town's  Representa- 
tive in  the  legislature.  In  politics  he  is  a 
stanch  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  Sou- 
hegan  Grange,  No.   10,  P.  of  H. 

On  March  19,  1S78,  Mr.  Hubbard  married 
Miss  Addie  F.  Noyes,  a  daughter  of  Freder- 
ick Noyes,  of  Amherst.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hub- 
bard have  a  family  of  three  interesting  chil- 
dren—  Fred  W.,  Emma  G. ,  and  Bertha  A. 


iLARENCE  E.  MORRISON,  of  the 
Granite  State  Evaporating  Company, 
Marlow,  was  born  in  this  town, 
September  17,  1867,  son  of  James 
H.  and  Sylvia  M.  (Corey)  Morrison.  The 
Morrisons,  who  are,  of  English  origin,  trace 
their  descent  to  two  brothers,  who  came  to 
this  country  in  1719,  and  settled  in  London- 
derry, N.H.  Clarence  E.  Morrison's  great- 
grandfather, Samuel  Morrison,  resided  in  Al- 
stead,  N.H.  The  grandfather,  Benjamin  F. 
Morrison,  who  was  born  in  that  tovvn,  June  29, 
1813,  spent  the  most  of  his  life  in  Cheshire 
County.  When  a  young  man  he  drove  a 
stage.  He  was -later  employed  as  a  mechanic 
in  the  construction  of  locomotives  and  in  the 
capacity  of  locomotive  engineer.  On  Febru- 
ary 9,  1837,  he  married  Sophia  Dodge,  of 
Springfield,  Vt.,  who  bore  him  two  children 
—  James  H.  and  Frances  A. 

James  H.  Morrison,  born  in  Marlow,  Au- 
gust 10,  1840,  learned  the  currier's  trade,  and 
afterward  followed  it  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
He  was  an  upright,  conscientious  citizen.  In 
public  affairs  he  was  quite  active,  and  ren- 
dered efificient  services  to  the  town  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  School  Board.  He  died  June  3, 
1881.  His  first  marriage  was  contracted  July 
4,  1864,  with  Sylvia  M.  Corey.  She  was  born 
December  14,  1S38,  daughter  of  Nathan  Corey, 
of  Washington,  N.H.,  and  died  August  20, 
1872.  On  May  15,  1873,  a  second  marriage 
united  him  with  Mrs.  Frances  M.  (Harris) 
Gould.  By  his  first  union  he  was  the  father 
of  four  children,  namely:  Frank  E.,  born 
March    16,  1865;  Clarence  E.,  the  subject  of 


this  sketch;  and  Lillic  and  Leslie,  twins,  who 
died  in  infancy.  l'"rank  E.  Morrison  was 
employed  at  cabinet-making  for  two  years. 
Subsequently  he  was  employed  in  the  capac- 
ity of  clerk  in  hotels  at  Lawrence,  Boston, 
Portland,  Me.,  and  New  York  City.  He  is 
now  an  adveitising  agent,  with  headquarters 
in  New  York,  and  one  of  the  proprietors  of 
the    Granite  State  Evaporating  Company. 

After  attending  school  in  RIarlow,  Clarence 
E.  Morrison  completed  his  education  with  a 
commercial  course  at  Eastman's  Business  Col- 
lege in  Poughkeepsie,  N.Y.  Subsequently 
he  was  employed  at  a  tinware  factory  in  Mar- 
low for  ten  years.  Then  he  and  his  brother, 
Frank  E.  Morrison,  bought  the  establishment, 
and  formed  the  Granite  State  Evaporating 
Company.  This  firm  makes  sap  evaporators, 
feed  boilers,  cookers,  and  syrup  cans,  and 
butter  pails  for  creamery  use.  Their  goods, 
some  of  which  are  protected  by  patents,  are 
the  latest  improvements  in  this  line.  They 
are  extensively  used  and  greatly  appreciated 
by  maple  sugar  manufacturers  and  farmers, 
who  derive  much  benefit  from  the  saving  of 
time  and  expense  accomplished  by  their  intro- 
duction. The  company's  office  in  New  York 
is  located  in  Rooms  i,  2,  and  3  of  500 
Temple  Court. 

On  December  24,  1892,  Mr.  Morrison  was 
united  in  marriage  with  lilizabeth  M.  Duffy, 
who  was  born  in  Hillsboro,  N.H.,  April  22, 
1874,  daughter  of  Nicholas  Duffy,  of  Win- 
chester, N.H.  He  has  been  Secretary  of 
Forest  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  attends  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


KRANKLIN  HARTSHORN,  a  promi- 
nent and  prosperous  business  man  of 
Milford,  was  born  September  6,  1833, 
in  Amherst,  son  of  Jotham  and  Elizabeth 
(Blodgett)  Hartshorn.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Edward  Hartshorn,  was  a  boy  of  ten 
years  when  he  removed  from  Reading,  Mass., 
with  his  parents  to  Amherst,  which  was  after- 
ward his  permanent  home.  Jotham  Hartshorn 
was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Amherst,  where  he 
died  in  1878.  He  worked  at  the  carpenter's 
trade  in   his  earlier  life.      Afterward   he    was 


3»o 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  eventu- 
ally established  a  successful  business  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber.  Resides  serving  as 
Selectman  in  Amherst  for  many  years,  he 
represented  the  town  in  the  State  legislature 
for  three  terms. 

Franklin  Hartshorn  obtained  a  good  com- 
mon-school education  in  Amherst  and  Mil- 
ford.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years,  after  assist- 
ing on  the  home  farm  for  a  time,  he  became 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, to  which  he  has  since  devoted  much  of 
his  time  and  attention.  On  the  death  of  his 
parents  he  assumed  the  sole  charge  of  both  the 
mill  and  the  homestead  property.  On  the 
latter,  which  contains  about  two  hundred 
acres  of  land,  he  carries  on  farming  with 
profit.  In  the  lumber  business  his  dealings, 
both  wholesale  and  retail,  are  quite  extensive. 

On  February  2,  1S60,  Mr.  Hartshorn  mar- 
ried Miss  Elizabeth  P.  Knight,  a  daughter  of 
the  late  Jonathan  Knight,  of  Amherst,  N.  H. 
Of  the  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harts- 
horn, Lucy  A.,  Hattie  M.,  and  Levi  J.  are 
living.  Lucy  is  now  the  wife  of  A.  M.  Wil- 
kins,  of  Amherst.  Mr.  Hartshorn  is  an  ac- 
tive Republican  in  politics,  and  he  served  for 
one  term  in  the  State  legislature  as  a  member 
of  the  lower  house. 


ENRY    H.    BARBER,   a   leading  dry- 
goods  merchant  of  Milford,  the  vice- 


president  of  the  Souhegan  National 
Bank,  and  the  president  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Milford  Granite  Company,  was  born 
December  16,  1852,  in  Nashua,  N.H.,  son  of 
Hiram  and  Lucy  (Fales)  Barber.  His  great- 
great-grandfather.  Captain  Robert  Barber,  who 
held  a  captain's  commission  under  George 
HI.  in  the  Colonial  troops,  and  was  afterward 
a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Canaan,  Grafton  County, 
where  he  and  his  descendants  labored  indus- 
triously in  clearing  and  improving  a  tract  of 
land.  Hiram  and  Lucy  Barber  were  both  na- 
tives of  Canaan. 

Henry  H.  Barber  lived  in  Nashua  until 
about  four  years  old.  Then  his  parents  re- 
moved  to   De   Kalb    County,    Illinois,    going 


thence  to  Chicago,  where  they  resided  for  a 
time.  They  subsequently  returned  to  New 
Hampshire,  locating  in  Canaan,  where  Henry 
H.  Barber,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  ac- 
quired his  education  in  a  private  academy. 
On  leaving  the  Canaan  Academy,  he  began 
his  active  career  as  a  clerk  in  the  retail  dry- 
goods  house  of  Taylor  &  Norwell,  of  Nashua, 
remaining  there  a  number  of  years.  In  1878 
he  came  to  Milford,  having  bought  out  the 
firm  of  Gray  &  Howard,  dry-goods  merchants. 
Commencing  on  a  moderate  scale,  he  has  now 
an  extensive  department  store,  which  he  is 
successfully  conducting  on  safe  business  prin- 
ciples, employing  from  twelve  to  fifteen  clerks 
to  attend  to  his  large  number  of  patrons.  He 
is  also  the  treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Mil- 
ford Granite  Company,  which  is  one  of  the 
largest  concerns  in  the  quarry  and  granite- 
cutting  business  in  New  England.  Known 
for  a  man  of  foresight  and  good  practical 
sense,  he  has  been  made  the  president  of  the 
Milford  Board  of  Trade  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Milford  Savings  Bank. 

Mr.  Barber  was  united  in  matrimony  with 
Miss  Fostina  M.  Dodge,  a  daughter  of  Alva 
H.  Dodge,  of  Antrim,  N.H.  He  is  now  the 
father  of  one  daughter,  lithelyn  F.  Barber. 
In  politics  he  is  a  steadfast  Republican,  tak- 
ing a  decided  interest  in  local  affairs,  and  he 
has  served  as  Representative  in  the  State 
legislature  for  two  years.  A  Mason  of  the 
Milford  Lodge,  he  is  a  member  of  St.  George 
Commandery  of  Nashua,  and  he  has  taken  the 
degrees  of  the  Scottish  Rite.  He  has  also 
membership  in  the  I.  O.  O.  F". 


irX  AVID  ONSLOW  SMITH,  M.D.,  a 
1=^  well-known  medical  practitioner  of 
^J^J  Hudson,  was  born  here,  November 
12,  1823.  His  grandfather.  Page 
Smith,  a  Massachusetts  man  by  birth,  in  his 
earlier  years  settled  in  Hudson,  where  he  car- 
ried on  farming  interests  throughout  the  rest 
of  his  life.  Page  Smith  attained  the  age 
of  ninety  years.  His  wife,  Lydia  Hazelton 
Smith,  born  March  31,  1757,  passed  away 
on  the  4th  of  April,   1821. 

Alvan  Smith,  son   of  Page  Smith,  was   en- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


3«i 


gaged  in  farming,  and  taught  school  for  many 
years.  A  very  popular  teacher,  he  was  much 
sought  for  as  master  for  the  winter  terms  and 
for  schools  difficult  of  management.  His  farm 
in  Hudson  was  under  good  cultivation,  and  he 
was  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  progressive 
farmers  in  the  town.  He  served  the  commu- 
nity for  several  terms  as  Selectman,  and  was 
also  Superintendent  of  Schools.  His  relig- 
ious views  were  liberal.  In  politics  at  first  a 
Whig,  he  joined  the  Republican  party  at  its 
formation.  His  death  occurred  in  Hudson, 
January  ii,  1879.  The  first  of  his  two  mar- 
riages was  contracted  with  Patty  Robinson, 
who  was  the  mother  of  Dr.  David  Onslow 
Smith.      His  second  wife  was  Chloe  Smith. 

Dr.  Smith's  boyhood  was  spent  in  Hudson. 
He  obtained  his  education  in  the  town 
schools,  the  Nashua  Seminary,  and  Pinkerton 
Academy,  Derry.  When  twenty-three  years 
of  age  he  began  to  study  medicine  with  Dr. 
H.  M.  Hooke,  a  practising  physician  of  Hud- 
son. Later  he  took  a  professional  course  of 
study  in  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  from 
which,  after  four  years  of  training,  both  in 
the  theory  and  the  practice  of  medicine,  he 
graduated  in  1850.  Thereupon  he  located  in 
his  native  town,  where  he  has  been  engaged 
in  active  practice  since.  Within  the  past 
few  years  he  has  turned  over  to  his  son  the 
heavier  part  of  his  work.  As  a  physician 
Dr.  Smith  has  won  for  himself  a  reputation 
for  skill  and  ability  over  a  wide  territory. 

On  August  30,  1855,  Dr.  Smith  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  H.  Greely,  who  was  born  Octo- 
ber 30,  1832,  daughter  of  Reuben  Greely. 
Mrs.  Smith  died  December  27,  1867,  leaving 
five  children,  namely:  Minnie  K. ,  born  June 
5,  1856,  now  Mrs.  VVilliam  H.  Bruce,  of  Gro- 
ton,  Mass.,  and  the  mother  of  four  children  — 
Winfred,  Ethel  K.,  Margaret,  and  Harry 
Bruce;  Edmund  G.,  born  October  10,  1857, 
who  died  March  29,  1869;  Mattie  R.,  born 
July  21,  1859,  who  now  resides  in  Hudson; 
Herbert  L.,  born  January  9,  1862,  a  physi- 
cian in  the  city  of  Boston,  who  married  Lottie 
De  Wolf,  and  has  two  children  —  Theodora  L. 
and  David  O.  ;  and  Henry  O.,  born  December 
18,  1S64,  now  practising  medicine  at  Hudson, 
who  married  Marcia  Dearing,  and  has  one  son, 


Deering  Greely  .Smith.  Dr.  Smith  contracted 
a  second  marriage,  March  12,  1874,  with  Han- 
nah P.  Haselton,  who  was  born  in  Hudson, 
September  20,  1835,  daughter  of  Luther 
Haselton.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  served  for  many  years  on  the  School 
Board,  and  was  a  member  of  the  last  Consti- 
tutional Convention  of  the  State.  In  relig- 
ious faith  he  is  a  Baptist. 


ERSONS  BARTLETT,  the  .senior 
member  of  the  firm  P.  Bartlett  & 
Son,  of  Miltord,  manufacturers  of 
woollen  hosiery,  is  well  known  in 
business  and  social  circles,  and  highly  re- 
spected for  his  sterling  qualities.  Born  Au- 
gust 13,  1832,  in  the  town  of  Morgan,  Vt.,  he 
is  a  son  of  Zenas  Bartlett,  who  is  said  to  have 
been  the  second  white  child  born  in  that 
place.  The  father,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, spent  a  portion  of  his  life  in  Morgan, 
which  he  represented  for  two  terms  in  the 
Vermont  legislature.  He  died  in  Milford,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  four  months, 
twenty-eight  days.  His  wife,  in  maidenhood 
Betsey  Piper,  was  likewise  a  native  of  the 
Green  Mountain  State.  They  had  a  family  of 
four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  second-born. 

Persons  Bartlett  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  years  he  began  to  learn  the  shoe- 
maker's trade,  and  afterward  worked  at  it  for 
twenty-five  years  in  Stoughton  and  Randolph, 
Mass.  He  then  engaged  in  business  for  him- 
self as  a  shoe  manufacturer,  continuing  in 
Massachusetts  until  his  removal  to  Lakeport, 
N.H.,  where  he  conducted  a  shoe  and  hosiery 
factory  for  some  years.  On  December  i, 
1886,  Mr.  Bartlett  transferred  his  manufactur- 
ing interests  to  Milford,  this  county,  where 
he  has  devoted  his  attention  exclusively  to 
woollen  hosiery.  He  is  conducting  an  exten- 
sive and  profitable  business,  employing  in 
busy  seasons  one  hundred  and  forty  hands. 
On  August  2,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
E,  Thirty-fifth  Massachusetts  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, which  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of 
the    Potomac,    under  General    Burnside.      He 


312 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


participated  in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain 
and  Antietam,  being  wounded  in  the  latter  en- 
gagement. In  January,  1863,  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  service.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  In  1890  and  1891  he  was 
a  Representative  to  the  State  legislature.  He 
is  a  Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  is  likewise 
affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  with 
the  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross,  and  with  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers.  He  is  an  active  and  faith- 
ful member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  Milford  and  the  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day-school connected  therewith. 

The  first  of  Mr.  Bartlett"s  two  marriages 
was  contracted  with  Ann  Capen,  of  Stoughton, 
Mass.,  who  died  July  10,  1890.  She  left 
three  children,  namely:  Lucy  J.,  the  wife  of 
A.  E.  Goodwin,  of  New  York  City;  Fred  B., 
the  junior  member  of  the  firm  P.  Bartlett  & 
Son,  and  who  in  1895  and  1896  was  a  Repre- 
sentative in  the  New  Hampshire  legislature; 
and  Annie,  the  wife  of  Jarvis  Stowell,  of  Mil- 
ford.  Born  of  the  second  marriage,  which 
was  made  with  Miss  Abbie  R.  Lowe,  of  Am- 
herst, Mr.  Bartlett  has  one  child,  Bertha. 


/i^o 


EORGE  E.  FARLEY,  of  Amherst. 
\  '*)  I  one  of  the  enterprising  agriculturists 
of  Hillsboro  County,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1849,  in  Hollis,  N.H.,  a  son  of 
Enoch  F"arley,  and  a  descendant  of  a  pioneer 
settler  of  that  place.  His  grandfather,  Enoch 
Farley,  Sr.,  a  lifelong  resident  of  Hollis,  was 
well  known  and  respected  in  the  district. 
The  father,  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and 
much  executive  ability,  served  as  Selectman  of 
Hollis  for  a  number  of  years,  and  during  the 
late  war  was  a  recruiting  officer  at  Concord, 
N.H.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Nashua, 
this  county,  where  he  was  Street  Commis- 
sioner for  a  number  of  terms,  and  where  he 
died  in  1886.  In  politics  he  was  an  unswerv- 
ing Democrat.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Harriet  E.  Baker,  was  born  and  reared  in 
Sullivan,  N.H.  They  reared  four  children; 
namely,  George  E.,  Luke  A.,  Hattie  E.,  and 
Lizzie  G.  Farley. 

George  E.  Farley  grew  to  man's  estate   in 
his  native  town,  attending  the  district  schools 


of  Hollis,  the  high  school  of  Milford,  and  the 
McCollom  Institute  of  Mont  Vernon.  After 
leaving  the  latter  institution,  he  taught  school 
for  one  year  in  the  town  of  Brookline,  this 
State.  Going  then  to  Nashua,  he  began  life 
as  a  clerk  in  the  furniture  store  of  John  Cog- 
gin,  remaining  in  that  capacity  until  familiar 
with  the  business  in  all  of  its  details.  Then, 
in  company  with  his  brother,  Luke  A.  Farley, 
he  bought  out  his  employer,  and,  until  the 
dissolution  of  the  firm,  carried  on  a  successful 
business  under  the  name  of  F"arley  Brothers. 
In  1879  ^^^-  Farley  removed  to  Amherst,  hav- 
ing bought  the  farm  where  he  now  resides, 
and  has  since  carried  on  an  extensive  business 
in  general  agriculture  and  lumbering,  besides 
serving  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  doing 
much  work  in  the  probate  line. 

On  May  20,  1S75,  Mr.  Farley  married  Miss 
Mary  E.  Harmon,  daughter  of  the  late  Ivory 
and  Almeda  (Hobson)  Harmon,  of  Nashua. 
They  have  one  child,  George  W.  Farley. 
Since  becoming  a  citizen  of  Amherst,  Mr. 
Farley  has  identified  himself  with  the  leading 
interests  of  the  town,  and  encouraged  and  sup- 
ported all  beneficial  enterprises.  For  four 
years  he  has  served  acceptably  as  Selectman 
of  the  town.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. He  is  a  member  of  Souhegan 
Grange  and  of  the  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross, 
both  of  Amherst. 


HARLES  F.  DODGE,  who  owns  and 
conducts  one  of  the  finest  farms  in 
New  Boston,  was  born  on  this  place, 
July  2,  1838,  son  of  Solomon  and 
Mary  (Dodge)  Dodge.  His  paternal  great- 
grandfather, also  named  Solomon,  who  was  an 
early  settler,  and  the  grandfather,  Solomon 
(second),  were  influential  men  in  the  town, 
and  followed  farming  as  an  occupation.  The 
father,  who  was  born  here  P"ebruary  27,  1808, 
having  likewise  spent  his  active  years  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  died  March  11,  1881,  aged 
seventy-three  years.  Mary,  his  wife,  who  was 
born  February  20,  1803,  died  at  sixty-five. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and 
she  of  the  Presbyterian.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican.      He  represented   New  Boston   in 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


3'3 


the  State  legislature  and  in  the  Board  of  Se- 
lectmen for  a  time.  Of  his  six  sons  Solo- 
mon, Charles  F. ,  William  B. ,  and  Edward 
B.  are  living.  The  deceased  are:  Julian  F. 
and  Ernest  A. 

Charles  F.  Dodge  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  New  Boston  and  at  New  London 
Academy.  His  chief  occupation  has  been 
general  farming,  in  which  he  has  been  suc- 
cessful. The  old  home  farm,  on  which  he 
resides,  has  become  noted  as  one  of  the  best 
in  the  State  and  county.  He  has  a  nice 
house,  good  barns  and  out-buildings.  He 
owns  sufficient  other  land  to  make  about  three 
hundred  acres  all  together.  The  home  place 
is  conducted  principally  as  a  dairy  farm,  with 
about  forty  head  of  cattle,  chiefly  Holsteins. 

In  January,  1872,  Mr.  Dodge  married  Miss 
Emma  J.  Wallace,  who  was  born  in  Manches- 
ter, N.H.,  daughter  of  John  and  Abbie  Wal- 
lace. They  have  four  children  living  —  Jessie 
E.,  Winifred,  Mary  A.,  and  Gracie  W. 
They  buried  their  fifth  child,  Julian  P.  Dodge. 
In  politics  Mr.  Dodge  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  served  acceptably  as  Selectman  and  on  the 
School  Board,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church. 


/©jTo 


i:ORGE  C.  WARREN,  an  enterpris- 
\  •)  I  ing  general  farmer  and  lumberman  of 
New  Boston,  was  born  here,  July  30, 
1847,  on  the  old  Warren  farm,  son  of  John  B. 
Warren  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  earliest 
families  here.  [A  brief  account  of  the  fam- 
ily's early  history  will  be  found  in  the  biog- 
raphy of  James  Warren.]  After  obtaining  his 
elementary  education  in  the  common  schools, 
young  Warren  attended  Francestown  Academy, 
and  later  Appleton  Academy,  now  the  McCol- 
lom  Institute  of  Mont  Vernon.  In  early  man- 
hood he  taught  school  for  two  winters.  He 
came  to  the  village  of  New  Boston  in  1872, 
and,  in  company  with  C.  H.  Dodge,  forming 
the  firm  of  Dodge  &  Warren,  afterward  con- 
ducted a  general  store  for  several  years. 
Then,  selling  his  interest  in  the  store  to  Mr. 
Dodge,  he  took  up  lumbering,  which  he  has 
since  followed  at  intervals.  He  has  also  since 
then    worked    for    Mr.    Dodge    in  the   capacity 


of  clerk  for  three  years.  During  the  jxist  four 
years  Mr.  Warren  has  carried  on  quite  an 
extensive  business  in  lumbering.  His  custom 
is  to  buy  standing  timber,  and  then  cut  and 
manufacture  it  into  different  kinds  of  lumber. 
In  the  busy  season  he  emi)loys  from  twenty  to 
twenty-five  men.  He  owns  about  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  Hillsboro  County.  Be- 
sides his  general  farming  and  lumbering  Mr. 
Warren  attends  to  a  milk  route  in  New  Bos- 
ton. The  place  on  which  he  lives  is  known 
as  the  D.  B.  Lovering  farm. 


On  August  19,  1875,  Mr.  Warren  and  ^^'ss~\yyi  i(\^ 
jbie  E.    Lovering  were  united   in   marriaEe.        ([j\ 


Abbje  ii.    l^ovenng  were  united   in   marriage.         j 
She   was  born    in   Deering,  N.H.,    August   7,  ' 

1852,  daughter  of  Daniel  B.  and  Elsie  G. 
(Eastman)  Lovering.  Her  father,  who  was  a 
prosperous  farmer,  was  born  in  Deering,  and 
died  in  New  Boston  in  1891.  Her  mother 
died  in  1871.      Mr.  and  JVIrs.  Warren  have  one 


I    XOo 


f^ 


daughter  — Elsie  G?-''^^'ar 


ren,  who  was  born  in 

In   his   political 

He  has 


New  Boston,  May  14,  1879. 
relations  Mr.  Warren  is  a  Democrat, 
been  Town  Treasurer  for  several  years,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  School  Board  for  three  years,  and 
he  has  served  as  Supervisor  and  in  minor 
offices.  The  home  of  the  family,  situated  on 
one  of  the  picturesque  hills  that  surround  New 
Boston,  is  a  beautiful  j^lace  in  the  summer 
season.  Mr.  Warren  is  highly  esteemed  in 
the  community. 


AMES  M.  RAMSDELL,  an  enterpris- 
ing manufacturer  of  Svvanzey,  Cheshire 
County,  and  a  member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  legislature,  was.  born  in 
this  town,  November  17,  1859,  son  of  Richard 
R.  and  Mary  (Applin)  Ramsdell.  His  grand- 
father, Elisha  Ramsdell,  was  a  native  of  Rich- 
mond, N.  H.,  but  some  time  after  marriage  he 
removed  to  Svvanzey. 

Richard  R.  Ramsdell,  father  of  James  M., 
was  born  in  Richmond,  and  came  to  Swanzey 
with  his  parents  when  he  was  three  years  old. 
At  an  early  age  he  learned  pail-making,  and 
after  working  for  others  for  some  years  he 
became  associated  with  his  father  in  the  manu- 
facture of  small  toy  pails.  They  started  on  a 
limited  scale   in   a  building  on    Bridge   Brook, 


314 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  after  carrying  on  the  business  there  for 
some  time  they  in  1871  bought  a  factory  for- 
merly used  for  that  purpose  in  East  Svvanzey. 
They  added  the  manufacture  of  large  pails  and 
buckets  to  their  enterprise  ;  and,  as  the  demand 
for  these  articles  increased,  they  purchased 
another  mill  but  a  short  distance  from  the 
lower  factory,  and  conducted  a  thriving  busi- 
ness. Richard  R.  Ramsdell  died  in  1894. 
He  was  a  member  of  Company  I,  Sixteenth 
New  Hampshire  Regiment,  and  served  nine 
months  in  the  Civil  War.  His  first  wife, 
Mary  Applin,  died  in  1871,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  James  M.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Richard  R.  ;  Lizzie  E.  ;  and  Angle 
M.  His  second  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Dodge,  and  who,  surviving  him,  resides 
at  the  home  farm,  is  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren—  Ethel  and  Alice. 

James  M.  Ramsdell  was  educated  in  his 
native  town,  and  after  leaving  school  he 
entered  his  father's  factory  for  the  purpose  of 
learning  the  business.  He  later  bought  the 
interest  of  his  uncle,  and,  in  company  with 
his  father,  carried  on  the  enterprise  under 
the  firm  name  of  J.  M.  Ramsdell.  Since  the 
death  of  his  father  James  M.  has  had  the 
entire  control  of  the  business,  and  it  has  in- 
creased in  many  ways.  He  now  manufactures 
lard  tubs,  in  addition  to  the  other  articles  ;  and 
the  goods  are  disposed  of  in  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, St.  I^ouis,  Baltimore,  and  Boston. 
The  lower  mill  was  destroyed  by  fire  some 
time  since;  and,  instead  of  rebuilding,  an  addi- 
tion was  made  to  the  upper  mill,  where  he 
now  employs  from  fifteen  to  twenty  men.  He 
owns  a  tract  of  land,  the  timber  from  which  he 
cuts  and  hauls  to  his  factory;  and  he  also  buys 
from  other  operators. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ramsdell  is  a  Republican, 
and  in  the  last  session  of  the  legislature  he  was 
assigned  to  the  Committee  on  Normal  Schools. 
He  is  a  member  of  Monadnock  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  Troy,  N.H.  ;  of  Pakuoig  Lodge, 
L  O.  O.  F.  ;  is  Commander  of  the  local  com- 
mandery  of  the  United  Order  of  the  Golden 
Cross;  and  was  formerly  a  member  of  the 
Sons  of  Veterans. 

Mr.  Ramsdell  married  Hattie  R.  Alexander, 
daughter  of  Calvin   Alexander,  of  Troy,  N.H. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ramsdell  are  the  parents  of  three 
children ;  namely,  ]31anche,  Ruth,  and  Faith. 
The  family  reside  upon  the  estate  formerly 
known  as  the  Applin  place.  They  attend  the 
Congregational  church. 


§ONAS  CUTTER,  for  the  past  thirty 
years  proprietor  of  the  Cutter  House 
in  Jaffrey,  formerly  kept  by  his  father, 
the  late  Ethan  Cutter,  was  born  in  this 
town,  December  9,  1833.  He  is  a  represent- 
ative of  a  well-known  Jaffrey  family  which 
has  been  identified  with  the  hotel  business 
here  for  three  generations,  and  members  of 
which  have  been  prominent  in  local  public 
affairs.  John  Cutter,  Mr.  Cutter's  grand- 
father, a  native  of  Woburn,  Mass.,  settled  in 
Jaffrey  in  1789  or  about  that  time,  and  fol- 
lowed the  trade  of  a  tanner  and  currier.  He 
married  Abigail  Demary,  who  was  of  French 
ancestry,  and  they  had  the  following  children: 
John,  Jonas,  Benjamin,  Ethan,  Ermina,  Cyrus, 
Esther,  Nathaniel,  Hepsy,  Emeline,  Paulina, 
and  Abigail. 

Ethan  Cutter,  father  of  Jonas,  was  born  in 
Jaffrey,  April  11,  1795.  Pie  carried  on  the 
hotel  of  which  his  son  is  now  proprietor  for 
upward  of  forty  years,  having  taken  possession 
of  it  in  1826.  He  was  widely  and  favorably 
known  throughout  this  section  both  as  a  genial 
host  and  an  able  public  official.  Pie  occupied 
various  public  positions  of  trust,  including 
those  of  Postmaster  and  Town  Treasurer, 
which  he  held  for  many  years.  Pie  was  a 
charter   member    and   once    Master   of   Charity 


Lodge,    F.     &    A.    M.,     of    Jaffrey. 


p:than 


Cutter  died  October  24,  1889,  in  his  ninety- 
fifth  year.  Nancy  S.  Blodgett,  his  wife, 
whom  he  married  January  16,  1827,  was  a 
daughter  of  Timothy  Blodgett,  of  P'itzwilliam, 
N.  PI.  She  became  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren: Elizabeth  S.,  born  December  24,  1827; 
and  Jonas,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Eliza- 
beth S.  is  the  widow  of  George  F.  Lawrence, 
a  native  of  Jaffrey,  formerly  a  fruit  and  prod- 
uce dealer  in  Boston,  and  she  is  residing  in 
that  city  with  her  two  children:  George  E., 
born  May  24,  i860;  and  Nancy  B. ,  born 
March  13,  1864. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


3>S 


Jonas  Cutter  has  been  in  the  hotel  business 
since  completing  his  education,  and  in  1867 
he  became  proprietor  of  the  noted  summer 
hostelry  that  had  long  been  carried  on  by  his 
father.  The  house  is  situated  on  elevated 
ground  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Monadnock,  a 
magnificent  view  of  which  is  to  be  obtained 
from  the  veranda,  and  for  invigorating  air 
and  wild,  picturesque  scenery  this  locality  is 
unsurpassed. 

Mr.  Cutter  married  Lydia  Valeria  Eveleth, 
who  was  born  in  Dublin,  N.H.,  April  3,  1832, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Eveleth.  Mrs.  Cutter  has 
been  the  mother  of  two  children  :  Isabella  V., 
born  July  13,  1854,  who  died  August  31, 
l86y;  and    Mortimer   E.,   born   June   5,    1856. 

Mortimer  E.  Cutter  finished  his  studies  at 
the  New  Ipswich  Academy,  and  for  a  time  was 
engaged  in  the  stage  and  livery  business  in 
Jaffrey.  He  afterward  became  proprietor  of 
the  Granite  State  House,  East  Jaffrey,  later 
was  for  two  years  proprietor  of  a  hotel  in 
Greenville,  N.H.,  and  is  now  carrying  on  the 
Hotel  VVincbendon,  Winchendon,  Mass.  He 
married  Nellie  Platts,  of  that  town,  and  has 
one  daughter,  Edith  I. 


REDERICK  H.  COLONY,  an  enter- 
prising business  man  of  Wilton.  Hills- 
boro  County,  was  born  in  Keene, 
N.H.,  February  3,  1S50,  son  of  Henry  and 
Mary  Louise  (Hayward)  Colony.  His  grand- 
father, Josiah  T.  Colony,  was  a  resident  of 
Keene. 

Henry  Colony,  who  was  a  native  of  Keene, 
in  early  life  worked  at  the  glass-blower's  and 
carpenter's  trades.  Later  he  was  the  propri- 
etor of  a  general  store,  and  still  later  he  was 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  woollen  goods. 
In  the  latter  business,  which  he  carried  on 
for  many  years,  he  was  very  successful  and 
acquired  a  handsome  fortune.  Born  March 
23,  1823,  he  died  July  18,  1884,  at  the  age  of 
si.\ty-one  years.  As  a  supporter  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  he  ably  filled  various  town 
offices.  A  prominent  Mason,  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Keene  Lodge.  His  wife,  Mary  Louise, 
became  the  mother  of  six  children,  of  whom 
Frank   H.,    Frederick    H.,    James,    and    Mary 


are  living.  Frank  11.  married  for  his  first 
wife  Marie  E.  Coffin.  By  his  second  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Madeline  1{.  Cameron, 
there  are  three  children  —  Frank,  John,  and 
Eleanor.  James  married  Clara  B.  Wilber,  of 
Adams,  Mass.,  and  has  three  children  —  Mary, 
James,  and  Murray.  Mary  L.  is  the  wife  of 
James  S.  Wilkins,  of  Keene,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren—  Mary  L.  and  James  S.  Mrs.  Henry 
Colony  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years. 
She  was  a   member   of   the   Unitarian   church. 

Frederick  H.  Colony  acquired  his  education 
in  Harrisville,  N.  H.  After  completing  his 
studies  he  was  appointed  assistant  teller  at  the 
Keene  National  Bank,  and  remained  there  for 
two  years.  He  then  became  book-keeper  in 
the  office  of  his  father's  mill  at  Harrisville, 
where  he  continued  until  ]S8o.  Then  he  en- 
gaged in  the  woollen  manufacturing  business 
upon  his  own  account  in  Harrisville,  Keene, 
and  South  Adams,  Mass.  In  1883  he  came 
to  Wilton,  where,  in  company  with  his 
brothers,  under  the  firm  name  of  Colony 
Brothers,  the  firm  manufactured  woollen 
goods  upon  quite  an  extensive  scale  until  a 
short  time  since. 

On  October  15,  1879,  Mr.  Colony  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Lucy  H.  Grant,  a 
daughter  of  Erastus  Grant,  of  Lyme,  N.  H. 
Mrs.  Colony  is  the  mother  of  two  children; 
namely,  Henry  G.  and  Louise  G. 

In  politics  Mr.  Colony  is  a  Democrat,  and 
his  religious  belief  is  the  Unitarian  creed. 
He  is  a  member  of  Keene  Lodge,  of  the 
Temple  F.  &  A.  M. 


MASA  B.  DAVIS,  one  of  Hin.sdale's 
energetic  farmers  and  best  known  cit- 
izens, was  born  in  Winchester, 
N.  II.,  July  7,  1824,  son  of  Jona- 
than and  Betsey  (Burt)  Davis.  His  grand- 
father, Oliver  Davis,  was  a  lifelong  resident 
of  Leominster,  Mass.,  and  was  twice  married. 
While  he  was  serving  as  a  soldier  in  the  Ind- 
ian War,  a  bullet  from  an  Indian  rifie  passed 
completely  through  his  body,  making  an  ugly 
wound,  which  never  healed. 

Jonathan    Davis    was    born    in    Leominster. 
Removing  from  Leominster,  he  located  in  the 


3it 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


south-west  part  of  Winchester,  and  tilled  the 
soil  until  his  death,  which  occurred  about  the 
year  1832.  He  married  for  his  first  wife 
Hephzibah  Pratt,  and  for  his  second  wife 
Betsey  Burt,  daughter  of  Amasa  Burt,  of 
Winchester.  His  children  by  his  first  union 
were:  Reuel,  Hephzibah,  Jonathan,  Adeline, 
and  Maria ;  and  of  these  Reuel  and  Maria  are 
living.  His  second  wife  became  the  mother 
of  five  children,  namely:  Lucius;  Amasa  B., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Pratt;  Elizabeth; 
and  Cyrus.  Lucius  Davis  engaged  in  the 
meat  business  in  Shelburne  Falls,  Mass.,  and 
died  in  that  town.  Pratt  died  young.  Eliza- 
beth is  the  widow  of  Leander  Felt,  and  re- 
sides in  Winchester;  and  Cyrus  Davis,  who 
married  Mary  Gilmore,  is  a  dentist  in  this 
town. 

Amasa  B.  Davis  was  left  fatherless  at  the 
age  of  eight  years,  and  the  farm  was  for  a 
time  rented.  He  attended  school  in  Win- 
chester; and,  when  old  enough  to  undertake 
the  management  of  affairs,  he  and  his  brother, 
Lucius,  took  charge  of  the  farm,  thus  provid- 
ing a  comfortable  home  for  their  mother.  In 
1858  Mr.  Davis  exchanged  the  homestead  for 
his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres,  which  is  lo- 
cated upon  the  river  road  in  Hinsdale,  and 
was  formerly  owned  by  Sylvanus  Barrett. 
Aside  from  general  farming  he  for  years  trans- 
acted a  profitable  business  in  the  fruit  trade, 
buying  apples  all  over  the  country;  and  for 
some  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  woodenware 
business.  He  has  also  attended  to  consider- 
able probate  business,  and  settled  several  es- 
tates. Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs. 
He  was  a  Selectman  three  years,  and  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  legislature  in  1851- 
52.  He  is  connected  with  Golden  Rule 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  the  Sons  of  Temper- 
ance, and  was  formerly  president  of  a  temper- 
ance club  in  this  town.  In  his  religious 
belief  he  is  a  Congregationalist,  and  is  an 
active  member  of  that  church. 

On  May  27,  1851,  Mr.  Davis  married  for 
his  first  wife  Juliet,  daughter  of  Asael 
Lyman.  She  died  October  11,  1852;  and  on 
February  6,  1856,  he  was  joined  in  marriage 
with   Julia   Cook,  daughter  of  Aaron  Cook,  of 


Hadley,  Mass.  Mrs.  Julia  C.  Davis  has  been 
the  mother  of  three  children:  Abbie,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  si.\  months;  P>ank  A.;  and 
PYederick  C.  Frank  A.  Davis,  who  assists 
his  father  upon  the  farm,  married  L.  Jeanette 
Morse,  daughter  of  Sidney  Morse,  of  Winches- 
ter; Frederick  C.  Davis,  who  is  a  clerk  in  a 
clothing  store  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  married 
Alice  M.  Clough. 


EORGE  W.  HASLET,  a  prominent 
•)  I  citizen  of  Hillsboro,  was  born  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  October  24,  1859, 
son  of  George  and  Eliza  (Hamilton)  Haslet. 
The  father,  who  was  born  in  Hallowell,  Me., 
in  early  life  learned  the  trade  of  ai'chitect  and 
builder,  and  followed  it  in  Hallowell  and 
Portland  for  some  time.  About  the  year 
1858  he  went  to  Boston,  and  there  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  engaged  in  the 
same  business  there,  but  retired  from  active 
occupation  several  years  before  his  death. 
His  wife,  Eliza,  was  born  in  Searsmont,  Me., 
daughter  of  Richard  Hamilton,  of  Hallowell, 
who  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
All  their  children  are  living;  namely,  HoUis 
M.,  Mary  J.,  Abbie  C,  Adelia  E.,  and 
George  W.  The  father,  who  was  a  very  suc- 
cessful builder,  erected  some  fine  buildings  in 
Boston.  He  was  a  Mason  of  the  thirty-second 
degree,  an  original  member  of  Boston  Consist- 
ory, Scottish  Rite,  and  he  belonged  to  Boston 
Commandery,  Knights  Templars.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Republican.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
si.\ty-four.  His  widow  resides  with  her  son 
at  Hillsboro.  She  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Methodist  PZpiscopal  Church  of  Somerville, 
Mass. 

George  W.  Haslet  attended  school  in  Bos- 
ton and  Somerville,  Mass.  After  completing 
his  education  he  went  to  work  for  Rufus  S. 
Frost  &  Co.,  dry -goods  commission  merchants 
of  Boston,  with  whom  he  remained  three 
years.  In  1880  he  went  to  Hillsboro,  and  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  book-keeper  for  the  Hills- 
boro woollen-mill.  After  some  time  spent  in 
that  capacity  he  became  the  superintendent, 
which  position  he  still  occupies.  The  mill 
employs  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  hands, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


317 


and  turns  out  woollen  goods  of  all  grades. 
Mr.  Haslet  is  also  interested  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Hillsboro,  of  which  he  is 
the   vice-president. 

In  October,  1885,  Mr.  Haslet  was  married 
to  Mary  G.  Button,  of  Hillsboro,  who  died  in 
F"ebruary,  1887.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can. He  is  a  member  of  the  School  Board 
and  a  trustee  of  the  Fuller  Public  Library, 
and  he  was  for  six  years  the  P'ire  Com- 
missioner for  the  village.  A  thirty  -  second 
degree  Mason,  he  belongs  to  Mount  Horeb 
Commandery,  Knights  Templars,  and  is  the 
secretary  and  a  Past  Master  of  Harmony 
Lodge  of  Hillsboro.  In  religion  he  is  a 
Congregationlist.  No  man  is  more  highly 
esteemed   in   Hillsboro. 


'ULLIVAN  H.  McCOLLESTER, 
D.D.,  a  clergyman  of  the  Univer- 
salist  denomination,  who  has  won 
honorable  distinction  as  a  preacher, 
an  educator,  a  lecturer,  and  an  author,  was 
born  in  Marlboro,  Cheshire  County,  N.H., 
where  he  now  resides,  December  18,  1826, 
son  of  Silas  and  Achsah  (Holman)  McColles- 
ter.  His  great-grandfather,  Isaac  McAllister 
(as  the  name  was  formerly  spelled),  was  one  of 
the  original  settlers  of  this  town,  and  was  the 
father  of  the  first  white  child  born  here. 
There  were  twelve  children  in  the  parental 
family,  ten  of  whom,  seven  daughters  and 
three  sons,  grew  to  maturity.  The  daughters 
all  married.  One  son,  John  O.  A.  McColles- 
ter,  M.D. ,  is  a  prominent  medical  practitioner 
in  Waltham,  Mass.  ;  and  another,  Sumner  L. , 
is  a  manufacturer  in  North  Lawrence,  N.Y. 

A  country  lad,  brought  up  on  a  farm,  ac- 
quiring in  the  fields  habits  of  industry  and 
application,  Sullivan  Holman  McCoUester 
eagerly  availed  himself  of  the  opportunities 
for  study  afforded  by  the  winter  schools  of  his 
native  town,  which  fortunately  were  of  a 
character  to  increase  while  they  fed  his  pas- 
sion for  knowledge  and  his  desire  for  thorough 
mental  training;  and,  when  he  had  mastered 
the  different  branches  there  taught,  he  contin- 
ued to  advance  in  the  paths  of  learning  by  at- 
tending successively  select   schools  and   vari- 


ous academies  and  seminaries,  finally  finishing 
his  preparation  for  college  at  Melrose  Semi- 
nary, Brattleboro,  Vt.  (ienial  and  compan- 
ionable, as  well  as  ambitious  and  studious,  he 
was  a  general  favorite  with  teachers  and  fel- 
low-pupils. At  the  age  of  eighteen,  at  Rich- 
mond, N.H.,  he  began  the  work  of  his  first 
profession,  that  of  teaching,  his  pay  being 
nine  dollars  per  month.  His  ne.xt  school  was 
in  Walpole,  where  he  taught  four  winter 
terms.  Entering  Norwich  (Vt.)  University 
in  the  winter  of  1847,  he  pursued  the  full 
classical  course,  and  was  graduated  in  1851. 
To  fit  himself  for  the  Christian  ministry,  he 
then  spent  two  years  as  a  student  at  the  Cam- 
bridge Divinity  School,  pursuing  his  Greek 
under  Professor  P^elton;  and  on  leaving  Cam- 
bridge he  was  for  some  time  principal  of  the 
Walpole  (N.  H. )  Academy. 

In  1853,  at  Swanzey,  N.H.,  where  for  five 
years  he  had  charge  of  Mount  Ca;sar  Semi- 
nary, he  began  his  career  as  a  preacher  of  the 
gospel,  founding  two  churches  and  laboring 
successfully  in  behalf  of  religion,  morality, 
and  education.  During  the  next  four  years 
he  was  pastor  of  a  Universalist  Society  at 
Westmoreland  and  one  at  West  Chesterfield, 
where  he  awakened  great  religious  interest, 
also  teaching  a  select  school  a  part  of  the 
time.  His  influence  in  the  cause  of  education 
was  greatly  extended  through  his  election  to 
the  office  of  School  Commissioner  for  Cheshire 
County,  which  he  held  till  1859,  and  his  ap- 
pointment as  president  of  the  State  Board  of 
Commissioners,  in  which  capacity  he  visited 
schools,  delivered  lectures,  and  held  teachers' 
institutes.  For  eight  years,  beginning  in 
April,  1861,  Dr.  McCollester  was  principal 
of  VVestbrook  Seminary  at  Deering,  Me.  ;  but 
in  this  period  he  was  obliged  to  take  a  respite 
from  his  twofold  toils,  which,  together  with 
the  severity  of  the  climate,  had  begun  to  im- 
pair his  health.  He  accordingly,  in  company 
with  his  wife,  made  his  first  trip  abroad,  1866 
-67,  visiting  Great  Britain,  Ireland,  Belgium, 
I'rance,  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Italy. 
When  he  left  Westbrook,  it  is  said,  "the 
school  was  the  largest  it  has  ever  been,  and 
also  in  the  best  financial  condition,  and  the 
church  founded  there  by  him   had   grown   to  a 


3i8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


large  and  respectable  religious  body,  so  that, 
in  connection  with  the  seminary,  the  parish 
was  strong  enough  to  build  a  beautiful  and 
commodious  church  edifice.  During  these 
years  Dr.  McCollester  had  wrought  witii  fidel- 
ity, perseverance,  and  faithfulness  in  this  field; 
and  it  was  with  the  profoundest  regrets  of  the 
trustees  and  friends  of  the  seminary  that  his 
resignation  was  accepted.'" 

For  three  years,  beginning  with  the  fall  of 
1869,  he  had  pastoral  charge  of  the  Universal- 
ist  church  in  Nashua,  N.H.,  a  happy  and  pros- 
perous settlement,  his  connection  with  the  so- 
ciety being  regretfully  severed  that  he  might 
accept  an  urgent  call  to  the  presidency  of 
Buchtel  College,  Akron,  Ohio.  Here,  again, 
as  teacher,  preacher,  organizer,  he  proved  em- 
phatically the  right  man  in  the  right  place, 
faithful  and  efficient.  After  six  years  of  un- 
wearied service  as  president  of  the  new  col- 
lege, giving  it  a  good  start,  he  resigned  his 
position  on  account  of  physical  disability, 
and  went  abroad  with  his  family.  On  his  re- 
turn, his  health  being  far  from  firm,  he  settled 
on  his  farm,  the  old  paternal  homestead  in 
Marlboro.  His  ne.xt  ministerial  labors  were 
in  l^ellows  Falls,  Vt.,  where  as  a  pioneer  in 
the  faith,  working  three  years,  he  founded  a 
strong  church,  and  was  instrumental  in  build- 
ing an  elegant  church  edifice,  and  in  Dover, 
N.  H.,  where  in  January,  1883,  he  began  his 
labors  to  revive  Universalism,  resigning  in 
October,  1885,  having  placed  the  church  on  a 
strong  footing. 

Dr.  McCollester  aided  in  the  legislative  act 
which  provides  for  County  School  Boards, 
and  aims  not  only  to  raise  the  general  tone  of 
all  schools  maintained  at  public  expense,  but, 
by  the  introduction  and  compulsory  pursuit  of 
such  studies  in  the  outlying  schools  as  will 
place  them  upon  a  par  with  the  graded  schools 
of  the  cities,  to  enable  their  pupils  to  enter 
the  high  schools  without  further  preparation. 
He  was  associated  with  Neal  Dow  in  temper- 
ance work  more  than  forty  years  ago,  and  has 
never  relinquished  his  efforts  in  that  direc- 
tion. He  delivered  the  first  crusading  tem- 
perance address  ever  heard  in  Akron,  Ohio,  in 
1874,  and  joined  the  Reform  Club  of  that  city 
in     their     labors    in     the    streets,    halls,    and 


churches,  at  home  and  abroad.  In  politics 
he  is  a  temperance  Republican,  and  does  not 
believe  that  a  clergyman  should  refrain  from 
publicly  uttering  his  political  convictions. 
As  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1SS9,  he 
was  chairman  of  the  Standing  Committee  on 
Education. 

Dr.  McCollester  has  been  an  extensive 
traveller,  having  made  no  less  than  five  trips 
across  the  Atlantic,  and  has  been  once  round 
the  globe.  He  has  visited  the  Far  East  and 
the  Holy  Land,  has  stood  upon  the  site  of 
Babylon  and  Nineveh,  and  took  a  six-hundred- 
mile  journey  down  the  Tigris  River  upon  a 
raft  made  of  inflated  goatskins  overlined  with 
sycamore  timbers.  While  abroad  he  corre- 
sponded for  the  liostonjon n/a/,  the  Transcript^ 
the  Portland  Transcript,  the  New  Hampshire 
Sentinel,  the  Cheshire  Republican,  the  Con- 
cord Monitor,  the  Dover  Republican,  the  De- 
troit Free  Press,  the  Chicago  Universalist,  the 
Gospel  Banner,  and  the  Christian  Leader.  He 
is  the  author  of  "After  Thoughts  of  Foreign 
Travel,"  "Babylon  and  Nineveh,"  "Around 
the  Globe,"  and  has  just  published  a  work  en- 
titled "Wonder-Land,"  a  story  of  Mexico, 
Old  and  New.  He  has  also  written  for  the 
religious  and  educational  journals  and  news- 
papers, and  is  kept  constantly  busy  in  supply- 
ing pulpits,  delivering  lectures,  and  officiat- 
ing at  weddings  and  funerals.  Of  the  latter 
he  has  attended  more  than  a  thousand.  His 
entire  active  period  has  been  devoted  to  what 
he  considers  the  most  useful  objects  in  life, 
and  at  present  he  is  giving  special  attention 
to  the  improvement  of  the  public  schools  in 
his  native  town  and  the  establishment  of  a 
high  school.  He  has  in  many  ways  witnessed 
the  good  results  of  his  labors. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
being  connected  with  the  Blue  Lodge  in  Win- 
chester, N.H.  ;  the  chapter  in  Portland,  Me.  ; 
and  Hugh  de  Payens  Commandery,  Knights 
Templars,  of  Keene.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  first  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  organized  in 
Keene,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Good  Templars  and  the  Sons  of 
Temperance. 

"Dr.  McCollester  in  his  ministerial  ser- 
vice," it  has   been   well    said,  "has   enjo)'ed    a 


BIOGRAI'HICAL    REVIEW 


3'9 


marked  degree  of  success.  Wherever  he  has 
wrought  in  this  direction,  he  has  left  rich 
fruits  of  consecrated  efforts.  It  has  seemed 
to  be  liis  lot  to  start  new  religious  enterprises, 
to  organize  new  elements,  and  stimulate  them 
with  love  to  God  and  man,  having  started  and 
organized  no  less  than  five  different  churches, 
and  aided  or  been  instrumental  in  building 
five  church  edifices.  As  a  preacher  he  is 
earnest,  clear,  and  persuasive.  His  hearers 
feel  his  honesty  and  sincerity.  He  leaves  no 
uncertainty  as  to  his  convictions  and  belief, 
which  is  in  the  widest  Christian  liberty.  An 
able  man,  strong  in  mind,  strong  in  self-con- 
trol, strong  in  will,  and  strong  in  sympathy, 
true  to  all,  without  deceit  or  hypocrisy,  he  is 
loved  most  by  those  who  know  him  best.  In 
college  and  church  he  has  proved  himself  a 
successful  organizer  and  builder  in  mental  and 
spiritual  things.  He  has  been,  and  is  now,  a 
power  in  the  Universalist  denomination." 

Dr.  McCollester  married  November  23, 
1852,  So]")hia  F.  Knight,  daughter  of  Joel 
Knight,  of  Dummerston,  Vt.  "Mrs.  McCol- 
lester, a  woman  adorned  with  genial  social 
qualities,  quick  sympathies,  and  all  the 
graces  of  the  true  woman,  has  been  a  compan- 
ion, helper,  and  comforter  to  her  husband 
through  all  the  labors  and  trials  of  their  life. 
Of  their  five  children  only  one  survives,  the 
Rev.  S.  Lee  McCollester,  who  is  also  a  Uni- 
versalist clergyman,"  a  graduate  of  Tufts  Col- 
lege and  Divinity  School,  and  is  now  a  suc- 
cessful and  popular  preacher,  and  pastor  of  the 
Church  of  Our  Father,  Detroit,  Mich. 


AYMOND  J.  PIERCE  was  a  highly 
esteemed  resident  of  Brookline.  Born 
in  Lyndeboro,  N.H.,  July  21, 
1833,  he  was  a  son  of  James  and 
Lucy  1  Wheeler)  Pierce.  His  grandfather, 
Eleazar  Pierce,  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and 
lifelong  resident  of  Hollis,  N.H.  James 
Pierce,  who  was  born  in  Hollis,  September 
'3'  17991  i"  his  young  manhood  came  to 
Brookline,  where  he  followed  the  cooper's 
trade  in  connection  with  farming,  and  resided 
for  the  rest  of  his  life.  A  man  of  admirable 
character,    he    stood    high    in    the    esteem    of 


the  community.  In  jwlilics  he  acted  with  the 
Democratic  party.  At  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred May  5,  1884,  he  was  eighty-five  years 
old.  His  wife,  Lucy,  whom  he  married  July 
31,  1828,  was  born  March  2,  1805,  daughter 
of  Ebenezer  Wheeler,  of  Brookline.  She  be- 
came the  mother  of  four  children,  of  whom 
two  are  living,  namely:  Cornelia,  who  is  now 
the  widow  of  James  T.  Willoby,  late  of 
Hollis,  and  has  two  children  —  I*"  red  and 
Elsie;  and  Jennie,  the  wife  of  Bryant  Wal- 
lace, of  Nashua,  N.H.  Mrs.  James  Pierce 
died  July  12,  1885,  aged  eighty  years.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 

Raymond  J.  Pierce  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Lyndeboro  and  Brookline.  After 
leaving  school  he  learned  the  trade  of  a 
cooper,  and  subsequently  followed  it  through- 
out the  rest  of  his  life.  On  April  8,  1858, 
he  wedded  Catherine  A.  Burge,  who  survives 
him.      She  was   born    in    Brookline,  December 

28,  1833,  daughter  of  John  and  Philomela 
(Bennett)  Burge.  [An  account  of  her  ances- 
try will  be  found  in  the  biography  of  Payson 
Burge.]  Mrs.  Pierce  is  the  mother  of  four 
children,  born  as  follows:  Nellie  K.,  April 
26,  1859;  Emma  A.,  September  to,  1S60; 
Edward  R.,  June  28,  1S63;  and  Effa  A.,  July 
7,   1866. 

Nellie  K.  Pierce  married  Arthur  Winslow, 
a  mason  of  Milford,  N.  H.,  and  has  had  five 
children,    namely:   Wallace   A.,    born   August 

29,  1885,  who  died  May  14,  1889;  Walter 
C. ,  born  in  Milford,  September  7,  1886; 
Warren  A.,  born  June  29,  1881;  Waldo  E., 
born  September  7,  1893;  and  Marion  A., 
born  October  15,  1895.  Emma  A.  Pierce, 
who  is  the  wife  of  George  G.  Clarke,  of 
Townsend,  Mass.,  has  four  children,  born  as 
follows:  Adabelle  P.,  in  Brookline,  October 
26,  1881;  Helen  G.,  in  Brookline,  September 
7,  1883;  Edith  L.,  also  in  Brookline,  July 
19,  1885;  and  Arline  C,  in  Townsend,  June 

21,  1896.  Effa  A.  Pierce  married  Henry  C. 
Hall,  a  native  of  Brookline,  now  a  carpenter 
in  Leominster,  Mass.  Her  children  were: 
Raymond  H.,  born   in   Leominster,  December 

22,  1889,  who  died  June  16,  1896;  and  Robert 
W.,  also  a  native  of  Leominster,  born  Janu- 
ary   10,    1894,    who  died   June    26,    1896,    of 


320 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


diphtheria.  Edward  K.  Pierce  is  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  of  Brooliline  and  a  prominent 
member  of  the  grange.  Mr.  Raymond  J. 
Pierce  died  at  his  home  in  this  town,  Febru- 
ary 27,  i86g,  aged  thirty-five  years.  Pos- 
sessed of  many  manly  characteristics,  he  was 
much  esteemed  in  the  community,  and  his  un- 
timely death  was  generally  deplored.  In  pol- 
itics he  was  a  Republican,  and  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church.  Mrs. 
Pierce,  who  survives  her  husband,  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church,  and 
has  the  sincere  respect  of  all  who  enjoy  the 
privilege  of  her  acquaintance. 


LONZO  A.  WARE,  whose  portrait  is 
here  shown,  late  Supervisor  of  Public 
Schools  in  S\vanzey,  N.  H.,  where  he 
died  February  8,  1895,  was  born  in 
Swanzey,  September  i,  1825.  His  parents 
were  Jonathan  D.  and  Alice  (Hamblet)  Ware. 
His  father  was  born  February  23,  1797,  and 
was  the  son  of  Zenas  Ware;  and  his  mother 
was  a  daughter  of  Josiah  Hamblet. 

Jonathan  D.  Ware  and  Alice  Hamblet  were 
married  November  30,  1824.  They  had  four 
children,  namely:  Alonzo  A.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Daniel  H.,  bom  March  9,  1827, 
who  died  in  1S57;  Alice  M.,  born  May  30, 
1829;  and  Mary  L. ,  born  December  4,  1830. 
On  October  20,  1858,  Alice  M.  Ware  was 
married  to  the  Rev.  E.  S.  Adams,  of  Gilsum, 
N.H.  ;  and  on  August  31,  1854,  Mary  L. 
Ware  was  married  to  Franklin  Downing. 
Jonathan  D.  Ware  died  October  23,   1876. 

Develojjing  at  an  early  age  a  taste  and 
capacity  for  learning,  Alonzo  A.  Ware  at- 
tended select  schools  in  Swanzey,  Keene, 
Troy,  and  Jaffrey,  N.  H.,  and  at  Sa.xton's 
River,  Vt.  ;  and,  having  completed  his  pre- 
paratory studies  at  Mount  Csesar  Academy  in 
his  native  town,  he  entered  actively  into 
educational  work,  and  taught  twenty-nine 
terms  of  school  in  various  parts  of  Cheshire 
County.  In  1852  he  was  appointed  an  ofificial 
at  the  House  of  Correction  in  Boston,  where 
he  remained  for  a  time,  and  whence  he  re- 
turned to  the  old  home  town  Swanzey,  where 
he   always    kept    his    residence.      He  resumed 


school-teaching,  but  later  turned  his  attenti(jn 
to  civil  engineering  and  legal  business,  such 
as  the  writing  of  deeds,  wills,  mortgages,  the 
transfer  of  property,  and  the  settlement  of 
estates.  His  advice  and  counsel  were  sought 
for  and  followed  by  his  fellow-townsmen,  who 
had  the  highest  estimation  of  his  ability  and 
integrity;  and  he  acted  as  administrator  of 
ninety-seven  different  estates.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Win- 
chester Security  Savings  Bank,  and  was 
elected  its  president  in  1889.  He  was  a 
ready  and  interesting  writer  upon  a  varied  line 
of  subjects,  was  the  owner  of  a  large  private 
library,  which  absorbed  the  greater  part  of  his 
leisure  time,  and  he  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  town  library.  As  Deacon  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday-school  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  he  rendered  much  valuable  aid 
in  advancing  the  moral  and  religious  welfare 
of  the  town.  In  1872,  1873,  and  1874  he  was 
upon  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  Selectman, 
and  it  was  during  his  twenty-fifth  year  as 
Supervisor  of  Public  Schools  that  his  death 
occurred  suddenly,  while  attending  to  his  official 
duties.  A  citizen  of  exxeptional  worth  and 
influence,  held  in  universal  respect,  his  unex- 
pected decease  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  entire 
community. 

Mr.  Ware  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife,  Julia  A.  Kingman,  was  born  February 
28,  1826,  daughter  of  Eliphalet  Kingman,  of 
Winchester,  and  died  March  6,  1892.  She 
had  been  the  mother  of  two  children  —  Arthur 
K.  Ware  and  Julia  M.  Ware,  who  both  died 
of  scarlet  fever  and  were  buried  together. 
Mr.  Ware's  second  wife,  who  survives  him, 
was  before  marriage  Marietta  A.  Newell. 
She  was  born  in  Alstead,  March  15,  1854, 
daughter  of  Daniel  P.  and  Betsey  (Downing) 
Newell.  Her  father  was  born  in  the  same 
town,  February  13,  1814,  and  died  July  12, 
1878.  Mr.  Newell  was  an  industrious  and 
prosperous  farmer,  and  was  an  active  member 
of  the  Congregational  church.  His  wife, 
Mrs.  Betsey  D.  Newell,  now  living,  was  born 
in  Marlow,  N.  H.,  February  26,  1817,  daugh- 
ter of  James  Downing,  also  of  Marlow.  She 
has   had    four  children;    namely,    George   F.  ; 


GEORGE    S.    BUTLER. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RFA'l  K\V 


323 


Harlan  A.  ;  Hiram  F.  ;  and  Marietta,  who 
since  the  death  of  her  hushand,  the  late 
Alnnzo  A.  Ware,  resides  in  I'last  Sullivan, 
N.  H.  Mrs.  Ware  was  educated  at  the  Marlovv 
Academy,  and  for  twenty-three  years  was  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  this  county. 
She  attained  a  high  reputation  as  an  able 
instructor  and  disciplinarian,  and  her  retire- 
ment from  educational  work  was  the  cause  of 
general  regret. 


AJOR  GEORGE  S.  BUTLER,  an 
enterprising  lumber  dealer  of  Pel- 
ham  and  an  ex -member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Senate,  was  born  in 
this  town,  June  26,  1848,  son  of  David  and 
Mary  Ann  (Russell)  Butler.  The  family  is  of 
English  and  Irish  origin.  John  Butler  (first), 
who  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  settle  in  Pel- 
ham,  was  born  July  22,  1677,  son  of  James 
Butler,  of  Lancaster,  Mass.  He  established 
himself  here  in  1721,  and  died  in  1756.  By 
his  wife,  Elizabeth  Wilson  Butler,  he  became 
the  father  of  John  Butler  (second),  who  was 
born  June  22,   1706. 

David  Butler  (first),  son  of  the  second  John 
and  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  Pelham,  December  7, 
1743.  He  served  as  an  ofificer  in  the  Revolu- 
j^ionary  War,  and  was  a  member  of  the  As- 
sembly in  1780  and  17S1.  On  June  20,  1772, 
he  married  Rebecca  Chase.  His  son,  Isaac 
Butler,  the  grandfather  of  George  S.,  was  born 
in  Pelham,  March  13,  1774.  Isaac,  who  was 
a  prosperous  farmer  and  a  lifelong  resident  of 
this  town,  married  Nancy  Chaplin,  who  was 
born  in  Lunenburg,  Mass.,  October  13,  1786. 
His  son,  the  second  David  Butler  and  the 
father  of  George  S.,  was  born  in  Pelham,  De- 
cember 16,  1809.  He  was  for  many  years 
identified  with  the  lumber  and  agricultural  in- 
dustries of  Pelham,  and  was  widely  known  in 
connection  with  the  State  militia,  in  which 
he  held  a  Captain's  commission.  Originally 
'a  Whig  in  politics,  he  later  became  a  Repub- 
lican. He  attended  religious  service  at  the 
Congregational  church.  When  he  died,  April 
10,  1S85,  he  was  seventy-six  years  old.  His 
wife,    Mary    Ann,   who    was   born    in    Carlisle, 


Mass.,  October  3,  1S04,  died  I'ebruary  7, 
1854. 

Major  George  S.  Butler  carries  on  a  profit- 
able lumber  business,  is  a  well-known  insur- 
ance agent,  and  also  owns  and  cultivates  a 
good  farm.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he  is 
one  of  the  most  active  leaders  of  his  party 
in  Pelham.  He  has  served  as  chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Selectmen  for  two  years,  was 
Representative  to  the  legislature  in  1882  and 
1883,  and  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  for 
the  years  1889  and  1890.  For  the  past  seven 
years  he  has  been  the  chairman  of  the  ]?oard 
of  Education,  also  the  Moderator,  the  chair- 
man of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Pelham 
Public  Library,  and  a  Justice  of  the  Peace 
and  Notary  Public  since  1883. 

On  June  24,  1874,  Major  Butler  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Abbie  E.  Spear.  She  was 
born  in  Rockland,  Me.,  July  i,  1848,  daugh- 
ter of  Harvey  H.  and  Jane  (Spofford)  Spear. 
Her  mother,  the  only  surviving  parent,  re- 
sides in  Pelham.  Major  and  Mrs.  Butler  have 
had  four  children,  namely:  George  E.,  born 
November  6,  1875,  who  died  May  14,  1895; 
Bessie  F".,  born  June  4,  1877,  who  died  July 
3,  1878;  Nettie  G.,  born  December  4,  1881; 
and  Russell  D.,  born  June  22,   1884. 

Major  Butler  is  connected  with  Centreville 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Lowell,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  encampment  and  of  the  Patriarchs 
Militant.  He  has  also  membership  in  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  the 
Massachusetts  Society,  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution,  and  Pelham  Grange,  No.  244, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry.  Major  and  Mrs  But- 
ler attend  the  Congregational  church.  Major 
Butler  has  been  connected  with  the  latter  so- 
ciety for  twenty  years,  serving  as  chairman 
of  its  Board  of  Trustees  and  Assessors  for 
the  past  five  years. 


, ORRIS  CHRISTHC,    M.D.,   a   well-  „n 
known    physician    of    Antrim,    was    ff)OLM^[Jy 

born    in    this    town,    August    29,  rT 

1832,   son   of  Josiah    Warren  and  ry 

Mary  (Bell)  Christie.      The  grandfather,  Sam-  jAJi^^C 

uel  Christie,    who   was    born    in    New    Boston,  ~^ 
N.  H.,    in    1764,    settled    in    Antrim    in    1788, 


324 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  cleared  a  large  tract  of  land  for  agricult- 
ural purposes.  He  tilled  the  soil  energeti- 
cally for  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  for  several 
years  he  kept  the  tavern  in  this  town.  He 
married  Zibiah  Warren,  of  New  Boston,  and 
had  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are 
now  deceased.  His  death  occurred  October 
25,  1818,  and  that  of  his  wife  in  1813.  Both 
were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Josiah  Warren  Christie,  Dr.  Christie's 
father,  was  born  In  Antrim,  November  6,  1793. 
When  a  young  man  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  followed  to  some  extent;  but 
the  greater  part  of  his  time  and  attention  was 
devoted  to  the  care  of  his  property.  He  was 
one  of  the  prominent  and  influential  citizens 
of  Antrim  in  his  day,  and  he  served  upon  the 
Board  of  Selectmen  in  1845.  In  politics  he 
acted  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  he  was 
an  earnest  advocate  of  temperance.  On  March 
16,  1824,  he  married  for  his  first  wife  Fanny 
Boyd,  who  bore  him  two  children,  neither  of 
whom  is  living.  On  March  11,  1S30,  he 
wedded  Mary  Bell,  a  daughter  of  John  Bell, 
of  Antrim.  She  became  the  mother  of  two 
children,  namely:  Morris,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Mary  A.,  who  is  now  the  widow 
of  Thomas  B.  Bradford,  late  of  Francestown. 
Josiah  W.  Christie  died  April  30,  1862,  and 
his  second  wife  on  March  4,  1890.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Morris  Christie  acquired  his  early  education 
at  the  academies  in  Francestown,  Washington, 
and  Hopkinton,  N.  H.  Subsequently  he 
attended  medical  lectures  at  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, and  was  graduated  from  the  University  of 
New  York  City  in  1859.  The  following  year 
was  spent  at  the  Charity  Hospital  on  Black- 
well's  Island,  where  he  gained  much  practical 
experience.  On  May  i,  i860,  he  located  for 
practice  in  Antrim.  In  the  period  of  profes- 
sional activity  that  has  since  elapsed,  he  has 
won  a  high  reputation  for  skill  and  reliability, 
and  acquired  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 

On  July  22,  1863,  Dr.  Christie  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Susan  S.  Hill,  of  Johnson, 
Vt.,  a  daughter  of  George  W.  Hill,  who  was 
a  brother  of  ex-Governor  Hill  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. Mrs.  Christie  has  had  two  children, 
one    of    whom    died    in    infancy.      The    other, 


George  W.,  who  was  born  August  5,  1868, 
died  December  12,  1885.  In  politics  Dr. 
Christie  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  for  some 
time  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  and  was 
formerly  a  trustee  of  the  water-works.  Be- 
sides attending  to  his  professional  duties  he 
has  settled  man)'  estates,  and  has  acted  as  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  the  past  fifteen  years. 
Both  he  and  Mrs.  Christie  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 


ILLIAM  L.  ROBINSON,  an  enter- 
prising agriculturist  of  Mont  Ver- 
non, was  born  in  this  town,  June  i, 
1863,  son  of  the  late  Jesse  O.  Robinson.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Jesse  Robinson,  many 
years  ago  came  to  Mont  Vernon  from  Bedford, 
Mass.,  when  a  young  man,  and  here  became  a 
landholder  and  a  householder,  identifying  him- 
self with  the  industrious  farmers  of  the  com- 
munity. 

Jesse  O.  Robinson  spent  his  entire  life  in 
Mont  Vernon,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
public  schools.  From  early  manhood  farming 
and  lumbering  were  his  principal  occupations. 
Endowed  with  the  thrifty  and  economical 
habits  characteristic  of  the  New  England 
people,  he  acquired  considerable  property.  He 
died  in  November,  1887.  As  a  man  and  as 
a  citizen  he  was  held  in  high  regard  by  his 
neighbors  and  friends,  who  never  questioned 
his  integrity  or  doubted  his  word.  He  was  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  of  Amherst.  His  wife, 
in  maidenhood  Laura  Frye,  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont, May  14,  1824.  She  still  continues 
her  residence  on  the  homestead  where  she  and 
her  husband  passed  so  many  happy  years  of 
peace  and  contentment.  Of  their  children 
four  are  now  living,  namely:  George  A.,  of 
Marlboro,  Mass.  ;  Helen  E. ,  of  Amherst, 
N.  H.  ;  William  L. ,  the  subject  of  this  biogra- 
phy; and  Jennie  B. ,  who  resides  with  her 
mother  and  brother  on  the  old  home  farm. 

William  L.  Robinson  was  reared  on  the 
homestead,  acquiring  his  education  in  Mont 
Vernon,  having  first  attended  the  district 
school  and  later  the  McCollom  Institute. 
Having  paid  good  heed  to  the  parental  instruc- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


325 


tions  given  him  in  agriculture  during  his 
youthful  days,  he  obtained  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  its  different  branches,  and  on  the 
death  of  his  father  was  competent  to  assume 
the  management  of  the  family  estate.  Since 
then  he  has  successfully  carried  on  general 
farming,  lumbering,  and  dairying.  His  farm 
of  three  hundred  acres  is  considered  one  of  the 
finest  in  this  vicinity.  He  takes  an  intelligent 
interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  wel- 
fare of  his  town.  In  March,  1896,  he  was 
chosen  Selectman  for  a  year,  having  been  the 
Republican  candidate  for  that  important  office. 


LVAN  \V.  BALL,  formerly  an  enter- 
prising manufacturer  of  Winchester, 
was  born  in  Warwick,  Mass.,  De- 
cember 12,  I  Si  8.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen  years  he  came  to  Winchester  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  employment  in  the  store'  of 
his  brother,  David  Ball,  in  the  village  of  Ash- 
uelot.  In  1840  he  became  a  partner  in  the 
business.  Both  he  and  his  brother  were  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  business  in  connection 
with  the  manufacture  of  tubs  and  pails  until 
1858.  Then  they  dissolved  partnership,  and 
Alvan  W.  conducted  the  enterprise  alone 
until  1866.  He  then  became  associated  in 
business  with  Wright  Wood,  and  was  also  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Ball,  Pratt  &  Turner, 
manufacturers  of  Union  beaver  cloths.  Sell- 
ing out  his  interest  in  the  last-named  firm  in 
1873,  he  established  the  firm  of  Ball  &  Scott, 
manufacturers  of  cotton  warp  and  fancy  cloths. 
Some  time  later  he  disposed  of  his  various 
business  interests,  and  passed  the  rest  of  his 
life  in  retirement.  His  last  days  were  spent 
upon  the  Capron  farm,  which  he  cultivated 
as  a  means  of  keeping  himself  busy.  He  died 
September  9,  1885,  in  his  si.xty-seventh  year, 
regretted  as  a  severe  loss  to  the  community. 
He  was  public-spirited  and  progressive.  He 
helped  in  many  ways  to  develop  the  industrial 
resources  of  the  town.  Politically,  he  acted 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  he  ably  repre- 
sented this  district  in  the  legislature  for  a 
number  of  terms.  While  one  of  the  pillars  of 
the  LTniversalist  church,  he  donated  the  ground 
for  the  Catholic  church  in  Ashuelot.      He  was 


one  of  the  directors  of  the  old  i)ul)lic  library. 
The  worthy  poor  and  other  deserving  objects 
were  frequently  benefited  by  his  benevolence. 
In  1845  Mr.  Ball  was  first  wedded  to  Jane 
Capron,  who  became  the  mother  of  one  son, 
John  P.  Ball.  His  second  marriage  was  con- 
tracted on  December  20,  1857,  with  Mrs. 
Mary  E.  Emerson  Ramsdcll,  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  I.  limerson.  By  her  former  marriage 
she  had  one  daughter — Ella  M.,  who  married 
W.  D.  Ripley.  By  Mr.  Ball  she  had  two 
children,  namely:  Benjamin  Franklin,  born 
January  10,  1861,  who  died  April  16,  1864; 
and  Florence  E.  Florence  married  Fred  Emes 
Carpenter,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  I^lmira  (Mar- 
tin) Carpenter.  An  active  and  promising 
young  business  man,  he  died  September  24, 
1888.  John  P.  Ball,  Mr.  Ball's  son  by  his 
first  wife,  began  life  as  a  clerk  for  Wright 
Wood.  In  1877  he  became  associated  with 
J.  E.  F'elch  in  conducting  a  general  store  in 
Ashuelot.  Seven  years  later  he  went  to  An- 
sonia.  Conn.,  where  he  was  for  a  time  engaged 
in  the  hardware  business  with  his  brother-in- 
law,  Fred  E.  Carpenter.  Then,  returning  to 
Winchester,  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Taylor  &  Ball,  who  continued  in  business 
for  a  year  and  a  half.  In  February,  1889, 
W.  D.  Ripley  purchased  Mr.  Taylor's  interest; 
and  the  firm  of  Ball  &  Ripley  have  since  car- 
ried on  a  flourishing  wholesale  and  retail  busi- 
ness, dealing  in  flour,  grain,  feed,  hardware, 
groceries,  paints,  oils,  etc.  John  P.  Ball  mar- 
ried Miss  M.  B.  Clark,  a  daughter  of  ¥J\ 
Clark,  of  Ro.xbnry,  N.  H.,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren —  Sylvia  and  Katherine.  Mrs.  Alvan 
W.  Ball  and  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Carpenter, 
reside  together  and  occupy  a  handsome  resi- 
dence in  the  village. 


RANK  AMIDON,  an  extensive  lumber 
manufacturer  of  Richmond,  was  born 
in  this  town,  June  16,  1839,  son  of 
Cyril  and  Adeline  (Weeks)  Amidnn.  The 
grandfather,  Jeremiah  Amidon,  who  was  born 
March  31,  1780,  moved  in  1816  from  U.x- 
bridge,  Mass.,  to  Swanzey,  N. H.,  whence  in 
1819  he  came  to  Richmond.  His  occupation 
was  farming,  and  in  1841  he  bought  the  Simon 


326 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Cook  place.  He  married  Abigail  Harwood, 
who  was  born  March  30,  1781,  and  by  her 
became  the  father  of  three  sons  and  three 
daughters.  His  death  occurred  December  14, 
1865,  and  that  of  bis  wife  on  August  16, 
1871. 

Cyril  Amidon,  who  was  born  April  2,  1812, 
learned  the  cooper's  trade,  which  he  has  since 
followed.  Also,  for  many  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  hogsheads  for 
molasses  and  sugar.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  he  served  as  Ta.x  Collector  for  many 
years.  His  wife,  Adeline,  whom  be  married 
November  27,  1834,  was  a  daughter  of  Richard 
Weeks.  She  became  the  mother  of  si.x  chil- 
dren, namely:  Alonzo,  born  August  16,  1835, 
who  died  January  16,  183S;  Frank,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Andrew,  born  February 
14,  1840;  Julia,  born  July  4,  1843;  Henry, 
born  April  28,  1845;  and  Estella,  born  Au- 
gust 20,  1850,  who  died  September  21,  1867. 
Mrs.  Cyril  Amidon  died  October  27,  1895. 

After  leaving  the  common  schools,  Frank 
Amidon  assisted  his  father  in  the  manufacture 
of  hogsheads  for  some  time.  Subsequently 
entering  the  lumber  business,  he  soon  became 
an  extensive  manufacturer,  and  has  been  en- 
gaged in  it  since.  His  practice  is  to  transport 
his  machinery  to  the  scene  of  his  logging 
operations,  where  the  timber  is  sawed  into 
building  materials  and  box  stock.  In  this  way 
he  cuts  an  average  of  two  and  one-half  million 
feet  annually,  including  spruce,  ash,  beech, 
birch,  and  maple,  a  large  amount  of  which  is 
supplied  to  box  manufacturers.  He  employs  a 
large  number  of  men  and  horses,  and  during 
the  last  seven  or  eight  years  his  output  has 
been  steadily  increasing  in  spite  of  the  busi- 
ness depression.  His  business  constitutes  an 
important  industry  in  Richmond.  He  is  also 
interested  in  the  Winchester  Savings  Bank,  of 
which  he  is  a  director.  Politically,  he  acts 
with  the  Democratic  party.  Excepting  the 
period  during  which  he  was  Road  Agent,  his 
enterprises  have  prevented  him  from  taking 
any  active  part  in  public  affairs.  He  is  con- 
nected with  the  local  grange,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry. 

Mr.  Amidon's  first  marriage  was  contracted 
with  Hattie  J.  Whipple,    a  daughter  of  Silas 


and  a  grand-daughter  of  Otis  Whipijle.  Born 
of  that  union  are  two  daughters,  namely:  Inez, 
the  wife  of  Andrew  Lyman;  and  Emma  E., 
who  is  also  married.  The  mother  died  in 
1876.  A  second  marriage  on  November  14, 
t88i,  united  Mr.  Amidon  with  Lydia  Barrus, 
a  daughter  of  Alvan  Barrus,  and  a  successful 
school-teacher.  The  present  Mrs.  Amidon  has 
had  two  children  —  Evelyn  and  Clifton  F. 
The  latter  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 


REDERICK  T.  SAWYER,  the  Treas- 
urer of  the  town  of  Milford  and  the 
cashier  of  the  Souhegan  National 
Bank,  was  born  May  13,  i8ig,  in  Bradford, 
Merrimack  County,  N.  H.  It  is  supposed  that 
he  is  of  German  extraction.  His  father,  Jabez 
Sawyer,  who  was  born  in  Salem,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried Miss  Hannah  Emerson,  of  Newbury, 
Mass.,  and  settled  in  Bradford,  this  State, 
where  both  he  and  his  wife,  the  mother  of 
Frederick  T.,  spent  their  remaining  years. 

F'rederick  T.  Sawyer  grew  to  man's  estate 
in  his  native  town,  where  he  started  in  life  on 
his  own  account  as  clerk  in  a  general  store. 
In  1840  he  went  to  Nashua,  N.H.,  being  there 
engaged  in  a  similar  capacity  for  a  number  of 
years.  Subsequently,  forming  a  copartnership 
with  a  Mr.  Roby,  under  the  style  of  Roby  & 
Sawyer,  he  established  himself  in  business  in 
Chelmsford,  Mass.,  as  a  manufacturer  of 
scythes.  In  1854  Mr.  Sawyer  came  to  Mil- 
ford,  and  was  there  employed  for  two  years  in 
the  capacity  of  station  agent  on  the  Nashua  & 
Lowell  Railroad.  Then,  in  company  with  the 
late  William  R.  Wallace,  he  opened  a  store 
for  the  sale  of  general  merchandise,  where 
they  had  a  thriving  business  for  some  years 
under  the  firm  name  of  Wallace  &  Sawyer. 
On  the  dissolution  of  this  firm  Mr.  Sawyer 
was  appointed  cashier  of  the  Souhegan  Na- 
tional Bank,  an  office  which  he  has  since  filled 
with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  bank  officials.  He  has  also  been  a 
director  of  the  bank  for  a  long  time.  Since 
1872  he  has  been  treasurer  of  the  town  of 
Milford,  an  oflfice  for  which  he  has  proved  him- 
self well  fitted.  In  politics  he  is  a  strong 
advocate  of  the  principles  of   the   Republican 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


327 


party,  and  in  1S64  and  1865  he  represented 
Milford  in  the  State  legislature.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  Notary  I'liblic,  and  he  has 
likewise  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

In  December,  1859,  Mr.  Sawyer  married 
Miss  Sarah  Lovejoy,  of  Amherst,  N.  H. 
Their  children  are:  Bertha  C. ,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Professor  D.  S.  Elanpicd,  a  teacher  of 
music  in  the  Vermont  Seminary  at  Montpelier, 
Vt.  ;  P'rederick  W. ,  the  assistant  cashier  in 
the  Souhegan  National  Bank;  Chester  A.,  a 
resident  of  Milford;  and  Gertrude,  who  is  a 
kindergarten  teacher  in  Brooklyn,  N.Y. 


^^OSES  LOVEJOY  was  formerly  one 
of  Wilton's  thrifty  farmers.  Born 
in  this  town,  December  27,  1807, 
son  of  Moses  and  Nancy  (Tarbell) 
Lovejoy,  he  was  a  grandson  of  Moses  Lovejoy 
(first),  an  early  settler  of  Wilton,  who  there 
converted  a  tract  of  wild  land  into  a  good  farm, 
and  with  his  wife,  Dorcas  Holt  Lovejoy, 
reared  a  family  of  five  children.  The  second 
Moses  Lovejoy,  who  was  a  lifelong  resident  of 
Wilton,  profitably  tilled  the  soil  during  his 
active  years,  thereby  acquiring  considerable 
property.  An  upright,  conscientious  man,  his 
death  in  1846  was  mourned  by  all  who  knew 
him.  His  wife,  Nancy  Tarbell  Lovejoy,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Tarbell,  of  Mason,  N.H., 
became  the  mother  of  four  children,  all  of 
whom  are  now  deceased. 

The  third  Moses  Lovejoy,  and  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  the  eldest  child  of  his  parents. 
He  was  reared  to  agriculture,  which  was 
his  occupation  through  life.  When  fourteen 
years  of  age  he  took  charge  of  the  homestead, 
which  now  consists  of  five  hundred  acres,  and 
resided  there  until  1S42.  He  then  sold  the 
property  and  moved  to  the  farm  of  one  hundred 
acres  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Lovejoy,  and  there 
continued  to  carry  on  general  farming  for 
many  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat, 
and  he  served  with  ability  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Selectmen  for  eight  years.  The  cap- 
tain of  a  mounted  company  in  this  town,  he 
took  a  lively  interest  in  military  affairs  for 
many  years.  His  religious  belief  was  that  of 
the  Baptist  denomination. 


On  October  2,  1838,  Mr.  Lovejoy  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Lucy  C.  Gray,  who 
was  born  in  Wilton,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Susan  (Merrill)  Gray.  Mrs.  Lovejoy  has  had 
si.x  children,  of  whom  Lucy  A.,  Abbie  N., 
Susan  Ella,  and  Ida  N.  attained  maturity. 
Lucy  married  George  Parkhurst,  of  Wilton, 
and  died  leaving  three  children  —  Samuel, 
Francis  A.,  and  Angle.  Abbie  N.  was  the 
wife  of  N.  H.  Whitney,  of  Fitchburg,  Mass. 
Her  children  are:  Lucy  M.  A.,  who  married 
P^dmund  M.  Purdy,  of  Wilton,  and  has  three 
children  —  Moses  M.,  Margaret  A.,  and  Man- 
ning W.  ;  and  Harry  H.,  who  married  Anna 
Coffin,  of  Townsend,  Mass.,  and  has  one 
daughter — Hazel  G.  Susan  p;ila  died  June 
23,  1870.  Ida  N.  Lovejoy  became  the  wife  of 
E.  W.  Major,  and  died  leaving  one  son, 
Charles  W. 

Mr.  Lovejoy,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
died  February  9,  1891,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years,  leaving  his  widow  in  comfortable 
circumstances.  While  Mrs.  Lovejoy  has  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  all  her  children,  she  is 
surrounded  by  loving  friends  who  regard  her 
with  the  most  sincere  affection. 


ZRA  M.  GAY,  Jr.,  a  well-known  and 
highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Milford. 
was  born  December  12,  1836,  in 
Hookset,  Merrimack  County,  this  State,  com- 
ing from  honored  Massachusetts  ancestry.  On 
both  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides  he  is  of 
Revolutionary  stock,  several  members  of  the 
Gay  family  having  been  among  the  heroes  of 
the  Revolutionary  War;  while  Dr.  Mann,  who 
won  fame  as  a  soldier  in  the  glorious  struggle 
of  the  colonies,  was  his  great-uncle,  having 
been  a  brother  of  his  father's  mother. 

Ezra  M.  Gay,  Sr. ,  a  native  of  Wrentham, 
Mass.,  was  practically  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources  at  the  age  of  seven  years.  Begin- 
ning at  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  served  an 
apprenticeship  of  seven  years  to  the  trades  of 
carpenter  and  machinist.  Subsequently  for  a 
long  period  he  was  emplo3'ed  at  the  Amos- 
keag  Manufacturing  Company's  mills  at  Man- 
chester, this  State.  Later,  in  company  with 
Major  George  Daniels,  he  had  charge  of  the 


,28 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


cotton-mill  in  Milford  that  is  now  owned 
and  managed  by  the  Morse  &  Kaley  Manufact- 
uring Company.  His  connection  with  this 
factory  lasted  until  his  health  gave  out  and 
he  was  forced  to  resign.  Thenceforth  he  lived 
in  retirement  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1889,  the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age.  A 
man  of  sterling  integrity,  he  was  highly  re- 
spected. Though  often  importuned  to  accept 
local  offices  of  trust,  he  steadily  declined.  In 
politics  he  was  at  first  a  Whig.  He  joined 
the  Republican  party  at  its  formation,  and 
thereafter  was  one  of  its  most  faithful  ad- 
herents. He  married  Miss  Clarissa  Farley, 
who,  it  is  supposed,  was  born  in  Hollis,  this 
county,  and  who  died  in  1876.  Their  only 
child  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Ezra  M.  G^y,  Jr.,  has  lived  in  Milford  since 
his  infancy,  his  parents  having  settled  here  in 
1837.  After  obtaining  the  rudiments  of 
knowledge  in  Milford,  his  education  was  com- 
pleted at  Appleton's  Academy  in  New  Ips- 
wich, N.  H.  In  politics  he  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party,  having  never  swerved  from 
the  principles  in  which  he  was  reared. 


BEN  C.  TOLMAN,  an  enterprising 
business  man  of  Nelson  and  an  ex- 
member  of  the  New  Hampshire  leg- 
islature, was  born  in  this  town,  December  6, 
1 83 1,  son  of  Cyrus  and  Lucy  (Abbott)  Tol- 
man.  His  grandfather,  Ehenezer  Tolman, 
who  was  a  native  of  Fitzwilliam,  N.  H.,  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and 
served  elsewhere,  under  General  Arnold,  in 
the  War  of  Independence.  Ebenezer  afterward 
settled  upon  a  farm  in  Nelson,  arriving  here 
June  3,  1793  ;  and  the  rest  of  his  life  was  spent 
in  this  town.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Clark,  and  his  children  were:  Ebenezer, 
George,  Betsey,  Cynthia,  William,  Cyrus, 
and  Mary. 

Cyrus  Tolman,  the  father  of  Eben  C. ,  was 
born  in  Nelson  in  the  year  1800.  He  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  from  an  early 
age,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.  His  wife,  Lucy,  who  was  born  in 
Tyngsboro,  Mass.,  August  15,  1797,  daughter 
of   Nathaniel  Abbott,    became   the   mother    of 


five  children  —  Eben  C,  Mary  E.,  Melancey 
E.,  Lucy  M.,  and  Orson  C.  Mary  E.  married 
Lyman  A.  Tenney,  and  lives  In  Antrim,  N.  H. 
Melancey  E.  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 
Lucy  M.,  who  married  George  W.  Osgood,  of 
this  town,  is  now  deceased.  Orson  C. ,  a  vet- 
eran of  the  Civil  War,  and  the  owner  of  a  farm 
in  Nelson,  has  served  upon  the  Board  of  Se- 
lectmen, was  Supervisor  for  a  time,  is  a  com- 
rade of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  He  married  Emily  Parker,  of 
Manchester,  N.H.,  and  has  three  children. 
Cyrus  Tolman  died  in  1857,  and  his  wife  on 
November  5,  1864. 

Eben  C.  Tolman  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  clothes-pins  and  other  articles  for  a 
number  of  years.  Since  then  he  has  been 
quite  extensively  occupied  in  lumbering  in 
addition  to  conducting  a  farm.  He  served 
with  ability  as  a  Selectman  and  Moderator  at 
Town  Meetings  for  a  number  of  years,  and  he 
was  elected  to  the  legislature  in  1879.  -A" 
energetic  and  progressive  business  man,  he 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  town's  welfare. 
He  is  connected  with  the  local  grange. 

Mr.  Tolman  married  Pollen  J.  Rugg,  who 
was  born  in  Sullivan,  N.  H.,  May  17,  1836, 
daughter  of  Martin  Rugg.  Mrs.  Tolman 
previous  to  her  marriage  was  a  successful 
school  teacher  for  several  years,  and  held  the 
responsible  office  of  superintendent  of  schools 
in  this  town.  She  is  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren, namely:  Ellen  Gertrude,  born  May  14, 
1862;  and  Wilmer  C. ,  born  April  iS,  1870. 
Ellen  Gertrude  married  Henry  Corey,  a  manu- 
facturer of  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  has  two 
children  —  Kenneth  Tolman  Corey  and  Donald 
Clark  Corey.  Wilmer  C,  who  resides  at 
home,  married  Etta  M.  Milton,  daughter  of 
William  Milton,  of  Hampton  Falls.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tolman  attend  the  Congregational  church. 


-OHN  T.  ELLSWORTH,  who  was  a 
prosperous  farmer  and  a  highly  es- 
teemed resident  of  I'eterboro,  was 
born  in  Brookline,  Mass.,  April  23, 
1820,  son  of  John  and  Lucretia  (Thayer)  Ells- 
worth.     PI  is  father,  a  native  of   Pownal,  Vt., 


bio(;raphical  review 


329 


born  May  17,  1777,  vvas  for  ninny  years 
engaged  in  general  farming  in  Hardwick, 
Mass.  John  Ellsworth  afterward  moved  from 
the  latter  town  to  Barre,  and  later  to  Worces- 
ter, Mass.,  where  he  died  April  30,  1862. 
His  wife,  who,  born  in  Pownal,  Vt.,  July  29, 
1787,  died  in  Harre,  January  9,  1856,  was  the 
mother  of  nine  children,  none  of  whom  are 
living. 

John  T.  Ellsworth  acquired  a  good  practical 
education.  When  a  young  man,  he  worked  at 
mattress-making  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.  Later 
he  attempted  to  learn  the  machinist's  trade  in 
Chicopee,  Mass.,  but  was  prevented  by  feeble 
health  from  completing  his  apprenticeship. 
He  then  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in 
Hardwick,  where  he  resided  for  some  years. 
From  Hardwick  he  moved  to  Barre,  where  he 
bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres, 
and  was  thereafter  engaged  in  agriculture  for 
thirty  years.  In  1888  he  came  to  Peterboro 
and  purchased  a  valuable  piece  of  agricultural 
property,  containing  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres.  This  he  managed  for  the  rest  of  his 
life,  which  terminated  at  his  home  in  Peter- 
boro, October  i,  1894,  when  he  was  over 
seventy-four  years  old.  Intelligent,  progres- 
sive, and  an  industrious  man,  he  acquired  a 
good  estate.  He  was  a  regular  attendant  of 
the  Congregational  church,  and  aided  liberally 
in  its  support.  In  politics  he  acted  with  the 
Republican  party. 

The  first  of  Mr.  Ellsworth's  two  marriages 
was  contracted  May  i,  1849,  with  Maria  Law- 
rence, daughter  of  Moses  Lawrence,  of  Hard- 
wick, Mass.  She  had  three  children,  of 
whom  one  died  in  infancy.  The  others  are: 
Emory  A.,  born  August  3,  1852;  and  John 
E. ,  born  in  Hardwick,  June  21,  1854.  Emory 
A.  Ellsworth,  who  graduated  from  the  Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural  College  in  the  class  of 
1871,  and  is  now  a  civil  engineer  and  architect 
in  Holyoke,  Mass.,  married  Lucy  Bradford,  of 
Florence,  Mass.,  and  has  three  children  — 
Edith,  Frank,  and  Henry.  John  E.  Ells- 
worth, who  attended  school  in  Barre,  has  given 
his  attention  to  farming.  He  assisted  his 
father  while  he  lived,  and  is  now  managing  the 
property  with  ability.  On  March  16,  1886, 
he  married   Susie  T.  Haire,  daughter  of  Bar- 


tholomew Hairc,  of  Barre,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  JohnT.,  born  August  12,  1887; 
lidna  J.,  born  ]'"ebruary  26,  1890;  and  Lau- 
rence E. ,  born  November  27,  1892.  Both 
parents  arc  connected  with  Peterboro  Grange, 
and  are  members  of  the  Congregational  church. 
Mrs.  Maria  F211sworth  died  September  15, 
1856.  Her  husband's  second  marriage  was 
made  June  30,  1858,  with  I-^mma  M.  Fales, 
of  Petersham,  Mass.  The  widow,  who  re- 
sides at  the  homestead  in  Peterboro,  is 
highly  esteemed  in  the  community.  She 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional   church. 


ARREN     E.    FOSTER,    a    rising 

young  business  man  of  Wilton, 
Hillsboro  County,  was  born  in  Mil- 
ford,  N.H.,  July  I,  1867,  son  of  Samuel  K. 
and  Hattie  E.  (Hood)  Needham  Foster.  His 
grandparents  were  Isaac  and  Jane  (Allds) 
Foster,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Mont  Vernon,  N.H.  Isaac  Foster 
died  April  10,  1872,  aged  eighty -one  years, 
and  his  wife,  P"ebruary  9,  1874,  aged  seventy- 
two  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  whom  Samuel  K.  was  the  young- 
est. The  only  survivor  is  Harriet  J.,  widow 
of  John  Goss,  late  of  Milford,  N.H.,  and  the 
mother  of  si.K  children  —  Clara,  Pllla,  Frank, 
John,  George,  and  Adelaide. 

Samuel  K.  Foster,  father  of  Warren  E.,  was 
born  in  Nashua,  N.H.  He  learned  the  stove 
and  plumbing  business  in  Milford,  and  car- 
ried it  on  for  a  short  time  in  that  town.  Re- 
moving in  1867  to  Wilton,  he  here  conducted 
a  large  and  profitable  enterprise  in  that  line 
for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died  November 
20,  1892,  aged  fifty-four  years.  He  was  an 
industrious  and  progressive  business  man,  and 
well  liked  personally,  winning  the  esteem  of 
all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Democrat.  His  wife,  Hattie, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Hood,  of  Bil- 
lerica,  Mass.,  was  first  married  to  Lucius  R. 
Needham,  now  deceased.  She  became  the 
mother  of  five  children  by  her  second  hus- 
band, of  whom  four  are  living,  namely:  War- 
ren  E.,    the  subject  of    this  sketch;    Eugene 


33° 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


S. ;  Fred  K. ;  and  Ilattie  L.  Eugene  S. 
wedded  Maud  L.  French,  of  Wilton,  and  his 
children  are:  Leo  R.  and  Grace  E.  Fred  K. 
married  Bertha  Allshaw,  of  Lowell,  Mass., 
and  has  one  son,  Byron.  Hattie  L.  is  the 
wife  of  John  H.  Peterson,  of  Wilton.  Mrs. 
Samuel  K.  Foster  is  still  living,  and  resides 
in  Wilton.  She  attends  the  Unitarian 
church. 

Warren  E.  Foster  began  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Wilton,  and  completed  his 
studies  at  the  Mont  Vernon  Academy  in  1886. 
He  learned  the  plumber's  trade  of  his  father, 
and  since  1892  has  carried  on  the  business 
upon  his  own  account.  He  deals  in  stoves, 
tinware,  hardware,  and  similar  articles,  and 
does  all  kinds  of  plumbing  and  repairing.  On 
June  12,  1894,  Mr.  Foster  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage with  Ethel  J.  Bailey,  daughter  of  Free- 
man Bailey,  of  Wilton.  Politically,  Mr. 
Foster  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  Supervisor  of 
the  Check  List,  and  has  served  as  Town  Clerk 
since  1892.  He  is  connected  with  Laurel 
Lodge,  No.  78,  L  O.  O.  F.,  of  which  he  was 
treasurer  for  two  years,  and  he  was  for  three 
years  secretary  of  the  Order  of  Pilgrim 
F'athers.  He  and  his  wife  attend  the  Unita- 
rian church. 


T^HARLES  D.  HOLT,  one  of  the  pres- 
I  sX  ent  Representatives  of  Milford,  in  the 
^y*^  lower    house    of    the  State  legislat- 

ure, and  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Holt  Brothers,  retail  dealers  in  meats  and 
provisions,  is  a  native  of  Wilton,  N.  H.  Born 
November  39,  1857,  he  is  a  son  of  James  H. 
and  Nancy  (Pierce)  Holt,  the  former  a  native 
of  Temple,  N.H.,  and  the  latter  of  Jaffrey, 
N.H.  The  genealogy  of  the  Holt  family  is 
traced  to  one  of  three  brothers  of  that  name 
who  came  from  England,  and  settled  in  An- 
dover,  Mass.  James  H.  Holt  was  prominent  in 
the  local  grange.  After  residing  for  a  time  in 
Temple,  N.H.,  he  settled  in  Wilton  in  1863, 
and  there  was  engaged  in  farming  and  manu- 
facturing until  his  death  on  December  11, 
1894.  Of  his  five  children  three  are  living  — 
Nathaniel  K.,  Charles  D.,  and  Emma  R. 
Emma   is   the   wife   of    J.    Edward    Taylor,    of 


New  Ipswich,  N.H.  The  others  were:  Sam- 
uel P.,  who  served  in  the  Civil  War  with 
Company  A,  Fourteenth  New  Hampshire  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  was  wounded  at  tlie  battle 
of  Cedar  Creek,  and  died  from  the  effects  of 
the  wound;  and  James  A.,  who  became  prom- 
inent in  Wilton,  was  a  self-made  man,  and  a 
Deacon  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Wilton 
Centre.  \ 

Charles  D.  Holt  was  brought  up  in  his  na- 
tive town,  receiving  his  education  mainly  in 
the  Wilton  public  schools.  Afterward  for 
six  years  he  was  an  employee  of  Haywood 
Brothers  &  Co.,  chair  manufacturers  at  Gard- 
ner, Mass.  He  then  came  to  Milford,  N.H.; 
and  on  February  i,  1887,  he  and  his  brother 
purchased  the  meat  business  of  E.  F.  Trow  & 
Son.  Since  that  time  the  store  has  been  very 
successfully  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of 
Holt  Brothers. 

In  politics  Mr.  Holt  is  a  Republican.  On 
November  3,  1S96,  he  was  elected  Represent- 
ative from  Milford  to  the  State  legislature. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  of  Mil- 
ford and  an  attendant  at  the  Baptist  church. 
His  residence  is  at  47  Elm  Street.  The  place 
was  purchased  by  him  in  the  fall  of  1887  from 
S.  B.  Emerson,  formerly  a  resident  of  Mil- 
ford. By  energy  and  fidelity  in  business  he 
has  acquired  the  confidence  of  the  community. 
Thoroughly  alive  to  the  interests  of  his  town, 
all  progressive  movements  receive  his  sympa- 
thy and  support. 


nrx  AVID     L.     DANIELS,    of    Milford, 

I        I      the    senior    member    of     the    well- 

l|^/      known      firm      D.     L.     Daniels     & 

Co.,  granite  and   marble  monument 

makers  and  dealers,    was   born    December   28, 

1863,  in    London,    England,    son   of  John   and 

Sarah  (Harris)  Daniels.      The  father,  with  his 

wife,    emigrated    in    1871    to   the   Province   of 

Quebec,  Canada,  where  he  afterward   followed 

the  occupations  of  carpenter  and  farmer. 

Until  he  was  twenty  years  old  Mr.  Daniels 
remained  in  Canada,  obtaining  his  education 
in  the  common  schools.  In  18S3  he  came 
to  the  States,  locating  at  first  in  Lowell, 
Mass.,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  granite 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


2ii 


cutter,  remaining  tliere  until  1S90.  Tiien  he 
removed  to  Milford,  and  started  in  business 
for  himself.  On  January  i,  iSg6,  the  pres- 
ent firm  of  D.  L.  Daniels  &  Co.  was  organ- 
ized. Since  then  both  the  wholesale  and  re- 
tail trade  of  this  wide-awake  firm  has  greatly 
increased,  being  now  one  of  the  most  lucrative 
in  the  vicinity.  An  average  of  ten  men  are 
kept  busily  employed  in  filling  orders  from  all 
parts  of  the  State,  where  their  goods  meet 
with  a  ready  sale. 

Mr.  Daniels  is  a  thirty-second  degree 
Mason.  He  is  also  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a 
member  of  other  local  orders.  In  politics  he 
is  a  steadfast  Republican.  He  and  Mrs. 
Daniels  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  H.  Ger- 
trude Daniels,  now  four  years  old. 


J D WARD  ALEXANDER,  of  Winches- 
^  ter,  who  was  a  railroad  station  agent 
here  for  more  than  forty  years,  and 
at  one  time  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature,  was  born  September  6,  1814,  in 
the  house  where  he  now  resides.  A  son  of 
Luther  and  Eunice  (Ripley)  Alexander,  he  is 
a  descendant  in  the  seventh  generation  from 
the  founder  of  the  family,  John  Alexander. 
This  ancestor,  who  prior  to  1644  emigrated 
from  Scotland  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  brought 
with  him  his  three  sons  —  George,  John,  and 
Thomas.  George  Alexander  settled  in  North- 
ampton, Mass.,  in  1673.  His  son  John,  who 
was  born  in  1645,  and  accompanied  his  father 
to  Northampton,  at  a  later  date  located  in 
Northfield,  Mass.  Ebenezer  Alexander  (first), 
son  of  John,  born  in  Northfield  in  1684,  was 
prominent  in  both  civil  and  military  affairs, 
and  became  noted  as  a  soldier  under  Sir  Will- 
iam Pepperell  and  Governor  Shirley.  He 
served  as  Ensign  under  Captain  Thomas 
Wells  and  as  Lieutenant  under  Captain  Ben- 
jamin Wright,  in  the  expedition  against  Cape 
Iketon.  For  gallant  conduct  displayed  at  the 
capture  of  Louisburg  he  was  commissioned 
Captain  by  Sir  William  Pepperell.  He  ac- 
companied Governor  Shirley's  expedition  to 
Canada,  and  when  sixty-four  years  old  he  led 
a  company  of  rangers  through  the  woods  in 
search  of  Indians.      For  a  period  of  forty  years 


he  was  a  Deacon  of  the  church  in  Northfield. 
On  October  10,  1709,  he  married  Mchitable 
Buck,  with  whom  he  lived  happily  for  fifty- 
seven  years.  He  died  January  22,  1768,  and 
his  wife  on  March  6,  1767,  aged  eighty-three 
years. 

Ebenezer  Alexander  (second),  great-grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
in  Northfield  in  1714.  In  company  with  sev- 
eral other  pioneers  he  came  to  the  valley  of 
the  Ashuelot  in  1734,  and  established  a  set- 
tlement. When  a  log  meeting-house  was 
erected  in  1735,  he  was  made  the  first  Deacon. 
The  entire  settlement,  including  the  meet- 
ing-house, was  burned  in  1745.  In  1737 
Deacon  Alexander  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Abigail  Rockwood,  whose  children  by 
him  were:  Abigail,  born  July  20,  1738,  who 
died  May  19,  1739;  Reuben,  born  February 
17,  1740;  Asa,  born  October  7,  1742,  who 
died  November  4,  181 1;  Abigail  (second), 
born  August  30,  174S,  who  died  in  1806; 
John,  born  August  29,  1748,  who  died  De- 
cember 6  of  the  same  year;  and  Ann,  born 
July  12,  1753,  who  died  in  1776.  Deacon 
Alexander  died  July  29,  1788,  and  his  wife  on 
March  27  of  the  same  year.  Reuben  Alex- 
ander, Edward  Alexander's  grandfather,  was  a 
native  of  Winchester.  He  was  a  Selectman 
in  1773,  took  the  census  of  Winchester  in 
177s,  was  a  Representative  to  the  General 
Court  in  1776,  and  he  also  acted   as   a  Justice 


of  the  Peace.  He  served  as  Captain  in  Colo- 
nel Samuel  Ashley's  regiment,  which 
niarched  from  Cheshire  County  at  the  request 
of  Major-general  Gates,  to  re-enforce  the 
American  army  at  Ticonderoga.  At  a  later 
"date  he   held   the   rank   of   Colonel.      He   died 


May  19,  181 1.  In  1764  he  married  Sarah 
Foster.  His  children  were:  Caleb,  born  May 
19,  1765,  who  died  April  14,  1838;  Sarah, 
born  June  26,  1767,  who  died  November  27, 
1801;  Miriam,  born  September  2,  177T,  who 
died  October  3,  1809;  Edward,  born  Decem- 
ber 22,  1773,  who  died  October  19,  1806; 
Foster,  born  July  3,  1775,  who  'died  August 
2,  1841;  Luther,  born  July  i,  1778:  P^lijah, 
born  February  21,  1782,  who  died  May  13, 
i860;  and  another  child,  who  died  in  infancy. 
Foster   Alexander,    who   became  a    prominent 


332 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


lawyer,  erected  in  1803  the  house  in  which 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  now  resides,  and 
afterward  sold  it  to  his  brother  Luther. 

Luther  Alexander,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Winchester,  when  a  young  man  engaged  in 
trade.  He  was  for  a  time  associated  with 
John  Capron  in  the  manufacture  of  linseed 
oil  at  Ashuelot,  and  later  carried  on  a  potash 
factory  upon  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
tannery.  He  was  Captain  of  the  first  military 
company  organized  in  Winchester,  and  the 
ground  in  front  of  his  house  was  used  to  drill 
his  command.  When  he  died,  August  i, 
182 1,  he  was  forty-three  years  old.  His  wife, 
Eunice,  whom  he  married  May  12,  1805,  be- 
came the  mother  of  four  children,  namely: 
George,  born  February  26,  1806,  who  was 
drowned  at  sea,  February  13,  1824;  Sarah, 
born  March  5,  1808,  who  died  April  4,  iSio; 
Edward,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Luther,  born  January  31,  18 19,  who  died  May 
4,   1829. 

Edward  Alexander  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Winchester.  For  some  time  after 
the  completion  of  his  studies  he  was  employed 
as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store  in  Swanzey. 
Upon  his  return  to  his  native  town  he  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  for  himself,  and  later 
became  associated  with  his  brother-in-law, 
John  G.  Capron,  in  running  a  line  of  freight 
boats  between  Hartford  and  the  towns  along 
the  Connecticut  River.  That  firm,  which 
was  known  as  Capron  &  Alexander,  continued 
to  transport  merchandise  until  the  building  of 
the  railroad,  when  they  went  out  of  business. 
For  the  next  few  years  Mr.  Alexander  was  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  trade.  When  the  Ashue- 
lot Railway  was  completed,  he  was  appointed 
station  agent  in  Winchester,  a  position  which 
he  held  from  1851  to  1894.  At  the  age  of 
eighty  years  he  retired  from  active  business 
pursuits.  In  politics  he  followed  the  major- 
ity of  the  Whigs  into  the  ranks  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  which  he  has  since  consistently 
supported,  excepting  the  occasion  when  he 
voted  for  Horace  Greeley  in  1872.  He  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  for 
fourteen  years  in  all,  and  was  the  chairman 
for  a  large  share  of  the  time.  While  filling 
that  office  during  the  Civil   War,   his  duties 


were  both  numerous  and  exacting.  He  was 
Town  Treasurer  for  three  years,  and  he  ably 
represented  his  district  in  the  legislature  for 
two  terms.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Ashuelot 
Savings  Rank  during  its  existence  and  one  of 
the  incorporators  of  the  Security  Savings 
Bank.  He  is  connected  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  he  is  the  oldest  living  member 
of  the  Universalist  Society  in  Winchester. 

On  October  9,  1839,  Mr.  Alexander  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Lucy  M.  Capron,  who 
was  born  August  19,  18 17,  and  was  a  sister  of 
John  G.  Capron,  his  former  business  associate. 
Mrs.  Alexander  became  the  mother  of  three 
children,  born  as  follows:  George  E.,  June 
18,  1844;  Jane  Grace,  October  26,  1848;  and 
Eugene  L.,  May  26,  1853.  George  E.  is  now 
head  carpenter  at  the  Boston  City  Hospital, 
and  has  charge  of  all  repairs  at  that  institu- 
tion. Eugene  L.  resides  upon  the  home  farm, 
and  is  engaged  in  farming  and  the  milk  busi- 
ness.     Mrs.  Alexander  died  January  19,  1S96. 


JANE      GRACE     ALEX- 


ANDER,   of    Winchester,    N.H., 

first   woman 
to   be   ap- 


known  as  being   the 
the    United    States 


pointed  treasurer  of  a  bank,  was  born  in  Win- 
chester on  October  26,  1848.  She  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  her  native  town, 
and  subsequently  became  a  successful  teacher. 

Early  in  life  she  began  to  assist  her  father 
at  keeping  books,  and  later  assumed  the  active 
management  of  his  affairs.  Her  work  for  her 
father  was  so  efiicient  that  it  brought  recogni- 
tion from  the  cashier  of  the  Winchester  Na- 
tional Bank;  and  in  1871  she  entered  the  bank 
as  book-keeper,  and  gradually  assumed  the 
position  of  assistant  cashier,  which  office  she 
has  since  held.  Her  ability,  good  judgment, 
and  integrity  gained  for  her  the  confidence 
of  the  bank  officials  to  such  a  degree  that  in 
1 88 1  she  was  elected  treasurer  of  Winchester 
Security  Savings  Bank;  and  sheihas  held  that 
position  to  the  present  time,  ably  doing  the 
duties  which  come  to  her,  and  commanding 
the  respect  of  those  with  whom  she  works. 

In  the  town  Miss  Alexander  is  looked  up  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


333 


as  a  leader  in  various  lines.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  Universalist  church,  and  has  for  fifteen 
years  been  superintendent  of  the  Universalist 
Sunday-school.  In  this  work  she  takes  a  deep 
interest,  believing  that  her  duties  as  superin- 
tendent should  be  performed  in  as  prompt  and 
business-like  a  manner  as  those  of  her  official 
position  at  the  bank.  In  all  church  matters 
she  takes  a  leading  part,  and  is  always  ready 
with  contributions  of  time  and  money,  as  well 
as  with  counsel  and  timely  suggestion.  Nat- 
urally gifted  with  leadership  qualities,  Miss 
Alexander  is  generally  appealed  to  for  moral 
support  for  any  movement  that  needs  the  help 
of  a  powerful  hand  to  push  it  along.  She  is 
a  trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  public  library 
and  treasurer  of  the  school  district.  She  be- 
longs to  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  and 
was  the  first  Worthy  Matron  of  Electa  Chap- 
ter of  Winchester.  As  her  life  has  been 
largely  occupied  with  business  pursuits,  Miss 
Alexander  has  developed  a  self-reliance  and 
strength  of  character  which  many  women  do 
not  possess;  but  she  has  at  the  same  time  pre- 
served other  admirable  qualities,  being  sym- 
pathetic and  tender-hearted  and  devoted  to  her 
home  and  to  home  ties. 

The  Alexander  homestead  is  one  of  the 
landmarks  of  Winchester.  The  dwelling  is  a 
large  old-fashioned  house  built  in  the  Colonial 
style,  set  on  a  smooth  lawn  several  rods  back 
from  the  main  street;  and  many  beautiful  old 
maples  arch  over  the  winding  carriage  drive. 
Across  the  road,  with  no  houses  between  to 
cut  off  the  view,  flows  the  Ashuelot  River,  its 
banks  guarded  by  a  row  of  majestic  pines. 
Inside  the  house  are  many  interesting  relics 
and  antiquities.  There  are  fireplaces  with 
wood  jambs,  carved  by  hand  in  the  style  of 
the  past  century;  and  above  one  of  these  there 
is  a  painting  on  the  wall,  which  some  ruth- 
less hand  has  covered  with  modern  house 
paper.  There  is  a  piano  whose  yellow  keys 
and  cracked  tone  show  that  it  was  old  when 
our  mothers  were  young.  But  the  most  inter- 
esting article  of  all  is  an  old-fashioned  secre- 
tary that  has  been  in  the  family  for  one  hun- 
dred years,  and  evidently  has  a  history. 

One  day  while  Miss  Alexander's  mother 
was  dusting  this  heirloom  after  it  had  been  re- 


turned from  a  cabinet-maker's  shop,  where  it 
had  been  sent  for  repairs,  she  noticed  what 
seemed  to  her  a  slight  difference  in  the  look 
of  its  internal  arrangements,  and  ujion  closer 
examination  discovered  a  secret  drawer  which 
had  been  so  deftly  constructed  as  to  escape  all 
previous  observation,  the  dust  of  years  having 
covered  the  two  pins  that  served  as  fastenings. 
These  pins  she  removed;  and  the  drawer, 
being  opened,  disclosed  seventy-five  dollars  in 
gold,  which  had  been  so  long  undisturbed 
that  their  weight  had  imprinted  into  the 
wood  bottom  of  the  drawer  their  exact  size 
and  many  of  their  most  salient  mint  features. 
The  coins  were  American  half-eagles,  and 
eagles  as  fresh  as  though  just  from  the  mint, 
and  bore  dates  from  1795  to  1814.  Who  of 
Miss  Alexander's  ancestors  made  use  of  this 
secret  receptacle  is  unknown,  and  is  in  all 
probability  to  remain  so.  Miss  Alexander's 
father,  Edward  Alexander,  a  capable  and  in- 
telligent gentleman  eighty-four  years  of  age, 
who  has  always  resided  at  the  old  family  home- 
stead, never  heard  even  in  the  remotest  man- 
ner a  suggestion  as  to  anything  of  a  secret 
character  attaching  to  this  or  any  other  arti- 
cle of  his  parents'  household  furniture. 


OLLIS  F.  TOWNE,  the  proprietor 
of  the  largest  general    store   in   Mar- 

Lq  I  low,  was  born    in    Stoddard,    N.H., 

December  3,  1857,  son  of  Frank 
and  Ann  M.  (Thompson)  Towne.  His  grand- 
father, Ebenezer  Towne,  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  a  highly  respected  resident  of  Stod- 
dard. He  was  the  father  of  five  children; 
namely,  Hollis,  Frank,  Sylvia,  Lucy,  and 
another  child  who  died  in  infancy. 

Frank  Towne,  a  native  of  Stoddard,  born  in 
1823,  after  following  the  trade  of  a  stone  mason 
in  Boston  for  some  time,  returned  to  Stoddard, 
and  was  there  engaged  in  farming  for  the  rest 
of  his  life.  His  honorable,  upright  character 
gained  for  him  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
his  fellow-townsmen;  and  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  Sunapee,  N.  H.,  May  4,  1876,  was 
sincerely  regretted  by  the  entire  community. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 
Annie   M.    Thompson    Towne,    his    first    wife, 


334 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


who  died  August  19,  1869,  was  a  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  Thompson,  of  Stoddard.  She  had 
three  children — Cynthia  A.,  Hattie  F.,  and 
Hollis  F.  The  second  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Martha  Whittemore,  had  two  chil- 
dren, namely:  Lilla,  who  resided  in  Sunapee ; 
and  Myrtie,  who  died  after  her  marriage,  leav- 
ing two  children.  Cynthia  married  John 
Whipple,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  Sunapee,  and 
had  two  children  —  Annie  and  William. 
Ilattie  F.  married  Perley  W.  Fox,  of  Marlow, 
and  died,  also  leaving  two  children- — Emma 
and  Carl. 

Hollis  F.  Towne  acquired  his  education  in 
Stoddard.  After  leaving  school  he  was  for  a 
time  engaged  in  scythe-making,  and  then 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  Subse- 
quently he  purchased  his  present  store  in 
Marlow,  and  is  now  conducting  the  largest 
general  mercantile  establishment  in  Cheshire 
County  outside  of  Keene.  He  was  Road  Agent 
for  a  time.      He  is  now  Town  Treasurer. 

In  1881  Mr.  Towne  married  Luetta  J.  Low- 
ell. She  was  born  March  27,  1862,  daughter 
of  Romulus  Lowell,  who  came  of  a  highly 
reputable  family  in  Marlow,  and  died  August 
28,  1890.  Mrs.  Towne  was  educated  at  the 
academy.  She  is  a  fashionable  and  artistic 
milliner,  and  carries  on  a  profitable  business 
in  Marlow  and  Gilsum.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Towne 
have  one  daughter — Winifred  E.,  born  in 
Stockbridge,  Vt.,  August  14,  1883,  who  is  now 
attending  the  high  school  in  Rutland,  Vt. 
She  is  a  particularly  bright  and  lovable  girl 
and  a  good  scholar.  She  is  highly  esteemed  by 
her  teachers  and  schoolmates.  Mr.  Towne  is 
a  prominent  Odd  I''ellow,  and  is  active  in  the 
Patrons  of   Husbandry. 


"ENRY  N.  GRAY,  of  Wilton,  was 
born  in  this  town,  January  4,  1S27, 
son  of  Calvin  and  Clarissa  (King) 
Gray.  The  great-grandfather,  Tim- 
othy Gray,  who  was  born  in  Andover,  Mass., 
in  1 719,  came  to  Wilton  as  a  pioneer,  and 
there  cleared  a  farm.  He  was  a  sturdy  and 
highly  respected  citizen,  and  acted  as  a  Dea- 
con of  the  Unitarian  church.  Joseph  Gray, 
the  grandfather,    who   was  born    in    Wilton    in 


1761,  at  the  age  of  si.xteen  enlisted  in  the 
Third  New  Hampshire  Regiment,  was  pres- 
ent at  the  siege  of  Ticonderoga,  and  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  War  until  its  close.  After 
the  cessation  of  hostilities  he  returned  to  Wil- 
ton, where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  the 
rest  of  his  active  period,  and  died  in  1846. 
He  married  Chloe  Abbott,  a  daughter  of  Jer- 
emiah Abbott.  By  her  he  was  the  father  of 
thirteen  children,  all  now  deceased.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Unitarian  church. 

Calvin  Gray,  the  seventh  child  of  Joseph, 
was  born  in  Wilton,  October  28,  1801.  After 
learning  the  blacksmith's  trade,  he  followed  it 
at  what  is  known  as  Gray's  Corner  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  December  15,  1856. 
He  was  a  hard-working  man.  In  politics 
originally  a  Whig,  he  later  became  a  Republi- 
can. He  served  in  the  State  militia  as  Adju- 
tant of  the  Twenty-second  Regiment.  His 
wife,  Clarissa,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Eenning 
King,  of  Wilton,  became  the  mother  of  three 
children,  of  whom  Henry  N.  is  now  living. 
She  died  August  8,  1885.  Both  parents  were 
Unitarians. 

Having  obtained  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  Henry  N.  Gray  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade  in  his  father's  shop,  and 
afterward  worked  at  it  for  fifty  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  period  his  health  obliged  him  to 
relinquish  it;  and  he  has  since  resided  upon 
his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres, 
enjoying  the  comfortable  competence  he 
acquired  by  his  industry.  On  January  3, 
1854,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  A. 
Heath,  of  Barre,  Mass.,  a  daughter  of  Josejah 
Heath.  Of  this  union  three  children  were 
born,  and  two  are  living — Ella  H.  and  Will 
H.  Ella,  who  is  the  widow  of  William  H. 
Putnam,  late  of  Wilton,  has  had  seven  chil- 
dren, namely:  Clytie  G.,  born  December  16, 
1876;  Henry  H.,  born  August  17,  1878; 
Hattie  Lavina,  born  May  10,  1880;  George 
Newton,  born  August  2,  1882,  who  died  Sep- 
tember 14  of  the  same  year;  Mary  Isabel, 
born  September  18,  1883;  Eva  Heath,  born 
August  31,  1884;  and  Alice  King,  born 
November  26,  1S86.  Will  H.  Gray  wedded 
Minnie  A.  Fojlansbee,  of  Wilton,  and  has  one 
son—  I'rank  N.,  born  July  21,    18S6. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


33S 


'Mrs.  Henry  N.  Gray  died  December  lo, 
1888.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian 
church.  Mr.  Gray  is  also  a  commimicant  of 
that  society.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
A  Mason  of  Clinton  Lodge,  No.  52,  he  is  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter, 
and  belongs  to  Advance  Grange,  No.  20, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry.  He  is  sincerely  re- 
spected by  the  entire  community. 


/®To 


EORGE  F.  SPy\ULDING,  one  of  the 
I  '*)  I  leading  farmers  of  Merrimac,  was 
born  here,  February  12,  1S33,  son  of 
Captain  Ira  and  Eliza  J.  (Atwood)  Spaulding. 
His  great-grandfather  and  grandfather  were 
J^evolutionary  soldiers.  The  father,  who  was 
born  in  the  same  house  in  Merrimac,  Novem- 
ber 30,  1794,  went  to  Salem,  Mass.,  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years,  and  lived  there  for  six- 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to 
the  original  farm,  and  was  afterward  success- 
fully engaged  in  farming,  lumbering,  and  the 
real  estate  business.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Whig,  took  an  interest  in  all  questions  touch- 
ing the  ]uiblicweal,  and  was  active  in  public 
affairs.  In  the  State  militia  he  held  the  rank 
of  Captain.  Captain  Spaulding  died  in  1855. 
Nancy  Moore,  of  Bedford,  N.  H.,  became  his 
first  wife  on  May  17,  1821.  She  was  the 
mother  of  William  M.,  Ephraim  H.,  and 
Nancy  I.  Nancy  is  now  Mrs.  William  Kim- 
ball, of  Boston.  Captain  Spaulding's  ^sfigorid 
marriage  was  contracted  with. Eliza  J.  Atwood, 
who  was  born  June  25,  1S05.  Her  children 
were:  Eliza  J.  ;  George  W.  ;  George  Franklin; 
Betsy  C,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Nashua; 
Catherine  M.,  the  wife  of  Chauncy  Keeler,  of 
Beloit,  Wis.  ;  Eleanor  M.,  now  Mrs.  Albert 
Gay,  of  Boston;  and  Henry  H.,  who  is  de- 
ceased. Mrs.  Eliza  Spaulding  died  in  1886 
at  Beloit,  Wis.,  where  she  had  gone  on  a  visit 
to  her  daughter. 

George  Franklin  Spaulding  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Merrimac.  He  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Merrimac  and  Nashua,  the 
Merrimac  Normal  Institute,  and  at  Appleton 
Academy  at  Mont  Vernon.  With  a  large 
amount  of  general  information  he  began  his 
business  life  as  a  farmer.      Farmins:  and   lum- 


bering have  since  been  his  chief  occupations. 
On  his  farm  of  four  hundred  acres  there  is  a 
tasteful  and  homelike  residence. 

Mr.  Spaulding  married  liunice  Augusta 
Parker,  a  lady  of  superior  intellectual  equip- 
ment, refined  tastes,  and  rare  social  graces. 
Mrs.  Spaulding  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Cap- 
tain Nathan  Parker,  who  was  an  influential 
resident  of  Merrimac  for  many  years,  and 
owned  a  line  of  river  boats  plying  between 
Concord  and  Boston.  Captain  Parker's  first 
wife,  Dorcas  Danforth  Parker,  was  the  mother 
of  El,iza,  Soplironia,  RIary,  and  Matthew 
Parker.  The  children  of  his  second  wife, 
Caroline  E.  Stevens  Parker,  were:  Nathan  D., 
Eunice  A.,  Annette  I.,  Nathan  A.,  Sarah  A., 
William  F. ,  Caroline  E.,  Martha  G.,  Frank 
E. ,  and  Charles  E.  Parker.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Spaulding  have  lost  their  son  Frank,  who  died 
before  reaching  his  third  year.  Their  living 
children  are:  Caribel  F.  and  Clarence  G., 
both   born    in   Merrimac. 

Mr.  Spaulding  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  takes  an  active  part  in  town  affairs.  He 
has  been  Selectman,  and  has  filled  other 
offices.  Both  he  and  his  wife,  together  with 
the  children,  are  members  and  regular  attend- 
ants of  the  Congregational  church  in  this 
town.  Mr.  Spaulding  is  a  Knight  Templar  of 
St.  George  Commandery  at  Nashua. 


LBERT  B.  DAVIDSON,  a  successful 
farmer  and  a  prominent  resident  of 
Temple,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Horton,  N.S. ,  October  15,  1S46. 
His  father,  Asa  W.  Davidson,  also  a  native 
of  Nova  Scotia,  born  December  ig,  1S13,  who 
was  a  prosperous  farmer  during  his  active 
period,  spent  his  lifetime  in  his  native  prov- 
ince and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
Asa's  first  wife,  in  maidenhood  Caroline  Z. 
Rand,  whom  he  married  November  25,  1839, 
was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Rand.  She  had 
five  children,  of  whom  Eleazar  W.,  Albert  B. , 
and  Martha  Ann  are  living.  P^leazar  W. 
wedded  Margaret  White,  and  has  four  children 
—  Martha  A.,  Jennie  M.,  Frederick  H.,  and 
Arthur  C.  Martha  Ann  is  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam   H.     H.     Smith,    antl    her    children     are: 


336 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


PZdith  and  Ear]  Smith.  On  July  25,  1S54, 
Asa  VV.  Davidson  married  Margaret  Lockhart, 
who  bore  him  four  children;  namely,  Jehiel 
M.,  Minnie  C,  Margaret  E.,  and  Asa  W. 

Albert  B.  Davidson  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Nova  Scotia.  Since  then  he  has 
given  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
In  1873  he  settled  upon  a  farm  in  Temple. 
He  subsequently  sold  this  property  and  pur- 
chased his  jDresent  farm  of  two  hundred  acres, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  His  success  in 
life  is  no  less  the  result  of  his  persevering 
industry  than  of  his  capability.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican.  For  some  years  he  served 
upon  the  School  Board  and  as  Highway  Sur- 
veyor, and  in  1896  he  was  elected   Selectman. 

On  December  6,  1871,  Mr.  Davidson  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Frances  M.  Deller,  a 
native  of  Nova  Scotia.  She  is  the  mother  of 
eight  children,  born  as  follows:  Bessie  M., 
August  13,  1872;  Caroline  M.,  February  2, 
1874;  William  H.,  October  28,  1875;  FZverett 
W. ,  June  29,  1877;  Albert  E. ,  February  ii, 
1879;  Sarah  F. ,  January  7,  1881  ;  Samuel  D., 
April  II,  1883;  and  Annie  M.,  February  6, 
1 888.  Caroline  M.  is  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
Frederick  P.  Johnson,  of  Hyde  Park,  Mass., 
and  has  two  daughters:  Ruth,  born  December 
25,  1895;  and  Mary,  born  July  29,  1897. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davidson  are  members  of  the 
Congregational  church. 


SAAC    B.    DODGE,  a    leading  citizen  of 
Amherst,    was  born    in   the   house   where 


gj_|  he  now  resides,  in  1828,  son  of  Ninian 
C.  and  Abigail  (Brooks)  Dodge.  The 
Dodge  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
prominent  in  Hillsboro  County.  The  first 
bearer  of  the  name  in  this  section  of  the  coini- 
try  came  to  the  State  from  Beverly,  Mass. 
The  Dodge  genealogy  is  traced  from  Richard 
Dodge,  of  Somersetshire,  England,  who  came 
over  in  1638,  and  settled  with  the  Salem 
Colony     in      Massachusetts.  Mr.      Dodge's 

grandfather,  Simon  Dodge,  who  lived  in  New 
Boston,  N.  H.,  was  a.  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  and  was  granted  a  pension  by  the 
government  on  account  of  meritorious  service 
therein.      Ninian    Clarke   Dodge   was    born    in 


New  Boston,  May  24,  1796.  He  became  a 
student  at  Salisbury  Academy,  and  spent 
much  time  in  teaching  school.  In  1822  he 
came  to  Amherst,  and  for  several  years  was 
clerk  in  the  Registry  of  Deeds  of  Hillsboro 
County.  He  was  a  well-informed  man,  and 
had  the  respect  of  all  who  had  the  good  fortune 
to  know  him.  He  died  in  Boston  at  the  Marl- 
boro Hotel,  December  17,  1829,  leaving  one 
son,  Isaac  B.  His  wife,  Abigail,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  Brooks,  of  Amherst,  died 
in  January,   1872. 

Isaac  B.  Dodge  received  his  early  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town  and 
in  the  private  subscription  schools  which  were 
organized  there.  He  has  been  a  student  all 
his  life,  aiming  to  keep  himself  thoroughly 
informed  on  all  questions  of  interest  before 
the  public.  He  takes  much  interest  in  anti- 
quarian research,  and  is  quite  an  authority  in 
certain  lines.  Agriculture,  however,  has  been 
his  chief  occupation.  He  owns  a  farm  at  Am- 
herst village,  where  he  enjoys  a  quiet  life. 
He  has  served  three  successive  years  on  the 
Board  of  Selectmen,  and  for  a  part  of  that 
time  was  chairman  of  the  body.  He  repre- 
sented Amherst  in  the  General  Court  for  two 
years.  In  1880  he  was  Census  Enumerator  for 
the  town.  All  propositions  for  the  public 
good  interest  him  keenly.  He  is  public- 
spirited,  and  may  always  be  counted  on  for 
support  to  any  benevolent  or  social  reform. 
In  Masonry  he  has  taken  the  thirty-second 
degree,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  F'ellows  in  Milford.  He  is  a 
life  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  Bible  So- 
ciety, the  New  Hampshire  Historical  Society, 
and  the  Boston  Young  Men's  Christian  Union. 
Mr.  Dodge  is  a  pleasing  writer,  and  has  gained 
considerable  local  reputation. 


Y^TENRY  H.  LIVERMORE,  an  enter- 
l-^-j  prising  lumber  manufacturer  of  Wil- 
Ji®  I  ton,  was  born  in    this   town,  I'ebru- 

ary  8,  1848,  son  of  Jonathan  and 
Dorcas  (Holt)  Livermore.  He  is  a  great- 
grandson  of  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Livermore, 
who  was  a  native  of  Northboro,  Mass.,  and 
the    first    settled    Congresrational    minister    in 


ISAAC     B.    DODGE. 


lilOGRAl'lllCAL    RKVIEW 


339 


Wilton.  Jonathan  Livermore  (second),  grand- 
father of  Henry  H.,  was  a  prosperous  farmer 
and  a  lifelong  resident  of  this  town.  He 
was  prominent  in  the  old  State  militia,  in 
which  he  served  as  a  Lieutenant;  antl  in  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Federalist  and  a  Whig.  Asa 
citizen  he  was  upright,  conscientious,  and  pro- 
gressive, and  he  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Congregational  church.  He  married  Abigail 
Abbott,  and  was  the  father  of  two  children,  of 
whom  Jonathan  (third)  was  the  eldest.  He 
lived  to  be  seventy-five  years  old.  His  wife 
died  at  thirty-two. 

Jonathan  Livermore,  third,  Henry  H.  Liver- 
more's  father,  was  born  in  Wilton,  and  grew 
to  manhood  as  a  farmer.  He  tilled  the  soil 
successfully  during  his  active  period,  and  was 
also  engaged  in  mill  business.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  Deacon  of  the  Unitarian 
church.  He  was  highly  respected  for  his  com- 
mendable qualities.  Li  politics  he  was  a 
Republican.  He  was  interested  in  the  mi- 
litia, serving  as  Captain  of  the  Seventh  Com- 
pany, Twenty-second  Regiment,  in  1832,  of 
the  Third  Company  in  1834,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Miller  Guards  in  1S45.  At  his 
death  he  was  seventy-eight  years  old.  His 
wife,  Dorcas,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
Holt,  of  Wilton,  became  the  mother  of  five 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 
Abigail  A.,  the  wife  of  Eliphalet  P.  Dascomb, 
of  Wilton;  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  Martin  A. 
Rockwood,  of  Brookline,  N.H.  ;  and  Henry 
H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Abiel  A. 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  Eighth  Ixegiment, 
New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  in  the  fall  of 
1861,  and  served  with  the  regiment  until  June 
14,  1863,  when  he  was  wounded  and  taken 
prisoner  in  the  assault  on  Port  Hudson,  and 
died  three  days  before  the  surrender  of  that 
place.  Mrs.  Dorcas  Livermore  lived  to  be 
seventy-eight  years  old. 

Henry  H.  Livermore  attended  school  in  his 
native  town.  At  an  early  age  he  began  work 
in  a  saw-mill.  While  still  a  young  man,  he 
bought  an  interest  in  his  father's  mill  and  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  lumber.  He  has 
since  followed  that  business  in  connection  with 
farming.  Besides  a  farm  of  seventy-five  acres, 
which    he    cultivates    with    good     results,    he 


owns  a  tract  of  timber  land  containing  one  hun- 
dred acres.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Selectmen  for  two  years.  He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  all  measures  calculated  to  promote 
the  industrial  and  general  interests  of  the 
town. 

On  March  23,  1S79,  Mr.  Livermore  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Martha  E.  Boynton, 
daughter  of  Oliver  Boynton,  who  was  a  native 
of  Temple,  N.H.  Mrs.  Livermore  is  the 
mother  of  three  children,  two  living — Abiel 
A.  and  Olive  B.  Both  parents  are  active 
members  of  Adrance  Grange,  No.  20,  Patrons 
of  Husbandry,  in  which  Mr.  Livermore  has 
served  as  Overseer  and  Chaplain.  They  at- 
tend the  Unitarian  church. 


EUBEN  LEANDER  ANGIER,  the 
owner  of  a  large  granite  C[uarry  in 
T^'itzwilliam,  N.PL,  was  born  in  this 
[jlace,  February  2,  1842,  son  of 
Reuben  and  Eliza  Ann  (Bowen)  Angier.  His 
grandfather,  Abel  Angier,  was  an  early  settler 
of  F'itzwilliam,  which  is  in  the  south-eastern 
part  of  Cheshire  County.  In  middle  life, 
however,  he  spent  two  years  in  Northern  Illi- 
nois, going  there  from  Albany,  N. Y.,  in  an 
emigrant  wagon  long  before  the  days  of  rail- 
roads. Upon  returning  to  Fitzwilliam,  he 
bought  the  old  Tower  farm,  where  he  spent 
his  last  days  with  his  family,  attaining  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  His  son 
Reuben,  the  father  of  Reuben  L. ,  became 
a  successful  farmer.  He  assisted  his  father, 
Abel,  in  buying  the  Tower  farm,  and  upon 
his  father's  death  bought  out  the  other 
heirs.  He  died  in  1881,  in  the  seventy- 
fourth  year  of  his  age,  leaving  a  large  acreage 
to  his  son.  He  had  been  a  Selectman,  and 
had  he  been  a  supporter  of  the  popular  party 
would  undoubtedly  have  been  elected  a  Rep- 
resentative to  the  legislature.  By  his  wife, 
Flliza  Ann,  he  had  two  children  —  a  son,  Reu- 
ben Leander;  and  a  daughter,  Lydia  A.,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years. 

At  twenty-one  Reuben  L.  Angier,  having 
acquired  his  education  in  the  Fitzwilliam 
school,  No.  8,  and  at  the  select  school   in  the 


34° 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


village,  commenced  cjiiarrying  granite,  which 
he  found  in  abundance  upon  his  farm,  con- 
tinuing this  industry  as  well  as  his  farming 
with  great  success.  He  is  now  one  of  the 
best  known  Cjuarrymen  in  this  section  of  the 
State.  Going  out  of  the  business  in  Fitz- 
william  some  time  ago,  he  opened  a  quarry 
in  Barre,  Vt.,  and,  after  working  it  success- 
fully for  a  time,  sold  it  at  a  handsome  profit. 
Until  1893  he  both  quarried  and  finished  the 
granite,  but  since  that  date  he  has  quarried 
only.  He  still  carries  on  a  general  farming 
business,  and  raises  annually  a  large  crop  of 
potatoes.  He  married  Laura  E.  Thompson, 
daughter  of  Ozias  H.  Thompson,  of  Barre, 
Vt.  Their  children  are:  Rollin  Leander, 
Frank  T. ,  and  Fanny  Belle. 

Mr.  Angier  was  for  some  time  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Fitzwilliam  Savings  Bank,  and  is 
now  the  president  of  the  bank.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  served  for  many 
years  as  a  Selectman  of  the  town.  He  was 
last  chosen  First  Selectman,  but  declined  to 
serve. 


LAKE  ANTHONY  T.  HARWOOD, 
M.D.,  a  successful  physician  of 
Hillsboro,  was  born  February  3, 
1 85 1,  in  Bath,  Somersetshire,  Eng- 
land, son  of  Colonel  I^^dward  and  Annie 
(lilake)  Harwood. 

The  paternal  grandfather,  John  Harwood, 
who  was  a  famous  woollen  manufacturer  in 
his  day,  and  who  for  many  years  supplied  the 
British  army  with  scarlet  cloth,  had  four  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Edward  was  the  youngest ;  and 
none  are  living. 

Edward  Harwood  entered  the  British  army 
when  young,  subsequently  rose  in  it  to  the 
rank  of  Colonel,  and  remained  in  the  service 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was 
seventy  years  old.  His  wife,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  was  about  fifty-eight  when  she  died. 
They  had  sixteen  children,  of  whom  the  sur- 
vivors are:  Antonia,  John  Arthur  Bowles 
Kite,  Julian  T. ,  Gertrude,  Blake  Anthony 
T. ,  Katharine  Ann,  and  McDonald.  Of 
these,  two  are  residing  in  the  United  States. 
The    others    are   in    England.     Julian    T. ,    of 


Augusta,  Me.,  wedded  Margaret  Shean,  of 
that  city;  and  his  children  are:  Arthur, 
Annie,  Mary,  lulwaird,  Kate,  Nellie,  and 
Joseph.  Antonia  is  now  the  widow  of  Alex- 
ander Frothinghani,  and  has  three  children 
living — Ale.xander,  Antonia,  and  Annie. 
Gertrude  is  the  wife  of  Henry  S.  Sherry. 
Katharine  Ann  married  George  A.  Askcoll, 
and  has  seven  children;  and  McDonald,  who 
is  also  married,  has  three  children.  Dr.  Har- 
wood's  parents  were  communicants  of  the 
Church  of  England. 

After  receiving  his  early  education  in 
London,  Blake  A.  T.  Harwood  studied  at 
Brighton  College  and  then  at  Hurst  Pierpont 
St.  John  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1869.  In  the  fall  of  1872  he  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Augusta,  Me.  His 
medical  studies  were  commenced  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  State  of  Vermont,  where  he 
pursued  a  three  years'  course.  Subsequently 
he  attended  the  Dartmouth  College  Medical 
School,  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 
School  of  New  York  City,  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois.  He  received  an  honorary 
degree  from  a  medical  college,  in  which  he 
was  professor  of  the  diseases  of  women  and 
children.  On  February  14,  1896,  he  located 
in  Hillsboro,  where  he  has  already  acquired  a 
large  practice. 

On  January  21,  1876,  Dr.  Harwood  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Annie  Gilley,  a 
daughter  of  James  Gilley,  of  Augusta,  Me. 
She  was  a  great-granddaughter  of  John  Gilley, 
who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Augusta. 
John  Gilley  is  said  to  have  reached  the  very 
remarkable  age  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  years  and  eleven  months.  Mrs.  Harwood 
is  the  mother  of  two  children  —  Georgia  Maude 
and  Sadie  Belle.  Georgia  Maude  is  now  the 
wife  of  Russell  Brennan,  of  Hillsboro. 

Having  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  in  pre- 
paring himself  for  the  medical  profession,  and 
availed  himself  of  every  ojiportunity  offered 
him  for  acquiring  knowledge.  Dr.  Harwood 
enters  upon  his  life  work  well  provided  with 
the  elements  of  success.  His  skill  has  been 
demonstrated  upon  several  occasions,  much  to 
the  relief  and  satisfaction  of  the  suffering; 
and   he  is  highly  esteemed,    both    profession- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIFAV 


34' 


ally  and  socially.  He  has  not  been  natural- 
ized, preferring  to  remain  a  subject  of  Great 
Britain.  15oth  he  and  Mrs.  Harwood  attend 
the  Episcopal  church. 


H.     STARK,     a    representative 


bUSilH'iJa  man  cif^offstovvn,  was  born 
here,  December  8,  1841,  son  of 
Rodney  G.  and  Sarah  J.  Stark. 
His  granilfather,  Thomas  Stark,  son  of  Will- 
iam, was  a  brother  of  the  General  Stark  of 
Revolutionary  fame.  Rodney  G.  Stark  was 
born  in  Dunbarton,  N.H.,  whence  he  came  to 
Goffstown.  Having  previously  learned  the 
trade  of  a  tailor,  he  followed  that  occupation 
after  coming  to  this  place.  When  he  died 
here,  he  was  between  sixty-si.x  and  sixty-seven 
years  of  age.  His  wife,  Sarah  J.,  who  was  a 
native  of  Manchester,  N.H.,  lived  to  be  about 
the  same  age.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  and  he  was  a  Universalist 
in  belief.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican. 
Of  their  six  children  four  are  living,  namely: 
Mary,  the  wife  of  Henry  W.  Hadley,  living 
in  San  Diego,  Cal. ;  Lewis  H.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  William  F.,  a  resident  of  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.  ;  and  Phillip  G.,  a  resident  of 
Manchester. 

During  his  early  years  Lewis  H.  Stark 
lived  in  Goffstown.  He  subsequently  went  to 
Ne\v_  York  State  to  complete  his  education, 
the  foundation  of  which  had  been  laid  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  town.  In  1861,  having 
returned  to  Goffstown,  he  enlisted  in  the  band 
of  the  Third  New  Hampshire  Regiment,  with 
which  he  served  a  year  in  the  late  war,  and 
was  then  discharged  by  an  act  of  Congress. 
He  re-enlisted  in  1864  in  the  Camp  Corps 
Band  at  Hilton  Head,  and  thereafter  served 
until  honorably  discharged  at  the  close  of  the 
war.  After  his  return  to  Goffstown  he  be- 
came the  junior  partner  of  the  firm  Kendall, 
Hadley  &  Co.,  which  was  organized  in  1868. 
For  nearly  thirty  years  this  firm  has  carried 
on  a  prosperous  business  in  the  manufacture 
of  window  frames,  sashes,  blinds,  etc. 

Mr.  Stark  was  married  April  4,  1866,  to 
Miss  Clara  A.  Abbott,  who  was  born  in  Ben- 
nington,   N.H.,   daughter  of  Samuel   Abbott. 


They  have  four  children  —  Anna  J.,  I'rank 
A.,  Henry  IL,  and  Frederick  L. — all  living 
in  Goffstown.  Anna  is  the  wife  of  Frank  A. 
Parker.  Mr.  Stark  is  a  stanch  Republican  in 
politics.  In  1S77  he  was  a  member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  legislature.  lie  has  also 
been  active  in  local  educational  matters.  He 
is  a  member  of  Charles  Stinson  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Stark  are  attend- 
ants of  the  Congregational  church. 


irXANIEL  TWITCHKLL  SABEN, 
1=1  formerly  a  well-known  lumber  man- 
.L^V  ufacturer  in  Winchester,  was  born 
here,  January  26,  1819,  son  of  Ken- 
edict  and  Hannah  (Twitchell)  Saben.  His 
grandfather,  Israel  Saben,  who  was  born  in 
Rehoboth,  Mass.,  September  14,  1749,  resided 
in  Uxbridge,  Mass.,  for  a  time.  Israel,  who 
was  a  Quaker,  joining  a  party  of  that  sect 
from  Rhode  Island,  came  to  Cheshire  County 
with  them  as  their  preacher.  He  arrived  at 
Winchester  about  the  year  1782,  and  shortly 
afterward  moved  to  Richmond,  where  he  built 
a  large  two-story  house.  He  cultivated  a  farm 
during  the  rest  of  his  active  period,  and  was  a 
leader  among  the  large  Society  of  Friends  that 
had  been  established  in  Richmond.  He  mar- 
ried Beulah  Albee,  who  had  lived  in  the  fam- 
ily of  an  Orthodox  minister,  and  was  well  edu- 
cated ;  and  she  in  turn  imparted  much  of  her 
knowledge  to  her  husband.  Israel  Saben  died 
about  the  year  1S27,  and  his  wife  died  in 
1826.  They  were  the  jiarents  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, among  whom  were:  Timothy,  Chloe, 
Simeon  T.,  Alfred,  Lytlia,  Darling,  Mary, 
Moses,  and  Benedict. 

Benedict  Saben,  who  was  born  in  Richmond, 
May  6,  1792,  settled  upon  a  farm  in  Winches- 
ter, where  he  resided  for  the  rest  of  his  life, 
chiefly  occupied  in  farming  and  teaming.  He 
was  noted  for  his  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures. 
When  he  died,  January  30,  1868,  he  was 
seventy-five  years  old.  His  wife,  Hannah 
Twitchell,  whom  he  married  March  29,  1818, 
was  born  in  Winchester,  December  11,  1799, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Twitchell.  Her  grand- 
father,    who     was     noted     for     his     physical 


342 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


strL'iiglh,  was  treacherously  murdered  by  the 
Indians;  and  her  father  died  in  iSii.  She 
became  the  mother  of  seven  children  ;  namely, 
Daniel  T.,  Eunice,  Amy  A.,  Arnold  B. ,  Em- 
erson O.,  Caroline  A.,  and  Jonas  M.  Eunice 
married  Henry  Felton,  of  Jamaica,  Vt.  ;  Amy 
A.  married  William  Mack,  of  Boston;  Caro- 
line A.  married  David  Crane,  a  lawyer;  and 
Emerson  O.  married  Angela  Eddy,  and  is  in  the 
trucking  business  in  Boston.  Arnold  B.  went 
to  Sacramento,  Cal.,  where  he  remained  for 
some  time,  and  died  in  Empire  City,  Nev. 
He  was  a  prosperous  business  man,  and  served 
upon  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners  in 
Nevada.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Viola  Lindsay.  Jonas  M.  married  Josephine 
Kelly.  Mrs.  Benedict  Saben  died  November 
22,   1881. 

Daniel  Twitchell  Saben  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  Winchester.  When  a  young  man  he 
was  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  for  a  time. 
He  later  began  the  manufacture  of  pail  staves, 
which  he  carried  on  successfully  for  years. 
During  the  late  war  he  was  an  e.xtensive 
manufacturer  of  ship  pins.  In  his  saw-mill, 
located  near  his  farm,  in  addition  to  manufact- 
uring lumber,  he  did  custom  planing  and  ran  a 
grist-mill.  He  also  did  carpenter's  work,  and 
cultivated  a  farm.  After  a  very  busy  career 
he  retired  in  1894.  He  was  the  owner  of  large 
tracts  of  timber  land,  and  of  a  farm  containing 
two  hundred  acres.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican. In  religion  he  was  a  Universalist, 
and  he  was  a  leader  of  the  church  choir 
for  forty  years.  In  his  younger  days  he  taught 
a  singing-school.  Mr.  Saben  died  May  25, 
1897.  Of  a  noble  character,  he  was  always  a 
stanch  friend.  None  knew  him  but  to  love  and 
trust  him.  Noted  for  his  sound  judgment,  his 
opinion  was  much  appreciated.  No  one  could 
be  with  him  long  without  learning  something. 
He  was  always  thoughtful  of  others,  and  had 
hosts  of  friends. 

On  September  17,  1845,  Mr.  Saben  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Sophronia  Shaw  King- 
man. She  had  taught  school  for  several  years, 
and  was  a  lovely  and  talented  woman.  The 
only  child  of  the  marriage,  Flora  Saben, 
became  the  wife  of  Fred  F".  Twitchel,  a 
merchant  of  St.  Albans,  Vt.,  and  died   in  De- 


cember, 1895,  leaving  four  children.  On  De- 
cember 18,  1895,  Mr.  Saben  was  again  united 
in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Clara  F.  Weeks,  daughter 
of  Mr.  Charles  Norwood,  of  Richmond,  N.  H. 


'EWETT  E.  BUFFUM,  farmer,  is  a 
resident  of  Westmoreland,  Cheshire 
County,  N.  H.,  where  he  was  born  July 
5,  1822,  son  of  Erasmus  and  Hepsy 
(Thayer)  Buffum.  He  is  of  the  seventh  gen- 
eration in  descent  from  Robert  Buffum,  who 
came  from  Yorkshire,  England,  and  settled 
in  Salem,  Mass.,  where  his  name  was  recorded 
in  1638.  The  immigrant  died  in  1679,  leav- 
ing seven  children.  His  son  Caleb,  born  in 
Salem  "in  1650,  married  Hannah,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Pope,  and  died  in  1731.  Their  son, 
Benjamin,  born  in  1686,  married  a  Bu.xton,  by 
whom  he  had  Joseph,  born  in  171 7,  who  mar- 
ried Margaret  Osborne,  and  died  in  1796. 

Joseph,  Jr.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Margaret 
Buffum,  born  in  Smithfield,  R.I.,  in  1754, 
emigrated  to  Westmoreland,  N.  H.,  in  1784, 
and  took  up  a  farm  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
town.  He  married  Sally,  daughter  of  Elias 
Haskell,  of  Lancaster,  Mass.,  and  had  seven 
sons,  of  whom  it  was  said  that  they  were 
"strong  mentally  as  well  as  physically." 
Mr.  Joseph  Buffum,  Jr.,  died  in  1829,  in 
Westmoreland,  his  wife  surviving  him  nine- 
teen years.  He  was  a  man  of  "strong  mind, 
persistent  will,  and  good  common  sense." 
His  children  were:  Joseph,  third,  a  man  of 
great  ability,  who  graduated  from  Dartmouth 
College,  studied  law  and  practised,  was  a 
member  of  Congress  in  18 18,  at  one  time  held 
the  position  of  Postmaster  at  Keene,  N.  H., 
and  died  unmarried;  Sewell,  who  married 
Fanny  Atherton,  of  Chesterfield,  and  removed 
to  Boston,  Mass.;  Plrasmus;  William,  who 
married  Mary  Ann  Gordon,  of  Sterling, 
Conn.,  and  settled  in  Walpole,  N.  H.  ;  Solon, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years;  David, 
known  as  Colonel  Buffum,  who  married  Mary 
Bellows,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Thomas  Bel- 
lows, and  became  a  prominent  citizen  of  Wal- 
pole; and  Haskell,  the  fifth  son,  born  Sep- 
tember 29,  1795,  who  married  Salome  Wood, 
daughter  of   Jonathan  Wood,  for  many  years  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RKVIKW 


343 


Justice  of  the  Peace.  Haskell  Buffum  was  a 
man  who  improved  all  his  opportunities  for 
learning  and  for  usefulness.  He  was  much 
given  to  thought,  and  a  lover  of  books.  He 
took  an  active  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the 
town,  was  a  Selectman  and  Representative, 
and  always  actively  interested  in  military 
matters,  holding  the  commission  of  Ensign. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  oldest 
citizen   of  the  town. 

Erasmus  Buffum,  son  of  Joseph,  third,  and 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Daniel  Thayer,  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier  who  drew  a  pension.  They  had 
eight  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  others  were:  Solon,  Sarah,  James,  Jevvett 
E. ,  Mary,  and  Alba.  The  father  died  in 
1872.  Solon  Buffum  went  to  New  York  City 
at  the  age  of  si.xteen.  He  married  Adaline 
Daul.  Sarah  Buffum  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  years.  James  married  Louisa 
Howe,  and  died  in  18S7  in  Westmoreland. 
Mary  married  a  Mr.  Ligalls,  both  now  de- 
ceased. Alba  (deceased)  lived  in  New  York 
City. 

Jewett  E.  Buffum  remained  on  his  father's 
farm  until  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  then 
spent  one  year  in  a  market  in  Boston,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Westmoreland,  and  has 
since  remained  in  this  town.  His  family  has 
always  been  distinguished  for  strength  of 
mind,  indomitable  will,  and  sterling  common 
sense;  and  Mr.  Buffum  has  inherited  these 
traits  very  fully.  His  energy  and  influence 
have  been  felt  in  the  town  for  many  years. 
He  has  held  the  various  offices  of  trust,  has 
been  Selectman  and  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
many  years,  and  during  the  war  he  was  a 
recruiting  officer.  He  has  always  voted  the 
Democratic  ticket,  and  his  work  in  the  politi- 
cal field  will  not  soon  be  forgotten  by  his 
fellow-citizens. 

He  married  Clarissa  E.,  daughter  of  El- 
bridge  and  Betsey  (Gleason)  Chickering. 
Mrs.  Buffum 's  grandfather,  Timothy  Chicker- 
ing, came  to  Westmoreland  from  Massachu- 
setts and  settled  on  the  river  side.  He  had 
seven  children  —  Luther,  Rhoda,  Lavinia, 
Thankful,  Alvin,  Elbridge,  and  Samuel. 
Rhoda  Chickering  married   Mr.    Wright,    and 


lived  in  St.  Johnsbury ;  Lavinia  married  Mr. 
Melvin,  and  lived  in  the  same  place;  Alvin 
married  lumice  Gleason,  and  lived  in  West- 
moreland; .Samuel  married  Clarissa  Hastings, 
of  Westmoreland.  Elbridge  Chickering,  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Buffum,  died  at  the  age  of 
si.xty-three.  His  wife,  Mrs.  l^uffum's  mother, 
was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Gleason.  Their 
nine  children  were:  Caroline,  Clarissa  E. 
(Mrs.  Buffum),  Ransom,  Holland,  Elbridge, 
Jr.,  Shubael,  and  three  who  died  in  infancy. 
Caroline  Chickering  married  Lambert  .Shaw, 
and  went  to  Worcester.  Ransom  Chickering 
married  Julia  Gilkerson,  and  lived  in  Brock- 
port,  N.Y.  Holland  Chickering  lived  in 
California,  and  married  Alcesta  Chamberlain. 
L^lbridge  Chickering,  Jr.,  married  lilsie  Al- 
drich.      Shubael  died  in  California. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buffum  are: 
Solon  E. ,  E.  Clayton,  J.  Colburn,  H.  Clem- 
ent, Alice  Clara,  and  James  Alba,  triplets 
having  once  been  born  to  them  and  once  twins. 
Solon  E. ,  the  eldest,  married  Addie  Foster; 
Alice  C.  married  Edward  H.  Fletcher;  and 
J.  Alba  married  Adine  Cole. 


^-jENJAMIN   PIERCE,  the  well-known 

manufacturer  and   financier  of  Ches- 

^J     terfield. 


N.H. 


was    born  in    Smith- 
February    26,    1 8 14, 


field,  R.I.,  on 
son  of  George  and  Sophronia  (Mann)  Pierce, 
His  grandfather,  also  named  Benjamin  Pierce, 
was  a  prominent  Rhode  Island  Quaker  and  a 
leading  farmer  of  Smithfield.  He  was  over 
six  feet  in  height,  and  as  noble  in  heart  and 
mind  as  in  physical  proportions.  He  married 
Abigail  Buffum,  aunt  to  Joseph  Buffum,  mem- 
ber of  Congress  from  New  Ham]5shire  and  a 
prominent  lawyer.  Benjamin  Pierce,  first, 
had  five  children  —  George,  Llannah,  Clarinda, 
Rhoda,  and  Louisa.  Hannah  married  Isaac 
Tabor,  a  man  of  sterling  character,  superin- 
tendent for  many  years  of  Slater's  store,  and 
had  five  children;  Clarinda  Pierce  married 
Otis  Martin,  and  lived  in  Smithfield;  Rhoda 
married  Nathaniel  Inman,  son  of  an  old  and 
noted  Rhode  Island  family;  and  Louisa  be- 
came the  wife  of  Edward  Cranston,  a  well- 
to-do  citizen. 


344 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


George  Pierce  departed  from  family  tradi- 
tions in  religious  affiliations,  and  did  not  go 
through  life  as  a  Quaker.  When  a  young  man 
he  emigrated  to  Chesterfield  with  his  wife, 
coming  here  because  Joseph  Buffum,  a  relative, 
was  settled  in  a  neighboring  town.  He  bought 
a  farm  in  East  Chesterfield  about  the  year 
iSi6,  and  remained  a  few  years,  at  the  end  of 
that  time  going  back  to  Smithfield.  In  1825 
he  returned  to  Chesterfield,  and  remained  here 
during  the  rest  of  his  life,  a  highly  respected 
and  influential  citizen.  He  died  August  14, 
1876,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  His 
wife,  Sophronia  Mann,  whom  he  married  on 
the  Fourth  of  July,  1810,  lived  to  be  one  hun- 
dred and  two  years  old  lacking  one  month. 
She  was  a  lover  of  children,  and  could  enter- 
tain them  even  in  old  age.  The  family  of 
eleven,  whom  she  and  her  husband  reared, 
were  all  taught  to  be  self-respecting  and  self- 
supporting. 

Benjamin,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
the  third  child.  A  brief  record  of  his  brothers 
and  sisters  is  as  follows:  Adeline,  the  eldest, 
married  Freeman  Chase,  of  Athol,  Mass.  ; 
Gilbert,  born  August  11,  1812,  married  Mary 
Ann    Stimpson,  of   Athol;    George,  born   May 

30,  1 8 16,  married  Betsey  Sherman;  Diana, 
born  January  3,  181 8,  was  twice  married,  the 
first  time  to  Mr.  Scott  and  the  second  time 
to  Ora  15Iodgett;  Marshall  M.,  born  December 
4,  1S19,  died  May  6,  1847;  Mary  T.,  born 
March  4,  1822,  married  for  her  second  hus- 
band Asnah  Alger,  of  Winchendon,  Mass.  ; 
John  H.,  born  January  13,  1S24,  married 
Elizabeth  Chandler;  Joseph  W.  was  born  Sep- 
tember  18,    1825;    Louisa  B.,  born   December 

31,  1827,  married  Estey  Farr ;  and  Hannah 
Maria,  born  October  10,  1829,  married  Will- 
iam Atherton.  Adeline,  Mary,  Benjamin, 
and    Maria  are   now   the  only  survivors. 

Benjamin  Pierce  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Smithfield  and  at 
Chesterfield  Academy.  He  began  his  working 
life  as  a  teacher,  and  was  most  successful  both 
as  a  disciplinarian  and  as  an  instructor.  He 
always  had  the  good  will  of  his  pupils,  and 
cannot  remember  ever  having  been  obliged  to 
chastise  any  one  of  them  for  being  refractory. 
While    teaching    day    school,    he    also    taught 


evenings  for  a  part  of  the  time.  On  giving 
up  teaching,  he  went  into  the  employ  of  Oliver 
B.  Huggiiis,  manufacturer,  as  travelling  agent 
for  the  sale  of  bits  and  augers.  He  made 
short  trips  at  first,  but  gradually  extended 
them  into  Canada,  where  he  would  buy  furs, 
and  upon  his  return  would  sell  them  in  Boston 
at  a  great  profit.  He  was  always  on  the  alert 
for  business  openings  and  gave  the  strictest 
attention  to  details.  In  1852  his  employers 
failed ;  and  Mr.  Pierce,  having  by  industry 
and  economy  saved  a  considerable  sum  of 
money,  bought  the  factory  and  applied  himself 
with  his  usual  concentration  and  executive 
ability  to  building  a  business  for  himself  on 
a  firm  and  safe  basis.  In  a  short  time  every- 
thing was  running  smoothly,  and  he  was  able 
to  enlarge  the  business.  Of  a  mechanical  turn 
of  mind  and  of  keen  and  quick  perceptions,  he 
made  improvements  in  the  machinery,  and, 
being  able  to  grasp  readily  any  of  the  sugges- 
tions of  others,  was  soon  making  new  and  im- 
proved articles  in  his  lines.  He  always  kept 
his  own  books  and  looked  after  the  details  of 
the  business;  and  to  this  personal  supervision 
and  care,  coupled  with  wise  economy,  is 
chiefly  due,  no  doubt,  the  success  he  has  met 
with.  He  made  spinning-wheels,  which  were 
sent  into  many  States  and  were  sold  at  high 
prices,  there  being  comparatively  little  com 
petition  in  the  manufacture.  Mr.  Pierce  trav- 
elled considerably  in  the  interests  of  his  busi- 
ness, and  gradually  became  a  note  broker  on 
quite  an  extensive  scale.  He  has  bought  and 
sold  many  notes,  and  much  of  his  handsome 
fortune  has  been  acquired  by  these  sagacious 
transactions.  He  still  continues  in  this  line 
of  business,  and  is  considered  one  of  the 
shrewdest  financiers  in  New  England.  Mr. 
Pierce's  career  has  been  a  somewhat  remark- 
able one.  There  are  few  men  who  accumulate 
over  a  half-million  of  dollars  while  residing 
in  a  small  town  far  from  the  great  commercial 
centres,  or  who  have  the  keen  business  insight 
which  enables  them  by  unaided  personal  effort 
to  acquire  so  large  a  fortune.  The  business 
prosperity  of  Chesterfield  has  been  increased 
in  all  lines  by  having  this  thriving  manufac- 
tory here,  which  employs  so  large  a  force  of 
workmen  and  disburses  so  much  money.      Mr. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


345 


Pierce  became  interested  in  the  manufacture 
of  chisels  in  Hinsdale,  selling  stock  on  com-, 
mission  and  having  the  general  superintend- 
ency  of  the  business,  carrying  this  on  for 
thirteen  years  in  addition  to  his  factory  in 
Chesterfield.  In  1S52  Mr.  Pierce  was  Select- 
man of  the  town. 

On  November  15,  1843,  Mr.  Pierce  married 
Caroline  Amelia,  daughter  of  Jesse  Gale. 
She  died  October  30,  1882,  having  been  the 
mother  of  six  children,  as  follows:  Frederick 
B.,  born  April  20,  1845;  Caroline  Maria,  born 
October  18,  1850;  Helen  (Nellie  K.),  born 
January  25,  1853;  Grace  M.,  born  December 
30,  1854,  who  died  October  3,  1873;  Mary 
and  Alice,  both  of  whom  died  young.  Fred- 
erick B.  Pierce  married  Emma  F. ,  daughter 
of  Josiah  W.  Cook,  and  has  two  children  — 
Maud  and  Frank  M.  Caroline  M.  married 
J.  Lyman  Bliss,  and  resides  at  Atchison,  Kan. 
Her  husband  is  deceased,  leaving  to  her  care 
their  one  child,  a  daughter  Grace.  Plelen 
(Nellie  K.)  married  D.  Dunham,  of  Hinsdale, 
N.  H.  In  1870  I*"rederick  began  the  manufact- 
ure of  the  same  kind  of  goods  which  had  been 
made  by  his  father.  Since  1S75  he  has  been 
manufacturing  brush  handles  and  spinning- 
wheels  at  Spofford.  Mr.  Benjamin  Pierce 
sold  out  his  business  in  1S82  to  Mr.  Currier, 
ex-Mayor  of  Newburyport. 


l^jEUBEN  S'PAULDING,  a  retired  me- 
chanic of  Hudson,  was  born  in  this 
town,  July  I,  181 1,  son  of  Reuben 
and  Hannah  (Barrett)  Spaulding. 
He  is  the  fourth  representative  of  the  family 
in  a  direct  line  to  bear  that  name.  The 
genealogy  of  the  Spauldings  is  traced  to  three 
brothers  who  emigrated  from  England,  and 
settled  in  Chelmsford,  Mass.  The  first  Reu- 
ben Spaulding  was  an  early  settler  of  Hudson, 
while  Reubens,  second  and  third,  were  life- 
long residents.  Some  of  the  Spauldings 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  each 
generation  has  given  industrious  and  capable 
men  and  loyal  citizens  to  the  country. 

The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
the  third  bearer  of  his  name,  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  during  his  active  years.      At   the  ap- 


proach of  old  age  he  retired,  and  lived  with 
his  son  in  Nashua  for  some  time.  His  last 
days  were  passed  in  Hudson.  At  his  death  he 
was  eighty-two  years  old.  He  served  as  a 
Lieutenant  in  the  State  militia.  In  politics 
he  acted  with  the  Whig  party,  and  in  his  re- 
ligious belief  he  was  a  Unitarian.  His  wife, 
Hannah,  who  was  a  native  of  Hudson,  became 
the  mother  of  six  children,  two  of  whom  are 
living,  namely:  Reuben,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Jane,  who  married  Greeley  N. 
Cressey,  and  lives  in  Contoocook,  N.H.  The 
others  were:  Susan  Morse,  Hannah  Hale, 
Sarah  Morse,  and  Elizabeth.  Elizabeth  died 
at  the  age  of  eight  years.  Mrs.  Hannah 
Spaulding  lived  to  be  eighty-five  years  old. 
She  attended  the  Congregational  church. 

The  present  Reuben  Spaulding  grew  to 
manhood  in  Londonderry  and  Hudson,  acquir- 
ing his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  began  to  learn  the 
carpenter's  trade,  which  he  subsequently  fol- 
lowed as  a  journeyman  for  some  years.  He 
was  afterward  employed  in  the  Indian  Head 
machine  shops  as  a  pattern-maker  for  fourteen 
years,  and  he  worked  in  the  same  capacity  in 
the  railroad  shops  of  Lowell  and  Nashua  for 
twenty-one  years.  He  retired  from  active 
occupation  several  years  ago.  In  1858  he 
entered  upon  his  present  farm,  which  has  been 
his  residence  since.  The  property,  which  is 
desirably  located,  and  contains  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land,  is  now  managed  by 
Mr.   Spaulding's  son. 

On  January  17,  1839,  ^fi"-  Spaulding's  first 
marriage  was  contracted  with  Emily  Brooks, 
a  native  of  Townsend,  Mass.,  who  died  July 
26,  1849.  Mrs.  Sarah  S]3aulding,  his  present 
wife,  whom  he  married  October  15,  185  i,  was 
a  daughter  of  Captain  Thomas  Laton,  of 
Nashua.  Two  children  were  born  of  each 
marriage,  namely:  Reuben  L.,  in  Nashua, 
February  3,  1844;  George  E.,  July  20,  1848; 
Charles  Laton,  April  5,  1854;  and  Sarah 
Maria,  July  12,  1858.  Reuben  L.  is  married 
and  has  two  children — Edward  A.  and  P2mily. 
George  E.  died  June  11,  1849.  Charles 
Laton  is  a  prosperous  farmer  and  market  gar- 
dener in  Hudson.  He  is  also  married,  and  his 
children    are:     Helen     C.     and     Harold    M. 


546 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Sarah  Maria,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  C. 
Groves,  lives  in  Hudson,  and  has  two  children 
—  Reuben  S.  and  Robert  L.  In  politics  Mr. 
Spaulding  is  a  Republican.  He  served  with 
ability  as  a  Selectman  in  Nashua,  and  was  for 
two  years  a  member  of  the  Board  in  this  town. 
He  attends  the  Episcopal  church.  A  self- 
made  man,  he  has  fully  earned  the  rest  he  is 
enjoying. 


[LP:S  BENTON  TUTTLE,  one  of 
Antrim's  successful  farmers  and 
an  ex-member  of  the  legislature, 
was  born  in  this  town,  June  22, 
1845,  son  of  Isaac  and  Sophronia  (Chase) 
Tultle.  His  grandfather  was  Benjamin 
Tuttle,  a  native  of  Littleton,  Mass.,  who 
removed  to  Hillsboro  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  and  there  followed  agriculture  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  seventy- 
four  3ears  old.  In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat, and  for  several  years  he  served  as  a  Se- 
lectman and  as  Overseer  of  the  Poor.  He  was 
highly  esteemed  as  an  honest,  upright,  and 
industrious  man.  He  attended  the  Baptist 
church.  By  his  wife,  a  native  of  Antrim, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Annie  McAllis- 
ter, he  became  the  father  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  reached  maturity,  and 
Alonzo  is  the  sole  survivor.  Alonzo  married 
Charlotte  Jones,  of  Hillsboro,  and  has  two 
children  —  George  H.  and  Charlotte.  Mrs. 
Annie  Tuttle  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church. 

Isaac  Tuttle,  the  third  child  of  Benjamin, 
was  born  in  Hillsboro,  June  7,  181 3.  He 
learned  the  brickmaker's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed in  Nashua  for  some  years.  In  1840  he 
bought  the  farm  in  Antrim  now  owned  by  his 
son.  He  tilled  the  soil  industriously  for  the 
rest  of  his  active  years,  and  died  June  16, 
1895,  leaving  considerable  property.  He  sup- 
ported the  Democratic  party  in  politics.  His 
wife,  Sophronia,  whom  he  married  November 
19,  1840,  was  born  in  Hillsboro,  daughter  of 
James  Chase.  She  has  had  three  children; 
namely.  Miles  B.,  Lucy  A.,  and  Lucetta  A. 
Lucy  A.    is  the  wife  of  Jotham  S.  Moore,  of 


Plillsboro,  and  has  two  sons  —  Ralph  H.  antl 
Charles  J.  Lucetta  A.  married  Erank  D.  Ap- 
pleton,  of  West  Deering.  The  mother  resides 
with  her  son  in  Antrim. 

Miles  Benton  Tuttle  began  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Antrim,  and  completed  his 
studies  at  the  academy  in  Francestown.  He 
was  engaged  in  farming  for  a  time,  and  then 
went  upon  the  road  as  a  travelling  salesman 
for  eight  years.  Eventually  he  returned  to 
the  homestead,  where  he  resumed  farming,  and 
for  several  years  produced  quite  a  quantity  of 
milk.  He  is  now  giving  his  principal  atten- 
tion to  buying  and  selling  cattle.  On  Septem- 
ber 29,  1869,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Lizzie  A.  Marshall,  daughter  of  Sumner  O. 
Marshall,  of  Hillsboro.  Mrs.  Tuttle  is  the 
mother  of  twins,  Isaac  M.  and  James  C,  born 
October  19,  1879. 

Mr.  Tuttle  has  rendered  efficient  services  to 
the  town,  and  his  political  supporters  have 
had  every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  him. 
As  a  Democrat  he  was  elected  to  the  Board  of 
Selectmen  in  1875  and  1876,  and  he  repre- 
sented this  town  in  the  legislature  in  1890 
and  1 89 1.  The  measure  of  success  he  has 
won  is  due  largely  to  his  fair  dealing,  for 
which  he  is  sincerely  esteemed  in  the  town. 


'AMES  C.  HILDRETH,  a  popular  and 
enterprising  merchant  of  Hollis.  was 
born  here.  May  26,  1846,  son  of  Amos 
and  Mary  E.  (Stearns)  Hildreth.  His 
great-grandfather  and  great-great-grandfather. 
Captain  Daniel  Bailey  and  son,  who  bore  the 
same  name,  were  Revolutionary  soldiers,  par- 
ticipating in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  and  in 
all  the  subsequent  battles  in  which  the  Hollis 
company  was  engaged.  Mr.  Hildreth  has  the 
musket  that  his  great-grandfather  carried  in 
these  battles.  The  father,  who  was  born  at 
W'estfield,  Mass.,  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  in  Harvard,  Mass.,  and  died  there  at  the 
age  of  seventy-two  years.  His  wife  was  a 
native  of  Winchendon,  Mass. 

In  the  district  schools  of  Hollis,  where  he 
received  his  early  education,  James  C.  Hil- 
dreth was  a  favorite  with  his  young  compan- 
ions,  and  early  gave  evidence    of    the  energy 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


347 


and  alertness  that  have  since  characterized  his 
business  life.  His  first  salary  was  earned  in 
the  capacity  of  clerk  for  William  A.  Trow, 
with  whom  he  remained  several  years,  gaining 
valuable  experience.  Later  he  opened  a  job 
printing-office  and  established  the  Hollis 
Times,  which  he  conducted  successfully  for 
si.x  years.  Then  the  pressure  of  other  duties 
compelled  him  to  discontinue  the  publication 
of  the  Times,  but  he  continued  the  printing- 
office.  In  1890  he  opened  a  store  in  Hollis. 
This  has  since  acquired  so  large  a  business 
that  it  is  now  claimed  to  be  the  leading  store 
in  the  town.  Mr.  Hildreth  intends  always  to 
carry  only  first-class  stock  and  to  charge  only 
fair  prices,  so  that  buyer  and  seller  are  bene- 
fited. A  tireless  worker,  he  is  constantly 
busy.  He  is  assisted  by  his  son,  who  has  now 
become  an  essential  factor  in  the  management 
of  the  business.  Prior  to  Mr.  Cleveland's 
inauguration  he  was  Postmaster  of  the  town. 
Mr.  Hildreth  married  a  Hollis  lady.  Miss 
Mary  S.  Colburn,  daughter  of  Abel  and  Susan 
Colburn.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hildreth  have  one 
son  —  Albert  F.,  above  alluded  to,  who  is  his 
father's  right-hand  man  in  business.  Mr. 
Hildreth  is  always  actively  interested  in  any 
question  which  may  arise  concerning  in  any 
way  the  welfare  of  the  town ;  and  he  takes  due 
interest  in  political  affairs,  though  his  many 
business  engagements  prevent  him  from  accept- 
ing any  political  office.  He  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Golden  Cross  and  also  of  Hollis 
Grange.  Of  the  former  order  he  is  Past  Com- 
mander. 


W] 


ARREN  H.  BUTLER,  an  exten- 
sive dairy  farmer  of  Chesterfield, 
the  chairman  of  the  Board  of  County 
Commissioners  and  an  ex-member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  legislature,  was  born  in  this  town, 
October  6,  1847,  son  of  Marshall  and  Luthera 
B.  (Hubbard)  Butler.  The  great-grandfather, 
Josiah  Butler,  who  resided  in  Hinsdale,  was  a 
nephew  of  Colonel  Josiah  Willard,  one  of  the 
original  proprietors  of  the  town  of  Chester- 
field. Colonel  Willard  was  a  prominent  man 
in  the  Connecticut  valley  in  his  time.  These 
were   the   days  when  the  settlers  were    often 


called  from  their  field  labors  to  defend  their 
families  from  the  attacks  of  the  Indians. 

John  Butler,  grandfather  of  Warren  H.,  was 
born  in  Hinsdale,  P'cbruary  5,  1786.  In 
1825  he  settled  upon  a  farm  in  the  southern 
part  of  Chesterfield.  Besides  cultivating  a 
farm,  he  was  engaged  extensively  in  logging, 
rafting  his  timber  down  the  Connecticut 
River  to  Springfield  and  Hartford.  His  last 
days  were  spent  in  retirement;  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1884,  he  was 
the  oldest  man  in  Chesterfield.  His  first 
marriage  was  contracted  in  18 10  with  Gratia 
Hubbard,  a  daughter  of  Ephraim  Hubbard. 
On  January  30,  1856,  a  second  marriage  united 
him  with  Lydia  Crowningshield,  who  was  born 
in  Hinsdale,  January  21,  181 1.  His  first 
wife  had  eight  children,  as  follows:  Marshall, 
born  May  9,  181 1;  Warren,  born  August  15, 
1812,  who  died  August  19,  1831;  Josiah, 
born  January  4,  18 15,  who  died  in  September, 
1862;  Ephraim  H.,  twin  brother  of  Josiah; 
Erastus,  born  May  12,  18 16;  Maria,  born 
April  14,  1817;  Roswell,  born  August  15, 
1822;  and  Otis,  born  June  3,  1826.  Maria 
became  the  wife  of  Samuel  Thomas,  of  Hins- 
dale. 

Marshall  Butler,  who  was  a  native  of  Hins- 
dale, and  moved  with  his  parents  to  Chester- 
field, followed  the  lumber  business  in  com- 
pany with  his  father.  He  died  in  the  prime 
of  life  on  November  iS,  1855.  He  was  quite 
prominent  in  military  affairs  as  Captain  of 
a  local  light  infantry  company.  His  wife, 
Luthera,  was  a  daughter  of  Captain  Jacob  P. 
Hubbard,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Chesterfield. 
She  became  the  mother  of  four  children,  as 
follows:  Lucius  M.,  born  April  g,  1838;  Ann 
S.,  born  January  11,  1842;  Helen  P.,  born 
March  24,  1845;  and  Warren  H.,  the  .subject 
of  this  sketch.  Lucius  M.,  who  is  a  master 
mechanic  on  the  New  York,  New  Haven,  & 
Hartford  Railroad,  has  four  children  —  Her- 
bert, Abbott,  Nellie,  and  Earl.  Ann  S.  mar- 
ried Frederick  L.  Stone,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  business  man  of  Amherst,  Mass.  Her 
children  are:  Winthrop  E.,  Harland  F.,  Law- 
son,  and  Helen.  Winthrop  E.  Stone,  who 
graduated  from  the  Massachusetts  State  Agri- 
cultural College  at   Amherst,  spent  two  years 


348 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


in  Germany,  and  is  now  the  vice-president  of 
Purdue  University,  Indiana;  and  Harland  F. 
Stone,  a  graduate  of  Amherst,  is  now  pursu- 
ing a  course  at  the  Columbia  Law  School. 
Helen  P.  Butler  is  the  wife  of  George  Howe, 
a  native  of  Hinsdale  and  a  machinist  by 
trade.  They  reside  in  Agawam,  Mass.,  and 
have  two  children — Bernice  L.  and  Murray  R. 

But  eight  years  old  when  his  father  died, 
Warren  H.  Butler  had  not  the  thorough  train- 
ing which  is  prompted  by  paternal  love  and 
solicitude.  He  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  and  at  the  old  Chesterfield  Academy, 
and  assisted  in  carrying  on  the  homestead 
farm  for  some  time.  Subsequently  he  bought 
the  Nat  Hildreth  farm  of  one  hundred  acres, 
and  engaged  energetically  in  its  cultivation. 
In  1877  he  had  the  misfortune  of  losing  his 
buildings  by  fire;  but  he  immediately  rebuilt, 
and  has  since  been  occupied  in  dairy  farming, 
which  he  carries  on  upon  a  large  scale.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  one  of  the 
leaders  of  that  party  in  this  section.  He  has 
been  a  delegate  to  several  county  and  State 
conventions,  and  was  instrumental  in  securing 
the  nomination  of  ex-Governor  Goodell.  Dur- 
ing nine  of  the  ten  years  he  spent  in  the 
Board  of  Selectmen  he  was  its  chairman. 
He  was  elected  to  the  legislature  in  1S89,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  County 
Affairs.  He  has  also  served  as  both  County 
and  Town  Auditor,  Moderator  at  town  meet- 
ings, and  Deputy  Sheriff.  He  was  first 
elected  County  Commissioner  in  1893.  Since 
then  he  has  been  twice  re-elected,  and  holds 
office  now  for  the  term  ending  in  iSgg.  Also 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Quorum,  he  has 
settled  many  estates,  and  acts  as  administrator 
and  guardian. 

On  February  14,  1S71,  Mr.  Butler  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Elenora  F.  Barrett, 
of  Chesterfield.  She  is  a  daughter  of  George 
W.  and  Emily  (Wilson)  Barrett,  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  John  H.  and  Charlotte  (Thomas) 
Barrett.  Her  maternal  grandparents  were 
Wheaton  and  Sally  (Taft)  Wilson,  of  Dum- 
merston,  Vt.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler  have  one 
daughter,  Gladys,  who  was  born  July  23,  1880. 
Mr.  Butler  is,  without  doubt,  one  of  the  best 
known  men  in  Cheshire  County.     His  ability 


has  been  tested  to  its  fullest  capacity  by  the 
various  political  complications  which  he  has 
satisfactorily  adjusted,  and  his  public  services 
are  heartily  appreciated  by  the  voters  through- 
out the  county.  He  belongs  to  the  Improved 
Order  of  Red  Men  of  Keene.  N.H. 


rell. 


ESSE  W.  TIRRELL,  a  prominent  and 
enterprising  farmer  of  Goffstown,  was 
born  here,  December  13,  1840,  son  of 
Hiram  and  Martha  J.  (Gilmore)  Tir- 
The  part  of  Goffstown  known  as  Canada 
Hill  was  a  waste  when  Jesse  Tirrell,  Hiram's 
father,  settled  there.  By  hard  work  he  con- 
verted a  tract  into  a  good  farm,  upon  which  he 
prosperously  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  and  his  wife  both  died  at  an  advanced  age. 
Hiram  was  born  in  the  old  Tirrell  homestead 
in  July,  1806;  and  his  wife,  Martha,  was  born 
on  the  very  same  farm,  March  18,  1807.  She 
vvas  a  daughter  of  Robert  Gilmore,  who  also 
bore  an  honored  name  among  the  old-time  in- 
habitants of  the  town.  Hiram  Tirrell  was  a 
farmer  and  lumberman.  Excepting  a  resi- 
dence of  seven  years  in  Boston,  his  life  was 
spent  on  the  Gilmore  farm.  In  religion  he 
was  a  Baptist.  At  his  death,  which  occurred 
January  9,  1888,  he  left  a  reputation  for 
scrupulous  integrity.  His  wife  died  July  22, 
1876.  Of  their  three  sons  and  two  daughters 
there  are  now  living:  Jesse  W.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Caroline,  the  wife  of  George  C. 
Baker,  of  West  Manchester;  and  Clinton  H., 
whose  biography  will  be  found  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  The  others  were:  Harriett  G., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen;  and  Joseph, 
who  died  June  17,  1895,  aged  fifty-seven. 

Jesse  W.  Tirrell  received  his  education  in' 
the  town  schools.  Farming  and  teaming  have 
been  his  principal  occupations  since.  He 
spent  two  years  each  successively  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Hillsboro  and  Merrimack  Counties  in 
the  capacity  of  assistant  superintendent  of  the 
county  farms.  The  well-kept  farm  of  about 
seventy  acres  on  which  he  now  lives  was 
purchased  by  him  in  1868.  He  has  been 
Road  Agent,  was  Selectman  for  two  years, 
and  he  was  in  the  State  legislature  in  i8gi. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  has 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


349 


been  Deacon  of  the  church  in  Goff.stown 
Centre  for  five  years.  In  politics  he  follows 
the  Republican  party. 

Mr.  Tirrell  was  first  married  November  17, 
1866,  to  Mrs.  Ellen  (Gile)  Mason,  a  native  of 
VVolcott,  Vt.,  who  died  August  19,  1871. 
He  entered  a  second  marriage  October  8, 
1872,  with  Flora  L.  Griffith,  a  native  of 
Livermore,  Me.,  who  died  March  19,  1884. 
On  May  18,  1887,  he  contracted  a  third  mar- 
riage, by  which  he  was  united  to  Mattie  T. 
Emerson.  She  was  born  in  Auburn,  N.H., 
October  6,  1S38,  daughter  of  David  and  Eliza 
(Caleff)  Emerson.  Mr.  Tirrell  has  two  chil- 
dren—  Irving  H.  and  May  B.  Irving,  who 
was  born  November  12,  1870,  lives  at  St. 
Albans,  Vt.,  being  employed  by  the  great 
Chicago  meat  firm  of  Swift  &  Co.,  in  whose 
employ  he  has  been  for  nine  years.  May  B., 
born  April  17,  1875,  resides  at  home  with  her 
parents.  She  graduated  from  the  Normal 
School  at  Plymouth,  N.H.,  and  has  taught 
school  for  several  terms  in  her  native  town. 


OIIN  E.  BRUCE,  a  well-known  resi- 
dent of  Milford,  is  a  native  of  Mont 
Vernon,  N.H.  Born  November  4, 
1 81 7,  he  is  a  son  of  John  and  Dolly 
(Durant)  Bruce  the  former  a  native  of  Mont 
Vernon  and  the  latter  of  Dracut,  Mass.  The 
founder  of  the  family  came  from  Scotland, 
where  the  name,  since  the  days  of  Robert 
Bruce,  has  been  inseparably  associated  with 
self-sacrificing  patriotism.  Mr.  Bruce  is  a 
grandson  of  the  first  minister  who  settled  in 
Mont  Vernon,  the  Rev.  John  Bruce  of  the 
Congregational  denomination.  The  father  of 
Mr.  Bruce  was  a  farmer  and  for  many  years  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  in  Mont  Vernon.  He 
also  served  as  Treasurer  of  Hillsboro  County, 
throughout  which  he  had  an  extended  acquaint- 
ance.     His  death  occurred  in  1S72. 

Mr.  Bruce  was  brought  up  in  his  native 
place.  He  received  the  ordinary  education 
afforded  by  the  common  school,  supplemented 
by  a  term  at  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover, 
Mass.,  and  a  short  course  at  Appleton  Acad- 
emy, New  Ipswich,  N.H.  For  a  brief  time 
afterward  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  school. 


When  twenty-three  years  of  age  he  turned  his 
attention  to  mercantile  life,  taking  charge  of 
a  general  store  in  Mont  Vernon  and  conducting 
it  for  about  five  years.  In  1848  he  came  to 
Milford  and  kept  a  similar  store  here  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  subsequently  formed  a 
partnership  with  II.  M.  Tyler,  under  the  name 
of  Bruce  &  Tyler,  who  carried  on  the  business 
until  1862,  when  they  separated.  On  October 
I,  1896,  Mr.  Bruce,  who  had  continued  in 
business  at  the  same  stand,  sold  out  to  S.  Car- 
roll Coburn,  the  present  owner.  In  the  legis- 
lature of  1856-57  he  served  as  Representa- 
tive from  Milford.  He  has  been  Town  Clerk 
and  Town  Treasurer,  he  is  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  he  was  Deputy  Sheriff  for  several 
years.  Also,  for  about  nine  years,  he  was  Se- 
lectman of  Milford,  serving  for  much  of  the 
time  in  the  capacity  of  chairman  of  the  Board. 
He  is  identified  with  both  the  Masonic  and 
Odd  Fellows  orders. 

Mr.  Bruce  married  Sarah  J.  W'hittemore,  of 
Mont  Vernon,  and  has  five  children.  These 
are:  Charles  E.,  president  of  the  Seamless 
Hosiery  Company  of  Rochester,  N.Y.  ;  Jo- 
sephine E.,  a  teacher  in  the  high  school  at 
Medford,  Mass.  ;  Ella  A.,  the  wife  of  N.  VV. 
Robinson,  of  Milford;  Emily  F. ,  the  wife  of 
Judge  W.  H.  Sanborn  of  the  United  States 
Circuit  Court  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.  ;  and  Sarah 
\V.,  the  wife  of  E.  A.  MacCrillis,  of  Milford, 
X.  H.  A  man  of  unquestioned  integrity  and 
sound  judgment,  Mr.  Bruce  has  often  been  of 
service  to  his  townsmen. 


fs^OEL  WELLINGTON,  of  Rindge,  an 
extensive  manufacturer  and  an  ex-mem- 
ber of  the  New  Hampshire  legislature, 
was  born  in  this  town,  July  7,  183 1, 
son  of  Captain  Leonard  and  Lucinda  (Page) 
Wellington.  The  Wellingtons  are  the  de- 
scendants of  Roger  Wellington,  who,  born  in 
England  about  the  year  16 10,  emigrated  to 
this  country  when  a  young  man,  and  was 
among  the  first  settlers  of  Watertown,  Mass. 
Captain  Leonard  Wellington,  who  was  a  native 
of  Jaffrey,  N.H.,  located  in  Rindge  in  1803. 
While  a  hatter  by  trade,  he  carried  on  general 
farming,  and   was  employed  quite  extensively 


35° 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


as  an  auctioneer.  He  served  in  Captain 
Gregg's  company  during  the  War  of  1812, 
and  died  May  22,  1849.  He  successively 
married  Eunice  Earl,  Dorcas  Priest,  and  Lu- 
cinda  Page. 

Joel  Wellington  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools.  Since  reaching  manhood,  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and 
woodenware.  He  was  for  some  years  asso- 
ciated with  others,  but  in  1871  became  the 
sole  proprietor.  Besides  his  large  box  manu- 
factory he  also  conducts  a  general  store.  He 
represented  this  district  in  the  legislature  of 
1873-74,  3"^  was  again  elected  in  1893.  For 
several  years  he  was  Selectman,  and  he  has 
been  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  since  1871.  He 
cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  General 
Scott  in  1852,  and  has  supported  the  Republi- 
can party  since  its  formation. 

On  November  30,  1854,  Mr.  Wellington 
was  joined  in  marriage  with  Harriet  E.  Rams- 
dell,  a  daughter  of  Amos  Ramsdell.  Mrs. 
Wellington  has  been  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  sur- 
vivors are:  Herbert  D.  and  Arthur  J.,  both 
of  whom  are  connected  with  their  father's 
business.  Herbert  D.  Wellington  married 
Harriet  A.  Wright,  and  has  one  daughter, 
Bertha  E.  Arthur  J.  Wellington  married 
Susie  E.  Lloyd,  and  his  children  are:  Ida 
Maud,  Alice  Georgia,  Beatrice  Agnes,  and 
Ralph  A.  J.  Wellington.  Mr.  Wellington  is 
connected  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the 
Order  of  the  Golden  Cross,  and  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry.  His  religious  belief  is  that  of 
the  Methodists. 


jUCIAN  D.  TINKER,  of  Marlow,  an 
enterprising  dealer  in  drugs  and  med- 
icines,  was  born  in  this  town,  Octo- 
ber 20,  1847,  son  of  Lauren  and 
Hannah  C.  (Glidden)  Tinker.  The  first  of 
the  name  to  settle  in  Marlow  was  Elijah 
Tinker,  Lucian  D.  Tinker's  grandfather,  who 
came  from  Connecticut,  and  followed  general 
farming  here  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Comstock,  and  with  her 
reared  four  children  —  Lauren,  Nathan,  Leon- 
ard,   and    Lucinda.      Nathan,  who   was   in   the 


meat  business  in  New  London,  Conn.,  married 
Mary  Stone,  and  had  two  children.  Leonard, 
who  resided  upon  a  farm  in  Nashua,  N.  H., 
married  for  his  first  wife  Mary  Gee,  who 
bore  him  five  children.  His  second  marriage 
was  made  with  Rebecca  Roby.  Lucinda 
Tinker  became  the  wife  of  Dexter  Bradford,  a 
farmer  of  Charlestown,  N.H.,  and  had  one 
daughter. 

Lauren  Tinker,  born  in  i  8og,  was  an  indus- 
trious farmer.  Also  an  estimable  citizen,  it 
was  his  custom  to  clearly  and  forcibly  express 
his  opinions  on  matters  of  public  importance 
at  town  meetings,  and  he  served  as  a  Select- 
man for  a  number  of  terms.  He  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Christian  church,  was  deeply 
interested  in  charitable  and  religious  work, 
and  a  close  student  of  the  Bible.  At  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1895,  he  was  about 
eighty-six  years  old.  His  wife,  Hannah,  born 
in  Unity,  N.H.,  November  22,  181 1,  was  a 
daughter  of  Colonel  Ezra  Glidden,  a  well- 
known  resident  of  that  town  in  his  day.  She 
became  the  mother  of  four  children,  born  as 
follows:  Alva  G.,  August  17,  1838;  Milan 
L. ,  June  23,  1843;  and  Lucius  Duett  and 
Lucian  Duane,  who  were  twins,  October  20, 
1847.  Alva  G.,  who  lost  an  arm  while  serv- 
ing in  the  Civil  War,  and  is  now  residing  in 
Milford,  N.H.,  was  formerly  in  the  stove  and 
tinware  business.  He  married  Mrs.  Nellie 
Tinker,  the  widow  of  his  brother,  Milan  L. 
Milan  L.  Tinker,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Mar- 
low, enlisted  in  the  Union  army  for  service 
in  the  Civil  War,  and  died  at  Alexandria, 
Va.,  August  3,  1864.  He  married  Nellie 
Dunkley.  Lucius  D. ,  who  is  a  teamster  in 
Nashua,  married  Etta  A.  Keyes,  and  has  one 
daughter,  Nettie  H.  Mrs.  Lauren  Tinker 
died  in  June,   1S71. 

After  acquiring  his  education  in  Marlow, 
Lucian  D.  Tinker  was  for  some  years  engaged 
in  teaming.  Afterward  he  followed  farming 
in  Alstead  for  four  years  and  in  Marlow  for 
seven  years.  Then  he  resumed  his  former  oc- 
cupation of  teamster,  and  had  worked  at  it  for 
seven  years,  when  he  bought  the  drug  store 
formerly  carried  on  by  E.  N.  Howe.  This 
store  he  has  since  prosperously  conducted. 
Mr.    Tinker   was    Postmaster  four   years,    has 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


35 1 


been  Second  Selectman  tor  five  years,  and  is 
the  Town  Treasurer.  He  has  occupied  the 
principal  chairs  in  the  local  lodge  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  he  is  connected  with  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry.  In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Meth- 
odist. 

Mr.  Tinker  marricil  Adtlie  G.  Brown.  She 
was  born  in  Alsteatl,  February  28,  1857, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  Brown,  who  was  then 
seventy-five  years  old.  Mr.  Brown,  born  in 
1782,  died  in  1876.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
first  wife  was  Clarinda  Huntley.  His  second 
wife,  Eleanor  L.  Gee  Brown,  who  was  born 
September  17,  1815,  died  August  4,  1881. 


RLANDO  WARREN  SPAULDING, 
a  prosperous  general  farmer  and  pro- 
prietor of  one  of  the  best  known  sum- 
mer boarding-houses  in  Pelham,  Hills- 
boro  County,  was  born  in  this  town,  April  8, 
1839,  son  of  Abram  and  Elizabeth  (Gibson) 
Spaulding.  CThe  father  was  a  native  of  Bil- 
lerica,  Mass.,  born  May  15,  1800,  and  in  his 
earlier  years  was  a  mill  operator.  In  1837  he 
settled  in  Pelham,  whefe  he  followed  agricult- 
ure for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  one  of 
the  able  farmers  and  useful  citizens  of  the 
town,  and  served  with  ability  as  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Selectmen.  In  politics  origi- 
nally a  Whig,  he  joined  the  Republican  party 
on  its  formatjon.  He  attended  the  Congrega- 
tional chiircb.  His  death,  which  occurred 
March  8,  1876,  when  he  was  seventy-five  years 
old,  was  much  regretted.  His  wife,  Elizabeth 
Gibson  Spaulding,  was  a  native  of  Pelham  ;  and 
her  birth  took  place  upon  the  farm  which  is 
now  owned  by  her  son,  Orlando  W.,  April  6, 
1S06.  She  became  the  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren—  Abram,  Mary  E.,  Lydia  M.,  George, 
Or]ando__W. ,  Clara  A.,  Edward,  Henry  A., 
and  Hannah  A.  Of  these  the  only  survivors 
are :  Orlando  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Clara  A.  ;  and  Hannah  A.  The  mother  died 
September  18,   1889.  J 

Orlando  Warren  Spaulding  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  Pelham,  and  when  a  young  man 
he  worked  upon  farms  in  this  neighborhood. 
For  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  wood 
business  in  Lawrence,  but  his  principal   occu- 


pations have  been  farming  antl  lumbering.  In 
1867  he  bought  the  homestead  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  upon  which  he  has 
since  resided.  He  tills  the  soil  during  the 
summer  season,  and  in  winter  he  carries  on 
lumbering  operations.  ]"'or  several  years  past 
his  farm  has  been  a  favorite  resort  for  summer 
boarders;  and  its  pleasant  and  airy  location, 
from  which  on  a  clear  day  may  be  seen  in  the 
distance  the  cities  of  Nashua,  Lowell,  An- 
dover,  and  Boston,  makes  it  especially  adajited 
to  that  purpose.  There  is  a  constant  demand 
upon  him  for  rooms  during  the  heated  term, 
and  the  number  of  his  guests  is  only  limited 
by  his  accommodations. 

On  June  25,  1863,  Mr.  Spaulding  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  P.  Hamblett,  of  Meth- 
uen,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Amos  and  Nancy 
(Marsh)  Hamblett.  Both  her  parents  are  now 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spaulding  have  no 
children  living.  Politically,  Mr.  Spaulding  is 
a  Republican,  and  he  has  ably  served  the  town 
as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen.  He 
is  connected  by  membership  with  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers,  and  with  Pelham  Grange,  Patrons  of 
Husbandry. 


-OHN  J.  RUEFER,  of  the  firm  of  Hagen 
&   Ruefer,  piano   manufacturers,  Peter- 


boro,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  where  he 
,  was  born  June  9,  1863,  son  of  Adam 
and  Zirhr  (Dora)  Ruefer.  The  father,  also  a 
native  of  Germany,  born  in  1834,  who  was  at 
first  a  farmer,  later  conducted  a  graining-mill, 
and  afterward  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
bricks.  He  came  to  America,  but  after  about 
three  years  returned  to  his  native  land,  where 
he  is  still  living.  Of  his  four  children  three 
are  deceased. 

John  Ruefer  was  educated  in  Germany. 
Upon  leaving  school,  he  learned  the  trade  of 
cabinet-maker  and  worked  at  it  in  Germany 
for  five  years.  After  coming  to  this  country 
in  1881,  he  learned  the  general  trade  of  car- 
penter in  New  York  City  and  later  that  of 
piano  key  maker,  at  which  he  worked  up  to 
1884.  Then  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother,  -Sebastian,  and  Charles  Hagen,  under 
the  name  of  the  New  York  Piano  Key  Com- 


352 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


pany,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  piano 
keys  in  the  city  of  New  York  up  to  1895, 
when  they  removed  to  Peterboro.  In  1893 
also  the  partnership  of  Hagen  &  Ruefer  was 
formed  for  the  manufacture  of  pianos.  Al- 
though these  pianos  are  a  recent  make,  they 
have  gained  a  reputation,  which  is  constantly 
widening,  for  brilliancy  of  tone  and  admirable 
workmanship.  Both  partners  are  expert  and 
skilled  workmen,  and  personally  superintend 
every  department  of  their  factory.  Under 
their  constant  watchfulness  it  is  impossible  for 
any  instrument  to  leave  their  warehouse  imper- 
fectly finished. 

Mr.  Ruefer  was  married  October  25,  1884, 
to  Barbara  Endres,  of  Germany.  They  have 
three  children  —  Edwin,  Lillian,  and  Emma. 
Mr.  Ruefer  is  energetic,  progressive,  and  of 
unimpeachable  integrity.  His  hospitality, 
which  is  a  heritage  from  his  German  ancestry, 
has  won  him  many  friends;  and  his  genial 
nature  makes  him  popular  in  the  town. 


NDREVV  J.  CROOKER,  Hillsboro's 
Representative  in  the  New  Hamp- 
shire legislature  and  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  War,  was  born  in  Bath, 
March  29,  1832,  son  of  Robert  and  Sarah 
(Hall)  Crooker,  both  also  natives  of  Bath. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  Moses  Crooker, 
whose  father  was  lost  at  sea,  in  consequence 
of  that  misfortune  began  to  work  for  his  living 
at  an  early  age.  He  acquired  the  black- 
smith's trade,  which  he  followed  in  Bath  for 
many  years,  and  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-six. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  McFarland, 
bore  him  seven  children. 

Robert  Crooker,  the  eldest  child  of  Moses, 
enlisted  in  the  Maine  Volunteers  for  service 
in  the  War  of  18 12,  when  he  was  fourteen 
years  old,  and  was  detailed  to  serve  as  cap- 
tain's waiter.  After  leaving  the  army  he  fol- 
lowed the  sea,  became  a  ship-master,  and  was 
for  a  number  of  years  engaged  in  the  West 
India  trade,  making  a  specialty  of  bringing 
tropical  fruits  to  the  United  States.  At  the 
age  of  si.xty  he  retired  from  the  sea;  and,  pur- 
chasing a  farm  in  Wrentham,  Mass.,  he  tilled 
the  soil  for  the  rest  of  his  active  period.      His 


last  days  were  spent  with  his  son  in  Hillsboro, 
and  he  lived  to  be  eighty-seven  years  old. 
In  his  later  years  he  voted  with  the  Republi- 
can party.  His  wife,  Sarah,  became  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the  only 
survivors  are:  Andrew  J.  and  Jane.  Mrs. 
Robert  Crooker  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six 
years. 

After  acquiring  his  education  in  Canter- 
bury, N.H.,  Andrew  J.  Crooker  went  to  Bos- 
ton, learned  the  ship-joiner's  trade,  and  after- 
ward followed  that  calling  for  three  years. 
Then  he  came  to  Hillsboro,  and  in  1862  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  Company  D,  Eleventh 
Regiment,  New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  for 
service  in  the  Civil  War.  He  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  the  sieges  of 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  Miss.,  the  Wilderness 
campaign,  and  the  capture  of  Petersburg.  He 
was  wounded  in  the  left  shoulder  at  F"reder- 
icksburg,  and  while  in  front  of  Petersburg  was 
struck  in  the  right  side  by  a  minie  ball. 
These  injuries  were  of  a  more  or  less  serious 
nature,  and  he  now  receives  a  pension.  He 
was  discharged  on  June  i,  1865.  Returning 
to  Hillsboro,  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  some  time  later  bought  his  present 
farm,  which  contains  two  hundred  acres  of  ex- 
cellent land.  He  carries  on  general  farming, 
and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  progressive  and 
successful  agriculturists  of  this  town.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Republican.  He  served  as  clerk 
of  the  School  Board  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  was  elected  Representative  to  the  legis- 
lature in  1896. 

On  September  i,  1S56,  Mr.  Crooker  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Lucy  A.  Jones, 
daughter  of  John  Jones,  of  Roxbury,  Mass. 
Mrs.  Crooker  is  the  mother  of  six  children; 
namely,  Lizzie,  Robert  G. ,  Harriett  G.,  Lucy 
M.,  Sarah  J.,  and  Andrew  P.  Lizzie  is  now 
the  wife  of  Fred  B.  Putnam,  of  Wilton,  N.H., 
and  has  three  children  —  Edith,  P'red  ¥..,  and 
Ida.  Robert  G.  married  Edna  Horn,  of  Man- 
chester, N.H.,  and  has  two  children  —  Hattie 
and  Ethel.  Harriett  G.  married  W.  F.  West, 
of  Hillsboro.  Lucy  M.  is  now  Mrs.  James 
O.  Carr,  of  Antrim,  N.  H.,  and  her  children 
are:  Andrew  J.  and  Aura.  Sarah  J.  married 
Frank    L.    Straw,    of   Contoocook,    N.H.,    and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RFAIEW 


353 


has  two  children  —  Lucy  and  Bernice.  An- 
drew P.  wedded  Mary  Woods,  of  Hillsboro. 
Mr.  Crooker  has  occupied  the  important  chairs 
of  Valley  Lodge,  No.  43,  L  O.  O.  F.,  and  is 
a  Past  Commander  of  Post  No.  25,  G.  A.  R., 
of  this  town. 


N.H. 


EORGE  G.  TOLFORD,  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Tolford  &  Math- 
ews, Wilton,  was  born  in  Bedford, 
July  17,  i860,  son  of  Flbridge  G.  and 
Nancy  Jane  (Stewart)  Tolford.  His  great- 
grandfather. Major  John  Tolford,  who  was  a 
Scotch-Irishman,  emigrated  to  America  in 
1729,  and  settled  in  Chester,  N.H.,  where  he 
cleared  a  farm  and  tilled  the  soil  for  the  rest 
of  his  active  period.  Born  in  May,  1700, 
John  died  May  10,  1790.  He  married  Jean, 
daughter  of  Alexander  McMurphy,  and  be- 
came the  father  of  nine  children.  Hugh,  the 
seventh  child,  who,  born  December  22,  1747, 
died  April  25,  1833,  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  the  Hon.  Matthew  Patten,  and  be- 
came the  father  of  four  children. 

William  Tolford,  the  second  child  of  John 
and  the  grandfather  of  George  G.,  was  born 
in  Chester,  October  2,  1795.  P"or  several 
years  he  carried  on  a  farm  in  that  town.  Sub- 
sequently he  moved  his  family  to  Bedford, 
where  he  continued  to  follow  agriculture  for 
the  rest  of  his  life;  and  he  died  May  9,  1S67. 
He  married  Sally  Patten,  a  grand-daughter  of 
the  Matthew  Patten  who  was  one  of  the  oriari- 
nal  surveyors  of  the  State  of  New  Hampshire. 
William  and  Sally  Tolford  reared  two  sons — ■ 
Elbridge  G.  and  Dewitt  C.  Dewitt  C.  Tol- 
ford afterward  married  Mrs.  Kate  Fales. 
Elbridge  G.  Tolford,  the  father  of  George  G., 
was  born  in  Bedford,  May  g,  1829,  and  was 
reared  to  agriculture,  which  he  still  follows 
in  that  town.  He  owns  a  good  farm,  and  is 
one  of  the  best  known  residents  of  Bedford. 
He  was  for  two  years  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Selectmen,  serving  as  its  chairman  one 
year.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  His 
wife,  Nancy,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Moses 
Stewart,  of  Amherst,  N.H.,  became  the 
mother  of  three  children  —  George  G.,  Frank 
W.,    and    William    M.       Frank    W.    married 


Jennie  Lampher,  a  native  of  Vermont,  and 
has  two  children  —  Annie  and  Doris.  Will- 
iam M.  married  Sophia  Jones,  of  Maiden, 
Mass.,  and  has  one  child,  Helen.  Mrs.  El- 
bridge G.  Tolford  died  at  tlie  age  of  forty 
years. 

George  G.  Tolford  resided  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty  years  old.  Then  he  went  to  New 
Boston,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for 
six  years.  F"rom  New  Boston  he  came  to  Wil- 
ton, and  for  four  years  was  employed  by  S.  H. 
Dunbar  in  the  meat  business.  In  1S90  the 
present  firm  of  Tolford  &  Mathews  was  estab- 
lished, and  has  since  conducted  a  thriving 
business  in  meat  and  provisions.  An  active 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party,  he  takes  a 
lively  interest  in  local  affairs.  He  has  been 
chief  of  the  fire  department  for  three  years, 
and  he  was  elected  a  Selectman  in  1895,  and 
is  now  serving  his  third  term. 

On  October  27,  1886,  Mr.  Tolford  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Emma  Flynn,  of 
Jersey  City,  N.J.  Mrs.  Tolford  is  now  the 
mother  of  two  children  —Carl  S.  and  Eliza- 
beth C.  Mr.  Tolford  is  at  the  present  time 
Junior  Warden  of  Clinton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  Wilton,  and  is  a  member  of  King  Solomon 
Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of  Milford, 
N.H.  He  is  also  connected  with  Lam-el 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  this  town.  He  has 
made  his  way  in  life  through  his  own  exer- 
tions, and  is  highly  esteemed  as  an  upright, 
business  man. 


OCKWELL   F.    CRAIG,  an  enterpris- 
ing  lumber    manufacturer   of  Marlow 


and  a  member  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire legislature,  was  born  in  Rye- 
gate,  Vt.,  April  30,  1852,  son  of  Robert  M. 
and  Nancy  (Keenan)  Craig.  His  grandfather, 
John  Craig,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Rye- 
gate,  and  a  miller  by  occupation. 

Robert  M.  Craig,  who  also  sjient  his  life  in 
Ryegate,  owned  and  industriously  cultivated  a 
good  farm  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
the  prime  of  life.  He  married  Nancy  Keenan, 
who  was  born  March  19,  1826,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Keenan,  a  native  of  the  Scotch  High- 
lands.     Left  with  eight  children  by  the  death 


354 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


of  her  husband,  she  sold  the  property  in  Rye- 
gate,  and  moved  to  another  farm  in  Topsham, 
Vt.  This,  with  the  assistance  of  her  eldest 
sons,  she  carried  on  until  1862,  when  they  en- 
listed for  service  in  the  Civil  War.  She  then 
disposed  of  the  property,  and  took  up  her  resi- 
dence in  the  village,  where  she  died  in  Janu- 
ary, 1880.  Her  children  were:  Parker, 
Daniel,  Martha,  Albert,  William  P.,  Mar- 
garet J.,  Rockwell  F.,  and  Ella  M.  Parker 
died  in  infancy;  Daniel  died  in  Libby  Prison; 
Martha  died  aged  seventeen  years;  Albert, 
who  is  employed  in  a  whetstone  factory  in 
Woodsville,  N.H.,  married  Kate  Haslett,  and 
has  two  children;  William  P.  was  killed  in 
the  late  war;  Margaret  lives  in  Lowell, 
Mass. ;  Ella  M.  is  the  wife  of  Forest  R.  Mills, 
the  overseer  of  the  Old  Colony  Boiler  Works, 
and  resides  in  WoUaston,  Mass. 

After  leaving  the  schools  of  Topsham,  Vt., 
Rockwell  F.  Craig  was  employed  in  a  saw- 
mill until  he  was  sixteen  years  old.  He  then 
entered  the  railroad  service,  and  in  time  be- 
came a  locomotive  engineer.  In  the  latter  ca- 
pacity he  was  employed  for  thirteen  years  by 
the  Northern  New  Hampshire  and  the  Mexi- 
can Central  Railroads.  About  eleven  3'ears 
ago  he  left  the  railway  service,  and,  locating 
in  Lempster,  N.H.,  he  was  for  five  years  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  card  backs,  chair 
stock,  and  lumber  for  building  purposes. 
From  Lempster'  he  moved  to  Marlow,  where 
he  has  prosperously  carried  on  the  same  busi- 
ness for  the  past  six  years.  After  having 
been  Supervisor  and  legislative  Representa- 
tive of  Lempster,  he  is  now  serving  Marlow 
in  the  same  capacities.  In  the  legislature  he 
has  been  a  valuable  member  of  the  Committee 
on  State  Prison.  In  the  Masonic  fraternity 
he  has  advanced  to  the  Commandery,  being  a 
member  of  Hugh  de  Payens  Knights  Templar. 
He  also  belongs  to  the  Brotherhood  of  Loco- 
motive Engineers  and  the  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry. In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Presby- 
terian. 

Mr.  Craig  married  Lizzie  A.  Buzwell, 
daughter  of  Daniel  B.  Buzwell,  of  Acworth, 
N.H.  Mrs.  Craig  is  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren, namely:  Willie  P.,  born  September  19, 
1876;  and  Jennie   E.,  born   October  25,   1878. 


Willie  P.  is  attending  Cushing  Academy, 
Ashburnliam,  Mass;  and  Jennie  E.  is  resid- 
ing at  home. 


ON.  T.  NELSON  HASTINGS,  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Cheshire 
County,  New  Hampshire,  residing 
''  in  Walpole.  State  Senator  for  the 
biennial  term,  1897-9S,  was  born  in  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  May  23,  1858,  son  of  T.  Nel- 
son, Sr.,  and  Harriett  M.  (Holland)  Hast- 
ings. His  paternal  grandfather,  Thomas 
Hastings,  was  a  very  successful  merchant, 
and  resided  in  East  Cambridge,  Mass.  He 
was  for  a  number  of  years  in  business  with 
Thomas  Dana,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hast- 
ings &  Dana,  wholesale  grocers.  Thomas 
Hastings's  first  wife  was  the  first  adult  buried 
in  Mount  Auburn  Cemetery,  since  so  famous 
as  the  burial-place  of  Lowell,  Longfellow,  and 
a  host  of  other  distinguished  Americans. 

Mr.  T.  Nelson  Hastings,  Sr. ,  who  died  when 
his  son  Nelson  was  only  nine  months  old, 
was  a  man  of  much  influence,  and  was  for  years 
a  member  of  the  Commercial  Exchange  in 
Boston,  residing  in  Cambridge.  By  his  first 
wife,  Emma  Coffin,  he  had  three  sons;  and 
by  his  second  wife,  Harriett  M.  Holland,  he 
had  two  sons — Edward  H.  and  T.  Nelson 
Hastings.  Edward  H.  Hastings  died  March 
4,  1889,  in  Walpole,  where  he  was  at  the 
time  visiting.  He  was  interested  in  tlie 
Electric  Motor  Company  of  Philadelphia. 
His  wife  was  Mary  H.,  daughter  of  Tyler  B. 
Gaskell,  a  well-known  hotel  man  of  Boston. 

Mr.  Hastings's  great-grandfather  on  his 
mother's  side  was  Dr.  Abraham  Holland,  a 
graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  and  the  third 
physician  to  practise  in  Walpole.  A  man  of 
much  prominence  in  his  profession,  he  prac- 
tised medicine  in  this  town  for  forty  years. 
His  son  Ephraim,  born  in  1790,  was  in  the  War 
of  1 81 2.  He  kept  the  Phoenix  Hotel  at 
Keene,  and  Holland's  Coffee  House  in  Boston. 
He  married  Nancy,  the  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Mead,  and  had  eight  children,  namely: 
Henry  E. ;  Harriett  M.,  born  March  18, 
1826;  Edward  M.  ;  Daniel  D. ;  Orlando  S.  ; 
Frederick    H.;   George   B. ;    and   William    W. 


T.    NELSON     HASTINGS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


357 


Henry  K.  Holland   studied   medicine,  and  was 
a  surgeon  in  the  Civil  War. 

Upon  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Har- 
riett M.  Hastings  removed  with  her  children 
to  Walpole,  where  her  son,  T.  Nelson,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  acquired  his  element- 
ary education  in  the  public  schools.  He 
afterward  attended  Warren  Academy  at  Wo- 
burn,  Mass.,  and  later  the  Massachusetts  In- 
stitute of  Technology,  where  he  pursued  a 
course  in  architecture.  From  1882  to  1888 
Mr.  Hastings  lived  on  North,  now  Massachu- 
setts, Avenue,  in  Cambridge,  and  was  engaged 
in  various  business  enterprises  in  Boston. 
In  1882  he  built  the  Bijou  Theatre  in  that 
city,  and  conducted  it  with  George  Tyler  as 
stage  manager.  Later  he  sold  it  to  Mr. 
Whipple,  who  in  turn  sold  it  to  Mr.  B.  V. 
Keith.  While  owner  of  the  Bijou,  Mr.  Hast- 
ings introduced  Edison's  electric  lighting 
system.  Being  a  warm  personal  friend  of 
Mr.  Edison  and  having  the  fullest  confidence 
in  his  ability,  he  became  a  pioneer  in  intro- 
ducing his  new  invention  to  the  public,  put- 
ting in  over  seven  hundred  lights.  He  also 
placed  in  the  theatre  six  magnificent  chande- 
liers that  had  been  made  to  be  sent  to  Egypt. 
During  this  time,  also,  Mr.  Hastings  was  in- 
terested in  the  Boston  Tobacco  Company,  and 
was  for  three  years  its  president. 

He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  old  Boston 
Bicycle  Club,  and  at  the  first  bicycle  race  ever 
held  in  Suffolk  County,  at  Chestnut  Hill,  he 
took  the  first  prize.  Mr.  Hastings  is  six  feet, 
f_our  inches  in  height,  and  he  rode  a  sixty-inch 
wlieel,  making  a  striking  and  handsome  figure. 
Tn    1880,  with   four  other  members,  he  made  a 


cycling   trip  abroad.      This   was   the   first   trip 


of  the  kind;  and  the  "  Eortunate  I-'ive, "  as 
they  were  termed,  were  entertained,  officially 
and  individually,  by  the  members  of  the  Bi- 
cycle Club  of  London,  then  composed  exclu- 
sively of  men  of  wealth  and  of  noble  family. 
The  five  were   feted   and    lionized   and    invited 


to  state  residences  and  to  palaces,  and  were 
rn^de  members  of  the  Bicycle  Touring  Club  of 
England.  They  remained  three  months  in 
England,  from  May,  1880,  to  August  of  the 
same  year.  Mr.  Hastings's  companions  were: 
Dr.    F.    A.    Adams,  of  Worcester;  Frank  W. 


Weston,  formerly  calleil  "Papa  Weston";  Joe 
Deane,  a  lawyer  of  Boston ;  and  George  C. 
Thomas,  of  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Hastings  ex- 
tended the  trip,  making  a  pleasure  tour  in 
Germany  and  Switzerland  and  other  coun- 
tries, not  carrying  with  him  his  wheel. 

Mr.  Hastings  is  an  earnest  Republican,  and 
was  elected  to  the  Senate  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  receiving  the  largest  vote  in  town,  this 
including,  of  course,  many  Democratic  votes. 
Since  taking  his  seat,  he  has  been  made  chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Agriculture,  secre- 
tary of  the  Education  Committee,  and  sec- 
retary of  the  Committee  on  Incorporations, 
and  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Labor. 
He  is  extremely  popular  on  account  of  his 
genial  and  amiable  qualities  and  his  liberal 
hospitality,  and  with  his  commanding  height 
and  presence  he  makes  a  notable  figure  at  the 
State  Capitol.  Mr.  Hastings  is  a  good  judge 
of  horse  flesh,  and  is  said  to  be  one  of  the 
most  skilful  of  four-in-hand  whips,  his  four 
beautiful  coal  black  horses  constituting  one  of 
the  finest  four-in-hand  teams  in  the  State. 
This  has  been  seen  on  many  occasions  at 
fairs,  where  it  has  always  made  one  of  the 
chief  features  of  interest. 

Since  Mr.  Hastings  took  up  his  residence 
in  Walpole  in  1888,  he  has  taken  a  most  ac- 
tive interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  town,  and 
has  identified  himself  in  every  way  with  its 
social  and  educational  life.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  School  committee  for  some 
years.  The  grading  of  the  yard  in  front  of 
the  school  building  which  joins  his  property 
was  done  at  his  expense.  He  is  a  liberal  suji- 
porter  of  the  Unitarian  church  in  Walpole, 
and  is  chairman  of  its  Executive  Committee. 
For  a  while  he  sang  in  the  church  choir,  and 
he  has  assisted  materially  in  ]:)Iacing  the 
church  finances  in  good  condition.  He  was 
an  interested  mover  in  placing  in  tlie  church 
the  three-thousand-dollar  organ,  which  was 
the  gift  of  Mr.  G.  A.  Stearns,  and  in  raising 
the  salary  of  the  minister.  He  is  a  loyal  and 
active  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

On  July  14,  1882,  Mr.  Hastings  married 
Amy,  daughter  of  Hudson  E.  Bridge,  who 
was  born  on  the  site  of  the  present  town 
library   of    Walpole,    which   was    erected    and 


3S8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


given  the  town  in  his  honor.  Mr.  Bridge 
taught  school  in  Walpole  when  a  young  man, 
and  then  removed  to  St.  Louis.  He  saw  the 
possibilities  of  the  growing  city,  and,  taking 
advantage  of  business  opportunities,  he  be- 
came one  of  its  wealthiest  manufacturers. 
He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Isabella  Hol- 
land, by  whom  he  had  two  children- — -Isa- 
bella and  Emma;  and,  second,  to  Hellen 
Holland,  sister  of  the  first  Mrs.  Bridge.  By 
the  second  wife  were  four  children  —  Hudson 
E.,  Harrison  P.,  Mary,  and  Amy.  Hudson 
E.  Bridge,  who  now  has  a  handsome  summer 
residence  at  Walpole,  is  president  of  the 
Bridge  &  Beech  Manufacturing  Company  of 
St.  Louis.  He  married  Helen  Durkee,  of  St. 
Louis.  Harrison  P.,  deceased,  married  Caro- 
line G.  Tobey,  of  Walpole,  who  survives  him. 
Mary  married  N.  C.  Chapman,  of  St.  Louis. 
Mrs.  Amy  Bridge  Hastings  died  April  3,  1895, 
and  as  a  memorial  to  her  Mr.  Hastings  has 
had  erected  the  beautiful  Parish  House  for  the 
Unitarian  Society.  This  is  a  handsome  two- 
story  building  well  equipped  for  social  pur- 
poses in  every  needed  detail,  having  among 
other  conveniences  a  stage  with  curtain  and 
scenery  arranged  in  the  best  possible  man- 
ner. This  house  was  designed  by  Mr.  Hast- 
ings, and  was  dedicated  January  29,   1896. 

Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hastings,  and  four  of  them  are  now  living; 
namely,  Thomas  N.,  Jr.,  Hudson  Bridge, 
Russell,  and  Henry  Winthrop. 


n|r>^AVID    ATWOOD    PAIGE,  a  highly 

|=:|      respected      citizen     of      Goffstown, 

^^J      Hillsboro   County,    residing  on    the 

old   Paige  farm,  where  he  was  born 

March    29,    1844,    is  a  son   of  John    Goff  and 

Nancy  Miller  (Campbell)  Paige. 

The  Paiges  came  originally  from  England. 
James  Paige,  the  progenitor  of  the  Goffstown 
branch  of  the  family,  which  is  one  of  the  old- 
est in  Hillsboro  County,  is  said  to  have  had 
two  brothers,  one  of  whom  settled  with  him  in 
this  town.  The  farm  now  owned  by  David 
Atwood  Paige  is  the  one  that  was  cleared  by 
James  Paige,  who  was  his  great-grandfather, 
it  having  always  remained   in   the    possession 


of  the  descendants.  James  Paige  was  in  the 
Revolutionary  War;  and  Jonathan  Paige,  one 
of  his  sons,  was  in  the  War  of  1812. 

Benjamin  Paige,  son  of  James  and  father  of 
John  Goff  Paige,  was  born  in  Goffstown,  and 
spent  his  life  here  as  an  agriculturist.  He 
succeeded  his  father,  James,  in  the  ownership 
of  the  homestead.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Betsey  Goff,  was  a  kinswoman  of 
the  Goffs  for  whom  this  place  was  named. 
John  Goff  Paige,  who  was  born  about  the  year 
1S03,  remained  with  his  parents;  and  his  life 
was  spent  on  this  farm,  which  he  carried  on 
after  his  father  gave  up  active  labor.  Being 
industrious,  and  possessing  good  business 
ability,  he  was  successful  in  his  chosen  voca- 
tion. In  politics  he  was  a  Republican,  in  re- 
ligion a  Congregationalist  and  a  member  of 
the  church.  He  died  here  in  1859,  aged  fifty- 
si.K  years,  survived  by  Nancy  M.,  his  wife, 
who  died  in  18S0,  aged  seventy-three  years. 
They  had  eight  children,  of  whom  four  are  liv- 
ing, namely:  Isaac  J.,  in  Goffstown;  J. 
Frank,  in  Keene,  N.H.;  David  A.,  in  Goffs- 
town; and  Sarah  A.,  in  TeiTipleton,  Mass. 
The  deceased  are:  Francis  N.,  Martha  J., 
Harlan  E.,  and  Henry  C.  The  two  last 
named  were  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
Rebellion,  Harlan  E.  being  a  member  of 
Company  E,  Fourth  New  Hampshire  Regi- 
ment; and  Henry  C,  of  Company  H,  Third 
New  Hampshire  Regiment.  Both  died  from 
the  effects  of  their  service. 

David  Atwood  Paige  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Goffstown,  including  the 
high  school.  When  about  seventeen  years 
old,  in  August,  1861,  he  enlisted  with  his 
brother,  Henry  C.,  under  Captain  Robert  C. 
Dow,  in  Company  H,  Third  New  Hampshire 
Regiment.  He  was  in  many  battles,  the  prin- 
cipal ones  being:  Secessionville,  Charleston, 
siege  of  Morris  Island,  Fort  Sumter,  Fort 
Wagner,  James  Island,  Bluffton,  and  Hilton 
Head,  all  in  South  Carolina;  Laurel  Hill, 
Chapin  Farm,  Thatcher's  Run,  Deep  Run, 
Deep  Bottom,  Petersburg,  and  Bermuda  Hun- 
dred, inVirgina;  and  Port  Fisher,  Wilming- 
ton, N.  E.  Creek,  and  Goldsboro,  in  North 
Carolina.  He  was  wounded  four  times,  first 
at  Secessionville,  twice  at  Morris  Island,  and 


BIOGRAI'HICAL    REVIKVV 


359 


fourth  at  Dniry's  Bluff,  Va.  Made  a  prisoner 
at  Pinckney  Island,  South  Carolina,  on  Au- 
irust  2  1,  1 86 1,  he  was  taken  first  to  McPher- 
soiiville,  from  there  to  Ifardyville,  thence  to 
Columbia,  and  finally  to  Libby  Prison,  Rich- 
mond. He  was  paroled  in  October,  1862,  and 
exchanged  the  following  December,  having 
been  a  prisoner  about  four  months.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  on  August  2,  1865, 
after  the  close  of  the  war.  Returning  to 
Goffstown,  he  bought  the  home  farm,  which 
contains  about  one  hundred  acres,  and  has 
since  resided  here.  He  has  built  a  new  set 
of  buildings  from  plans  made  by  himself 
and  under  his  superintendence.  Mr.  Paige 
has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Manchester 
Locomotive  Works  for  the  past  twenty-seven 
years,  and  is  now  foreman  of  the  wood  depart- 
ment at  Manchester. 

On  New  Year's  Day,  1873,  Mr.  Paige  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella  F.  Har- 
rington,  who  was  born  in  Manchester,  N.H., 
Aligllst  13,  1854,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  C. 
and  Nancy  (Hastings)  Harrington.  Her 
father  was  born  November  3,  1816,  in  New 
York  State,  and  died  at  Manchester,  Novem- 
ber 19,  1879.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade, 
but  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life  in  farm- 
ing. In  politics  he  was  a  RejDublican,  in 
religion  a  zealous  Methodist;  and  he  was  also 
an  active  temperance  worker.  Mrs.  Paige's 
mother  was  born  in  Bristol,  N.H.,  October 
23,  18 1 7,  and  i¥Tiow~Tiving.  She  married 
Samuel  C.  Harrington,  November  24,  1842, 
and  had  five  children,  of  whom  Charles  M. 
and  Iziana  V.  have  passed  away.  The  living 
are  :  Charles  M.  Harrington,  of  Augusta, 
Ga.  ;  Ella  F.,  Mrs.  Paige;  and  Josephine  A.. 
wife  of  Myron  Browley,  of  Plymouth,  N.H. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paige  have  six  children  living, 
namely:  Josephine  E. ,  born  June  12,  1S74; 
David  E.,  a  member  of  the  P.  of  H.,  born 
October  4,  1S76;  Jennie  M.,  born  June  30, 
1879;  I'^lora  A.,  born  March  16,  1883;  Flor- 
ence E.,  born  October  28,  1886;  and  Bertha 
RT^  born  September  10^  1888.  lulith  J., 
born  May  10,  1885,  died  July  11,  1885. 
David  E.,  the  only  son,  now  carries  on  the 
home  farm. 

Mr.    Paige     is    a    Republican     in    politics. 


Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of    Bible    Lodge, 

F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Goffstown,  of  which  he  has 
been     Master;     Lewis    Bell     Post,      No.     3, 

G.  A.  R.,  at  Manchester,  of  which  he  has 
been  Commander;  Security  Lodge,  No.  8, 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  at  Manchester;  and  the  Man- 
chester War  Veterans,  of  which  he  was  Cap- 
tain three  years,  and  has  held  all  the  other 
ofifices. 


/pT^Kl^NER  CALEB  fllLL,  M.D.,  a 
\  5T      well-known  physician   of   Keene,  was 

— ^  born  in  Winchester,  this  county, 
March  20,  1829.  His  parents  were  Caleb  and 
Polly  (Howard)  Hill,  of  that  place.  Caleb 
was  a  son  of  Jonathan  Hill,  wlio  moved  from 
P2ast  Douglas,  Mass.,  to  Winchester,  where 
he  married  a  Miss  Combs,  who  was  a  resident 
of  that  place.  When  Caleb  married  Polly 
Howard,  who  was  a  grand-daughter  of  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers,  he  went  to  live  on  her 
father's  farm.  Well-known  and  esteemed  in 
that  section  of  the  country,  his  death  at  the 
age  of  fifty-eight  years,  caused  by  injuries  re- 
ceived in  an  accident,  was  regretted  by  the 
community.  He  had  seven  children  —  Marin, 
Sophia,  Gardner  C,  Jonathan  O. ,  Elmina, 
Maria  (second),  and  Laura. 

Gardner  C.  Hill  passed  his  boyhood  on  the 
home  farm  in  Winchester,  receiving  his  early 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  that  town 
and  in  a  private  school.  Later  he  studied  at 
Chesterfield  Academy,  Mount  Caesar  .Semi- 
nary, and  Saxton's  River  Seminary,  Vermont. 
Like  many  of  our  professional  men  born  a  half- 
century  or  more  ago,  he  began  life  as  a  schocd 
teacher,  and  taught  for  about  twenty  terms  in 
Swanze)',  Keene,  and  Winchester.  His  last 
engagement  was  in  the  old  Winchester  High 
.School,  where  he  had  formerly  been  a  student. 
While  teaching  he  read  medicine  with  Dr. 
Comings,  of  West  Swanzey.  Subsequently 
he  coni])leted  the  course  of  Castleton  Medical 
College,  Vermont,  and  graduated  from  that  in- 
stitution in  the  class  of  1856.  He  began  the 
active  practice  of  medicine  at  Warwick,  Mass., 
where  he  remained  for  ten  years.  In  1S66  he 
took  a  post-graduate  course  at  Harvard  Medi- 
cal  School,   and    in    the   summer   of    1S67    he 


360 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


came  to  Keene  and  opened  an  office.  Dr. 
Hill  is  a  member  of  the  State  Medical  Soci- 
eties of  both  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp- 
shire, of  the  Cheshire  County  Medical  Society, 
and  of  the  Connecticut  River  Valley  Medical 
Association.  He  has  retained  an  active  in- 
terest in  all  matters  pertaining  to  public  in- 
struction, and  has  been  constantly  connected 
in  some  official  capacity  with  the  public 
schools.  He  was  on  the  School  Board  in 
Warwick,  and  has  been  on  that  of  Keene  for 
the  past  twenty  years  more  or  less.  He  twice 
resigned  the  office,  but  subsequently  resumed 
in  compliance  with  urgent  solicitation.  For  a 
number  of  years  Dr.  Hill  has  been  city  and 
county  physician,  one  of  the  medical  staff  of 
Elliot  City  Hospital  since  that  institution 
started,  and  the  secretary  of  the  Keene  Koard 
of  E.xamining  Surgeons  of  Pensions.  A  loyal 
Republican,  he  has  served  his  party  as  a  dele- 
gate to  State  conventions.  For  some  years  he 
was  County  Commissioner  and  County  Treas- 
urer, respectively.  In  these  two  positions  he 
made  a  large  acquaintance  and  gained  many 
friends.  He  is  president  of  the  Republican 
Club  of  Ward  Four,  and  has  been  for  two  years 
the  president  of  the  Common  Council,  repre- 
senting Ward  Four. 

The  Doctor  first  married  Miss  Rebecca  F. 
Howard,  of  Walpole.  She  was  educated  at 
the  Female  Seminary  in  Newbury,  Vt.,  and 
afterward  taught  in  the  high-grade  schools. 
After  her  marriage  she  read  medicine  with 
her  husband,  and  in  1863  graduated  at  the 
Woman's  Medical  College  in  Boston.  She 
became  devoted  to  the  practice  of  medicine 
and  assisted  Dr.  Hill.  Her  death  from  con- 
sumption terminated  an  unusually  successful 
career.  Dr.  Hill  was  married  a  second  time, 
in  1893,  to  Miss  Carrie  R.  Hutchins,  also  a 
native  of  Walpole  and  a  teacher.  Miss 
Hutchins  had  been  educated  at  Keene,  and 
had  taught  school  for  some  terms.  During 
the  two  years  preceding  her  marriage  she  was 
assistant  cashier  in  the  bank.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Hill  are  identified  with  the  First  Church, 
and  are  active  promoters  of  every  good  cause. 
They  have  had  two  adopted  children  :  Will- 
iam H.  Hill,  of  Keene;  and  Rebie  E.,  now 
deceased. 


/^HARLES  BOYNTON  GOODWIN, 
I  Ky  one  of  the  most  influential  men  of 
yU^^  Mason,  was  born  in  Brookline, 
N.H.,  January  17,  1S51,  son  of  the 
late  Rev.  Daniel  Goodwin  and  his  wife,  Martha 
(Boynton)  Goodwin.  He  traces  his  descent 
back  through  four  or  five  generations.  His 
great-great-grandfather,  Daniel  Goodwin,  who 
came  to  this  country  from  England,  settled  in 
Newburyport,  Mass.  His  great-grandfather, 
David  Goodwin,  who  went  from  Rowley, 
Mass.,  to  Londonderry,  N.  H.,  in  the  year 
1787,  settled  there  as  a  farmer.  David's 
wife,  in  maidenhood  Mehitable  Jackson,  had 
seven  children.  Joshua,  grandfather  of  Mr. 
Charles  Goodwin,  was  the  fifth. 

Joshua  Goodwin,  the  fifth  child  of  David, 
born  in  Rowley,  July  30,  1779,  was  a  farmer 
of  Londonderry.  He  was  also  a  shoemaker, 
and  he  worked  at  that  trade  at  various  times. 
A  devoted  and  active  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  he  served  in  the  capacity  of 
Deacon  for  many  years.  He  was  one  of  the 
old-time  Whigs  and  a  stanch  supporter  of  his 
party.  The  first  of  his  three  marriages  was 
contracted  with  Rebecca  Jones,  who  bore  him 
two  sons.  His  second  wife,  Elizabeth,  a  sis- 
ter of  Rebecca,  had  three  children,  among 
whom  was  the  Rev.  Daniel  Goodwin.  His 
third  marriage  was  made  with  Annie  Melvin, 
a  widow,  who  had  no  children. 

The  Rev.  Daniel  Goodwin  was  born  January 
25,  1S09,  at  Londonderry.  He  was  finely 
educated  and  a  college  graduate.  After  at- 
tending the  common  schools,  he  took  a  course 
in  the  academy  at  Derry,  N.  H.,  and  subse- 
quently graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in 
the  class  of  1835,  ^"f'  from  Andover  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  in  1838.  Settling  for  his  first 
pastorate  in  Brookline,  N.  H.,  he  was  ordained 
there  February  27,  1839,  and  afterward 
preached  there  until  1855.  Then  he  came  to 
Mason,  where  he  was  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  for  eighteen  years.  His  death 
occurred  on  December  30,  1893.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Goodwin  always  took  an  active  part  in  the  civil 
affairs  of  the  town.  In  18S5-86  he  was  a 
member  of  the  State  legislature.  For  nine 
years  he  was  Town  Clerk.  He  was  the  Post- 
master and  a  Justice  of  the   Peace  for  twenty 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


361 


years,  and  he  also  served  as  Notary  l^iblic  and 
Superintendent  of  the  Town  Schools.  Like  his 
father,  the  Deacon,  the  Rev.  Daniel  Goodwin 
was  thrice  married.  Julia  Ann  Shiite  Good- 
win, the  first  wife,  bore  him  four  children  — 
Sarah  D.,  Lucy  E.,  Julia  A.,  and  Daniel  D. 
Sarah  D.  is  the  widow  of  Charles  W.  Tarbell, 
of  Brooklyn,  N.Y. ,  and  had  two  daughters  — 
Sarah  G.  and  Alice  F.,  of  whom  Sarah  G.  is 
the  wife  of  the  Rev.  C.  F.  H.  Crathern,  of 
Braintree,  Mass.,  and  Alice, F.  died  June  18, 
1887.  Julia  A.  died  at  Mason,  October  28, 
1894.  She  was  for  some  time  a  resident  in 
the  South,  where  she  taught  music  and  other 
branches  of  education,  under  the  auspices  of 
the  American  Missionary  Association,  and 
had  returned  home  on  account  of  ill  health. 
Daniel  D.  Goodwin,  who  died  May  24,  1S84, 
was  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1883.  For 
about  six  3'ears  he  carried  on  an  extensive 
business  in  horns  and  hides  in  Colorado.  He 
spent  his  last  years  in  Mason.  Lucy  E. 
taught  school  for  several  years  in  Greenville 
and  in  the  .South,  imder  the  auspices  of  the 
American  Missionary  Association,  and  now 
resides  with  her  brother,  Charles  Boynton 
Goodwin.  Mrs.  Julia  Ann  Shute  Goodwin 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church  at  Brookline, 
N.  1:L  The  Rev.  Mr.  Goodwin's  second  wife, 
Martha  Boynton  Goodwin,  and  the  mother  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  daughter  of 
Major  Eli  l^oynton,  of  Pepperell,  Mass.,  and 
was  the  mother  of  three  children,  one  of 
whom  is  now  deceased.  Henry  A.  is  married 
to  Emma  F.  Childs,  and  has  five  children; 
namely,  Martha  L.,  Ethel  M.,  Otis  D.,  Dan- 
iel, and  Ruth.  Residing  at  Hollis,  N.  H., 
he  is  an  extensive  farmer,  has  served  as  Se- 
lectman, is  now  serving  on  the  School  Board, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
Mrs.  Martha  Goodwin  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
two  years.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Goodwin's  third 
marriage  was  contracted  with  Mrs.  Lucy  I. 
Boynton,  a  widow  of  Pepperell,  Mass.,  and  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church.  She 
now  resides  in  Pepperell,  Mass. 

Charles  Boynton  Goodwin  has  been  a  farmer 
all  his  life.  Educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Brookline  and   Mason,  he  afterward  worked 


with  his  father,  and  is  now  a  self-made  man. 
He  is  owner  of  many  broad  acres  and 
very  prominent  in  all  town  affairs.  lie  has 
held  several  minor  offices,  was  a  member  of 
the  School  Board  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
has  been  chosen  Town  Clerk  annually  since 
1883.  In  1892  he  was  Selectman,  and  he  has 
held  the  office  of  Postmaster  since  1888.  Mr. 
Goodwin  is  unmarried. 


^^  ARZILLA  RICHARDSON,  a  former 
.  railroad  man,  later  a  farmer  and  real 
^'  estate  dealer  of  A 1  stead,  in  the 
northern  part  of  Cheshire  County, 
was  born  on  February  7,  1833,  in  Keene, 
N.  H.,  his  present  place  of  residence.  His 
parents  were  Barzilla  and  Lydia  (Foster) 
Richardson. 

It  is  a  matter  of  history  that  three  Richard- 
son brothers  —  Ezekiel,  Samuel,  and  Thomas 
—  were  among  the  early  colonists  of  Massa- 
chusetts, lizekiel  coming  over  in  1630,  it  is 
thought,  in  Governor  Winthrop's  fleet,  and  at 
first  making  his  home  in  Charlestown,  Sam- 
uel and  Thomas  coming  later,  probably  in 
1636,  and  all  three  settling  in  Woburn,  being 
with  a  few  others,  in  1642,  founders  of  the 
church  and  town. 

The  Richardson  Memorial  volume  of  nine 
hundred  and  forty-four  pages,  by  Vinton,  says 
that  the  family  is  doubtless  of  Norman  origin, 
and,  quoting  Burke's  "Landed  Gentry,"  add.s, 
"It  was  settled  in  Norfolk,  in  Yorkshire, 
Durham,  and  perhaps  other  counties  in  Eng- 
land, as  early  as  the  sixteenth  century,  and 
had  already  arrived  at  eminence." 

Samuel  Richardson,  from  whom  Mr.  Bar- 
zilla Richardson,  of  Keene,  is  lineally  de- 
scended, was  born  in  England  about  1610,  and 
died  March  23,  1658.  He  was  Selectman  in 
Woburn  for  six  years,  1644,  1645,  1646,  1649, 
1650,  and  1651;  and  in  1645,  it  is  said,  he 
paid  the  highest  tax  in  the  town.  His  son 
Stephen  was  born  in  1649;  and  Stephen's  son, 
Stephen,  Jr.,  born  in  1675  or  1676,  was  the 
father  of  Dr.  Amos  Richardson,  born  in  Bil- 
lerica,  Mass.,  in  1710.  The  next  in  this  line 
was  the  Doctor's  son  Eri,  born  about  1740, 
at  Pelham,  Mass.,  who  married   Sarah   Durant 


362 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


in  1762,  and  was  the  first  of  the  name  to  settle 
in  Keene,  N.  H.  His  eldest  child,  Amos, 
second,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  was  born  at  Keene,  P'ebruary  27,  1764. 
.He  was  the  strongest  man  in  the  State, 
weighed  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds,  was  six  feet  tall,  and  very  broad 
across  the  shoulders.  He  had  a  very  large 
and  muscular  arm,  with  a  hand  not  mucE 
longer  than  an  ordinary  man's  hand,  but  wide 
across  the  back  and  very  thick.  In  the  year 
1804  a  meeting-house  was  being  built  in 
Swanzey,  N.  H.,  sixty  feet  in  length  and 
thirty-five  feet  in  width.  On  the  second  day, 
in  raising  the  second  story,  and  in  laying  the 
beams  of  green  timber,  which  were  thirty-six 
feet  long  and  eight  by  eight  inches  at  the 
ends  and  eleven  by  eight  inches  in  the 
centre,  the  master  builder  called  upon  Amos 
the  giant,  who  was  standing  near,  to  assist. 
He  moved  it  all  alone  amid  the  cheers  of  the 
astonished  crowd.  Amos  Richardson  married 
Phcebe  Hill,  and  they  had  a  family  of  ten 
children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Swanzey. 
They  were  as  follows:  Josiah,  born  June  16, 
17S8;  Abel,  born  August  22,  1790;  Barzilla, 
Sr.  ;  Aaron,  born  August  17,  1794;  Levi, 
born  1796;  Ruel,  1798;  Amos,  iSoo;  David, 
1802;  Charlotte,  1804;  and  Betsey,  1806. 

Barzilla  Richardson,  Sr.,  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Keene,  June 
21,  1792,  and  died  April  19,  1850.  He  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  Swanzey,  and  after 
leaving  school  was  a  contractor  and  farmer, 
carrying  on  an  extensive  business.  He  mar- 
ried Lydia,  daughter  of  Joel  Foster,  of  Swan- 
zey, in  1813,  and  she  died  June  22,  1S80. 
Their  children  were  ten  in  number,  namely: 
Amos,  born  in  181 5;  Phoebe,  born  in  1817; 
Martha,  in  1819;  Joel,  in  1823;  Aaron,  in 
1S25  ;  Eri,  in  1S27;  David,  in  1829;  Sarah, 
in  1831  ;  Barzilla,  in  1833;  and  Lydia  A.,  in 
1836.  Of  these  ten  there  were,  until  recently, 
six  strong  sons,  whose  combined  weight  was 
over  twelve  hundred  pounds,  and  who,  with  the 
husbands  of  four  daughters,  entered  the  rail- 
road business  when  all  were  still  young  men, 
and  made  it  their  life  work.  The  years  of 
their  employment  amounted  to  a  total  of  three 
hundred,  an  average   of   thirty  years  for  a  man. 


Amos,  the  eldest  son,  after  leaving  school, 
began  work,  in  1831,  on  the  Boston  &  Worces- 
ter Railroad,  and  in  1833  was  track  layer  on 
the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad.  In  1849  he 
took  charge  of  the  building  and  laying  of  the 
tracks  of  the  Cheshire  Railroad,  and  was  the 
first  roadmaster  of  that  road.  Afterward  he 
was  roadmaster  for  one  of  the  Western  rail- 
roads. His  first  wife  was  Lucretia  Albee, 
and  his  second  wife  was  Juliette  Turner. 
He  had  a  family  of  six  children,  two  by  the 
first  and  four  by  the  second  marriage. 

Phcebe  Richardson  married  Charles  Lakin, 
of  Keene,  and  had  three  children.  Mr.  Lakin 
assisted  in  constructing  the  Boston  &  Worces- 
ter Railroad  in  1832,  and  after  that  he  was 
roadmaster  of  a  Western  road  for  thirty-one 
years.  Martha  Richardson  became  the  wife 
of  George  W.  Perry,  who  was  for  some  time  a 
master  mechanic  on  the  Cheshire  road,  and 
later  was  employed  in  a  like  capacity  on  the 
Delaware  &  Wilmington  road,  retiring  after 
thirty-five  years  of  service.  Joel  F.  Richard- 
son was  in  the  employ  of  the  Boston  &  Albany 
for  twelve  years,  being  roadmaster  and  con- 
tractor; and  he  afterward  built  eighteen  miles 
of  road  to  Cincinnati.  He  was  a  very  valuable 
man,  as  superintendent  receiving  a  salary  of 
five  thousand  dollars  a  year.  He  married 
Mary  Avery,  of  Grafton,  who  bore  him  five 
children. 

Aaron  Richardson  was  first  fireman  on  the 
Cheshire  road,  and  after  firing  for  four  months 
was  put  in  charge  of  an  engine.  Later  he 
was  engineer  on  the  8.30  train  out  of  Bellows 
Falls,  and  was  known  as  one  who  was  ex- 
tremely careful,  and  yet  whose  train  was  al- 
ways on  time.  He  retired  from  the  Illinois 
Central  after  twenty-one  years  of  service.  He 
married  Maria  E.  Belding,  and  their  home  is 
in  Hopkinton,  la.      They  have  six  children. 

I^ri  Richardson  was  twenty-six  years  in  the 
railroad  business.  He  was  in  the  track  de- 
partment for  many  years,  and  for  the  last  ten 
years  of  his  service  was  a  successful  contrac- 
tor and  builder.  Twenty  years  ago  he  in- 
vested fifty  thousand  dollars  in  Sioux  City, 
la.,  where  he  now  resides,  and  a  larger  amount 
in  Western  lands.  He  is  president  of  a  bank 
and  a   large  stockholder,   and    has   been    very 


BlOGR.VrHlCAL    REVIEW 


3^3 


prominent  in  the  public  affairs  of  Sioux  City. 
He  and  his  wife,  formerly  Eliza  A.  Thurston, 
have  a  family  of  six  children. 

David  Richardson  began  his  working  life  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years,  and  is  now  in  his 
fiftieth  year  of  railroading.  For  nine  years  he 
was  master  of  a  road  and  for  ten  years  general 
roadniaster.  Pie  is  a  large  man,  weighing 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  He  re- 
sides in  Indianapolis,  where  he  is  railroad  yard- 
master.  He  has  been  three  times  married, 
and  has  a  family  of  several  children.  His 
first  wife  was  Alvira  Torrey,  the  second  was 
Margaret  S.  Ray,  and  the  third  Mrs.  Sarah 
J.  Thomas. 

Sarah  Richardson  married  Niles  Aldrich, 
who  was  conductor  on  the  Cheshire  road  for 
ten  years  and  was  for  many  years  locomotive 
engineer,  making,  all  told,  a  service  of  about 
forty  years.  They  have  had  one  son.  Lydia 
married  George  Cole,  engineer  on  the  Chesh- 
ire road  and  on  the  New  York  Central,  work- 
ing for  twenty-two  years.  They  have  one 
child. 

Barzilla  Richardson  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Keene,  and,  beginning  his  working 
life  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  engaged  for  twenty 
years  in  railroading,  being  engineer,  con- 
ductor, and  having  charge  of  construction  on 
the  Cheshire  and  on  the  Union  Pacific,  South 
Pacific,  and  Illinois  Central  roads.  By  his 
industry  and  good  business  ability  he  ac- 
cpiired  a  competence,  of  which  he  is  well  de- 
serving. Since  retiring  from  railroad  work, 
in  which  he  was  considered  one  of  the  most 
skilful  men,  he  has  dealt  in  real  estate,  and 
has  done  some  farming. 

On  P"ebruary  20,  1S56,  Mr.  Richardson 
married  Sarah  M.  Goodnow,  who  has  been 
the  mother  of  five  children — Ada,  Sarah, 
Frank  W.,  Jennie  F.,  and  Walter  B.  Ada, 
born  November  30,  1857,  is  now  Mrs.  George 
Howe,  of  Keene,  and  mother  of  two  children 
—  Catherine  and  Phillip.  Sarah,  born  Octo- 
ber 17,  1859,  lives  at  Keene.  Frank  W. , 
born  December  29,  1861,  was  drowned  in  his 
fourth  year.  Jennie  F. ,  born  February  26, 
1863,  married  Jere  Weldman,  who  is  City 
Clerk  of  Keene,  Military  State  Inspector,  and 
a  member  of  the  G;ivernor's  staff.      They  have 


one  son,  Richard.  Walter  B.  Richardson, 
born  July  2,  1865,  is  a  florist,  residing  at 
Keene,  N.  H.  He  is  married,  but  has  no  chil- 
dren. 


P.  WHITTEMORE,  of  An- 
trim, the  local  agent  of  the  American 
Ivxpress  Company,  was  born  in  this 
town,  September  4,  18 16,  son  of 
Jacob  and  Rebecca  (Bradford)  Whittemore. 
Thefather,  who  was  born  in  Greenfield,  N.H., 
October  12,  1770,  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  in  Antrim.  He  was  not  only  a  pros- 
perous farmer,  but  his  natural  ability  and 
sound  judgment  were  made  use  of  by  his  fel- 
low-townsmen in  important  public  offices. 
They  sent  him  to  the  legislature  for  the  years 
1 81 8-19,  1838-39,  and  1840.  He  was  ap- 
pointed High  Sheriff  of  Hillsboro  County, 
August  9,  1827,  and  reappointed  in  1831  ;  and 
in  1836  or  1837  he  was  made  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  to  the  legal  limit.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat.  He  died  October  14,  1S60.  His 
wife,  Rebecca,  became  the  mother  of  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Reed  P.  is  the  only  one  now 
living.  She  reached  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
Both  parents  were  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  at  Hillsboro  Bridge. 

Reed  P.  Whittemore  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  town.  Afterward  he 
taught  school  for  two  terms  in  Antrim  and  for 
the  same  length  of  time  in  Hillsboro.  I'rom 
that  time  until  he  was  sixty  years  old  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  in  this  town.  Three  years 
later  he  moved  to  the  village,  where  he  has 
since  run  the  stage  from  the  village  to  the 
depot.  He  has  carried  the  United  States 
mail  since  1S78,  and  for  several  years  he  has 
been  the  agent  of  the  American  Express  Com- 
pany. 

On  February  10,  1842,  Mr.  Whittemore 
married  Sarah  E.  Dodge,  of  Bennington,  N.  H. 
Of  the  three  children  born  to  him  Charles 
A.  and  George  R.  are  living.  Charles  A. 
Whittemore  is  associated  with  his  father  in 
business,  and  drives  the  stage.  He  married 
Annie  Woodbury,  of  Francestown,  and  has 
four  children  —  Edwin  J.,  William  R.,  Martha 


364 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


E. ,  and  Philip.  George  R.,  who  lives  in 
Dorchester,  Mass.,  married  Helen  Grimes,  of 
Hillsboro,  and  has  one  child,  Henry  E. 
Maria  C.  VVhittemore,  the  third  child,  mar- 
ried Rodney  Smith,  and  died  August  6,  1887, 
leaving  a  daughter,  Ida  F.  Smith.  Mrs. 
Whittemore  died  September  15,  1889.  Po- 
litically, Mr.  Whittemore  is  a  Democrat.  He 
served  upon  the  Board  of  Selectmen  for  ten 
years,  represented  the  town  in  the  legislature 
in  1857  and  1858,  and  also  served  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  Moderator  at  town  meetings.  Still 
smart  and  active,  he  attends  to  business  every 
day.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  as  was  also  his  late  wife. 


Alien. 


R.  CLARENCE  JEAN  ALLEN,  a 
medical  practitioner  of  Peterboro, 
was  born  July  24,  1853,  in  Pomfret, 
Vt.,  son  of  Edwin  and  Ruth  (Keith) 
His  great  -  great  -  grandfather  was 
Elnathan  Allen,  who  came  from  Connecticut, 
the  first  of  the  family  to  settle  in  Pom- 
fret.  Elnathan's  son  Gilbert,  who  cleared 
and  cultivated  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
Edwin  Allen,  was  a  successful  trader  in 
cattle,  horses,  and  sheepj  acquired  a  comfort- 
able competence,  was  prominent  in  town 
affairs,  and  served  in  sundry  public  offices. 
By  his  wife,  Lucy  Winchell  Allen,  he  was 
the  father  of  five  children,  of  whom  Harry  and 
Maria  are  living.  John  Allen,  grandfather  of 
Dr.  Allen,  married  Eliza  Fuller.  Of  their 
children  Edwin,  Henry  C,  Truman,  Edgar, 
and  James  attained  maturity. 

Fldwin  Allen  is  a  farmer,  and  lives  on  the 
old  homestead  where  his  father,  himself,  and 
his  son  were  born.  He  owns  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  land,  called  the  Highland 
Farm,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  producing  a 
fine  brand  of  creamery  butter,  having  a  large 
herd  of  Jersey  cattle  and  every  facility  in  the 
way  of  improved  apparatus.  His  butter  is 
widely  known  and  eagerly  sought  for  on  ac- 
count of  its  fine  quality.  At  the  present  time 
he  is  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  in 
the  district.  His  success  has  been  due  to  his 
industry  and  energy,  coupled  with  good  judg- 
ment and  unquestionable   integrity.      Both  he 


and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Universalist 
Church  of  East  Barnard,  Vt.,  which  he  serves 
in  the  capacity  of  trustee.  In  politics  he  is 
an  influential  Republican,  and  he  has  been 
Constable  and  Tax  Collector  of  the  town  for 
thirty  years. 

Clarence  J.  Allen  went  to  school  in  Pom- 
fret  and  then  to  the  Green  Mountain  Perkins 
Academy  at  South  Woodstock,  Vt.  After- 
ward he  graduated  in  both  courses  at  the  Ver- 
mont State  Normal  School  at  Randolph  in 
1S73.  He  then  taught  school  in  the  State  of 
Illinois  for  ten  years,  during  a  part  of  which 
time  he  was  also  studying  medicine.  Subse- 
quently he  took  a  course  of  medical  lectures 
at  the  Dartmouth  Medical  College,  and  two 
courses  in  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont  at  Burlington.  After 
graduating  in  1S84,  he  located  in  Waitsfield, 
Vt.,  where  he  practised  for  five  years.  He 
then  went  to  New  York  City,  and  took  a  post- 
graduate course  at  the  Post-graduate  Medical 
School.  From  New  York,  in  June,  1889,  he 
came  to  Peterboro,  where  he  has  followed  his 
profession  up  to  the  present  time.  In  1891 
he  took  another  post-graduate  course  at  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  and  in  1893 
and  1895  still  further  courses  at  the  Boston 
City  Hospital. 

On  August  31,  1875,  Dr.  Allen  was  mar- 
ried to  Eva  O.  Joslyn,  of  Waitsfield,  Vt., 
daughter  of  Cornelius  E.  Joslyn.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Allen  have  one  child,  Clare  Jean,  who 
was  born  June  i,  1880.  They  are  members 
and  regular  attendants  of  the  Congregational 
church.  In  politics  Dr.  Allen  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  he  takes  much  interest  in  town 
affairs.  He  has  been  chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Health  for  three  years,  and  for  five  years 
secretary  of  the  Library  Committee  in  Peter- 
boro, which  is  said  to  be  the  oldest  free  public 
library  in  the  world.  Dr.  Allen  is  a  member 
of  the  Order  of  American  Mechanics,  and  has 
served  in  all  the  chairs  of  that  fraternity. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  and  of  the  Vermont,  New 
Hampshire,  and  Cheshire  County  Medical 
Societies.  He  is  medical  examiner  of  the 
New  York  Life  and  of  the  Mutual  Life  Insur- 
ance Companies  of  New  York,  of  the  National 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


365 


Insurance  Company  of  Vermont,  of  the  Union 
Mutual  of  Portland,  Me.,  and  of  the  North- 
western of  Wisconsin.  The  lucrative  practice 
acquired  by  Dr.  Allen  since  coming  to  Peter- 
boro  is  still  increasing.  He  has  many 
friends,  who  admire  him  for  his  personal  qual- 
ities as  well  as  for  his  professional  skill  and 
knowledge. 


KYMAN  K.  SAWTEI^LE,  a  well- 
known  citizen  of  East  jaffrey,  N.  H., 
^  formerly  connected  with  milling 
interests,  was  born  in  Lyndon,  Vt. , 
on  April  11,  1842,  son  of  Kinsley  and  Thank- 
ful (Watkins)  Sawtelle.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Hezekiah  Sawtelle,  of  Rindge,  N.  H., 
born  February  26,  1761,  a  descendant  of  Rich- 
ard Sawtelle,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Gro- 
ton,  Mass.,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  was  wounded.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, and  had  a  large  family  of  children,  all  by 
his  first  wife,  Sarah  Russell. 

Kinsley  Sawtelle,  son  of  Hezekiah,  was 
born  at  Rindge,  N.H.,  on  July  14,  1799.  He 
acquired  a  practical  education  in  the  common 
schools,  and  subsequently  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade,  and  worked  at  it  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  at  one  time  employing 
a  large  number  of  men.  He  lived  at  Barnet, 
Wells  River,  and  at  Lyndon,  Vt.  His  wife. 
Thankful,  who  was  born  at  Wendell,  Mass., 
on  February  21,  iSoi,  died  at  Mason,  N.  H., 
on  November  10,  1S62.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Stephen  Watkins,  of  Wendell,  Mass., 
who  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution  and 
also  in  the  War  of  181 2,  in  that  war  receiving 
a  wound  in  the  leg.  Kinsley  and  Thankful 
Sawtelle  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
as  follows:  Lyman  K.,  Sarah  J.,  .Stephen  E., 
Julia  A.,  Lucius  E.,  Julia  A.,  Horace  C, 
Charles  H.,  Mary  A.,  Emily  E. ,  Lyman  K., 
and  Henry  J.  The  father  died  on  January  8, 
1864. 

The  eldest  son,  the  first  Lyman  K.,  was 
born  at  Wendell,  Mass.,  on  November  2,  1820, 
and  died  at  Lyndon,  Vt.,  on  January  28,  1834. 
Sarah  J.  Sawtelle  was  born  at  Greenwich, 
Mass.,  on  May  22,  1822,  married  Helon  Car- 
penter,   and   resides  at    Springfield,    Vt.      Ste- 


phen E. ,  who  was  born  at  Troy,  N.  H.,  on  May 
29,  1824,  was  married,  and  died  on  May  24, 
1896.  By  occupation  he  was  a  railroad  en- 
gineer, and  he  ran  the  first  engine  he  ever  saw. 
Julia  A.  was  born  at  Keene,  N. H.,  on  May  7, 
1826,  and  died  on  the  second  day  of  August  of 
the  following  year.  Lucius  E.  was  born  at 
Lyndon,  Vt.,  on  May  12,  1828.  Julia  A., 
second,  was  born  at  Lyndon  on  April  18, 
1830,  is  now  Mrs.  Thomas  Hayes,  and  resides 
at  Greenville,  N.  H.  By  a  former  husband  she 
is  the  mother  of  one  son,  George  Edwin  Shat- 
tuck,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  inspector  of  cloth. 
Horace  C. ,  who  was  born  at  Lyndon  on  July 
22,  1832,  resides  at  Brooklyn,  N.Y. ,  and  is 
employed  by  the  Buttrick  Pattern  Company. 
Charles  H.  was  born  at  Lyndon,  on  Septem- 
ber 29,  1834,  and  died  in  February,  1883. 
Mary  A.  was  born  at  Lyndon,  on  May  29, 
1837,  and  died  on  April  17,  1S96.  She  was 
the  wife  of  Charles  Howard,  of  Westminster, 
Mass.,  who  is  assistant  superintendent  of  the 
Philadelphia  &  Baltimore  Railroad.  Emily 
E.,  who  was  born  at  Lyndon,  on  June  30, 
1839,  is  now  the  wife  of  Samuel  Oliver,  an 
engineer,  and  resides  at  Athol,  Mass.  Henry 
J.  was  born  at  Lyndon,  on  July  2,  1845,  is 
married,  and  resides  at  Northampton,  Mass., 
where  he  has  a  meat  market. 

Lyman  K.  Sawtelle,  the  si.xth  son  and 
eleventh  child,  was  educated  at  Greenville  and 
at  Mason,  N.  H.  He  began  to  work  in  a  cot- 
ton-mill at  Greenville  when  only  nine  years  of 
age,  and  remained  there  until  he  reached  the 
highest  position.  For  twelve  years  he  had 
charge  of  the  cloth  room,  size  room,  and  dye 
room  ;  and  he  was  overseer  for  many  years. 
In  1876  he  removed  to  Jaffrey,  where,  having 
bought  a  farm,  he  remained  twelve  years,  run- 
ning his  saw-mill.  When  the  mill  was 
started  in  East  Jaffrey,  he  took  charge  of  the 
same  department  that  he  had  had  charge  of  at 
Greenville.  Eight  years  ago  Mr.  Sawtelle 
sold  his  farm  to  Mr.  Gay,  a  wealthy  New  York 
gentleman  ;  and  since  that  time  he  has  been 
acting  as  superintendent  of  the  farm  for  Mr. 
Gay,  who  has  expended  about  forty  thousand 
dollars,  and  made  large  improvements  on  the 
estate. 

Mr.   Sawtelle   married    Mary  J.    Whitehead, 


366 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


who  was  born  in  Newton,  England,  on  Octo- 
ber 23,  1844,  daughter  of  John  Whitehead. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sawtelle  have  three  children  — 
Henry  H.,  May  E. ,  and  Herbert  C.  Henry 
H.  Sawtelle,  who  was  born  in  Springfield, 
Mass.,  on  April  21,  1865,  resides  in  this 
town,  and  is  engaged  in  running  a  lumber- 
mill.  He  and  his  wife,  Emily  Goodrich,  have 
three  children  living —  Robert  H.,  Harold  H., 
and  Edna  M. —  and  have  been  bereft  of  one,  a 
son  named  Loring  K.  May  E.  Sawtelle,  who 
was  born  at  Greenville,  N.  H.,  on  April  6, 
1869,  married  Willard  N.  Sawyer,  a  mechanic 
of  Winchendon,  Mass.,  and  has  two  children 
—  Nettie  M.  and  Ruth  G.  Herbert  C,  born 
in  Greenville  on  May  10,  1871,  is  agent  for 
Mr.  Gay's  farm.      He  is  unmarried. 

During  the  last  year  of  the  Civil  War  Mr. 
Sawtelle  was  a  member  of  Company  C,  Third 
Regiment,  Vermont  Infantry,  Second  Corps, 
Second  Division  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
He  now  draws  a  pension  for  rheumatism, 
caused  by  exposure  and  hardships  while  in  the 
service.  He  belongs  to  George  B.  McClellan 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  No.  88,  of  Jaffrey,  N.H.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  Charity  Lodge,  No.  18, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  East  Jaffrey;  King  Solomon 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  No.  17,  of  Milford,  N.H; 
and  Commandery  No.  149,  of  the  Order  of  the 
Golden  Cross,  at  East  Jaffrey.  While  living 
in  Greenville,  Mr  Sawtelle  served  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  as  Chief  of  Police  and  as  District 
Clerk.  He  has  never  aspired  to  political 
preferment,  but  is  actively  interested  in  pub- 
lic affairs,  and  has  served  on  the  School  Board 
of  Jaffrey  with  credit  to  himself  and  the  town. 
He  attends  the  Universalist  church. 


LBERT  H.  TAFT,  M.D.,  a  physician 
of  high  standing  in  Winchester, 
Cheshire  County,  N.  H.,  and  a 
Civil  War  veteran,  was  born  in 
Nelson,  N.H.,  December  23,  1S37,  son  of 
Nathan  and  Achsa  (Hardy)  Taft.  His  great- 
grandfather Taft,  who  served  jn  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts ; 
and  Nathan  Taft,  Dr.  Taft's  grandfather, 
moved  from  Templeton,  Mass.,  to  Nelson,  of 
which  town  he  was  a  pioneer.      He  cleared  a 


large  farm,  which  he  cultivated  with  energy 
during  the  rest  of  his  active  years,  and  was 
one  of  the  leading  men  of  Nelson  in  his  day, 
serving  as  a  Representative  in  the  legislature. 
He  lived  to  be  about  ninety  years  of  age. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Betsey  Bol- 
ton, and  their  children  were:  Betsey,  who 
died  young;  Nathan,  Jr.;  Jerusha,  who  mar- 
ried Ira  Robbins;  Lavinia,  who  married 
Thomas  Baker;  Asa,  who  wedded  Nancy 
Burnap;  and  Hoi  lis  Taft.  Of  these  the  only 
survivor  is  Hollis,  a  resident  of  Keene,  who 
married  Cynthia  Adams,  and  has  celebrated 
his  golden  wedding. 

Nathan  Taft,  Jr.,  Dr.  Taft's  father,  was 
born  in  Nelson,  May  7,  1798.  He  became 
one  of  the  stirring  farmers  and  highly  re- 
spected citizens  of  that  town.  He  was  three 
times  married.  His  first  wife,  who  was  be- 
fore marriage  Sarah  H.  Barstow,  died  Septem- 
ber 22,  1830;  his  second  wife,  Achsa  Hardy, 
died  February  19,  1849;  ^"<^  '""'s  third  wife, 
Achsa  Beal,  died  October  10,  1869.  His 
children,  three  by  his  first  and  four  by  his 
second  union,  were:  Betsey  B.,  born  June  29, 
1826,  who  died  July  31,  1844;  Sarah  A.,  born 
June  22,  1827,  died  May  5,  1872;  Elbridge 
H.,  who  was  born  July  29,  1830,  and  died  in 
Keene,  May  22,  1897;  Edward  N.,  born  De- 
cember 2,  1833;  Curtis,  born  October  14, 
1835;  Albert  H.,  M.D.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Hardy  S. ,  born  March  21,  1S41. 
Sarah  A.  Taft  married  David  A.  Felt,  El- 
bridge wedded  Mary  Baker,  and  Hardy  mar- 
ried Susan  Flint.  Edward  N.  Taft  enlisted 
in  Company  A,  Second  Regiment,  New 
Hampshire  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  service  in 
the  Civil  War,  and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Williamsburg,  May  5,  1862.  He  was  a  brave 
soldier,  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
Post  in  Winchester  was  named  in  his  honor. 

Albert  H.  Taft  received  his  early  education 
in  public  and  private  schools,  attended  the 
Marlow  Academy  for  one  term,  and  finished 
his  youthful  studies  at  Kimball  Union  Acad- 
emy, Meriden,  N.H.  On  July  29,  1862,  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  E,  Ninth 
New  Hampshire  Infantry,  with  which  he 
served  until  November  13,  1863,  when  he  was 
discharged     on    account    of     impaired    health. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


367 


He  had  seen  much  hard  service,  and  had  risen 
to  the  rank  of  Corporal,  having  participated  in 
the  battles  of  South  Mountain,  Antietam,  and 
Fredericksburg,  besides  taking  part  in  many 
skirmishes.  Though  suffering  much  from  ex- 
posure, he  had  continued  to  report  for  duty 
until  the  state  of  his  health  became  so  alarm- 
ing as  to  compel  him  to  lay  down  his  musket 
and  seek  medical  aid.  After  recuperating  he 
volunteered  to  do  hospital  duty,  and  continued 
in  that  branch  of  the  service  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  A  single  incident  of  his  army  life 
sufficiently  attests  the  sterling  qualities  of 
this  citizen  soldier,  his  readiness  to  do  or  die. 
During  the  battle  of  Antietam  volunteers  were 
called  for  to  discover  the  whereabouts  of  the 
enemy  on  the  left.  Private  Taft  and  his  com- 
rades attending  to  that  perilous  duty  narrowly 
escaped  capture,  and,  returning,  reached  their 
regiment  in  season  to  furnish  the  desired  in- 
formation and  participate  in  the  charge  that 
followed. 

Upon  his  return  to  Nelson  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  under  Drs.  Nehemiah 
Rand  and  G.  B.  Twitchell.  He  afterward 
attended  lectures  at  Dartmouth  College,  and 
later  he  entered  the  Maine  Medical  School 
connected  with  Bowdoin  College,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  1867.  After  residing  in 
Hancock,  N.  H.,  for  five  years,  Dr.  Taft  in 
1872  was  induced  to  take  the  practice  of  a 
well-known  physician  in  Winchester,  where 
he  has  since  remained;  and  his  professional 
labors  have  proved  both  successful  and  re- 
munerative. 

On  August  15,  1866,  Dr.  Taft  married 
Mary  L.  Atherton,  who  was  born  in  Win- 
chester, January  10,  1845,  daughter  of  Jona- 
than B.  and  Mary  (Reed)  Atherton.  Mrs. 
Taft  has  been  the  mother  of  four  children,  as 
follows:  Albert  A.,  born  in  Hancock,  Octo- 
ber 26,  1867;  Harry  A.,  who  was  born  in  the 
same  town,  June  22,  1871,  died  June  28, 
1872;  Arthur  Reed,  born  in  Winchester,  Oc- 
tober 2,  1S73,  died  February  10,  1876;  and 
De  Forrest  R.,  born  in  Winchester,  July  17, 
1875.  Albert  A.  Taft,  who  was  graduated 
from  the  Dartmouth  College  Medical  School, 
has  been  in  attendance  at  St.  Elizabeth's 
and  the  Carney  Hospitals,  Boston,  and  is  now 


at     the    hospital     on     Long     Island,     Boston 
Harbor. 

Dr.  Taft  has  displayed  his  mechanical 
genius  to  good  advantage  by  inventing  a  jack 
for  the  raising  of  carriages,  and  his  patent  is 
considered  valuable.  His  improvement  in 
certain  surgical  appliances  has  been  indorsed 
by  competent  authorities  or  surgeons  in  Bos- 
ton, but  he  has  not  thought  it  worth  while  to 
secure  a  patent.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of 
the  New  Hampshire  State  and  Cheshire  Medi- 
cal Societies;  is  a  Past  Master  of  Philesian 
Lodge,  No.  40,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  the  Order  of  the 
Golden  Cross;  and  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry. 
He  was  the  first  Commander  of  Edward  N. 
Taft  Post,  No.  19,  G.  A.  R.,  of  which  he  has 
held  all  of  the  important  offices,  and  has  con- 
tributed liberally  toward  the  relief  fund.  He 
served  as  Superintendent  of  Schools  while  re- 
siding in  Hancock,  and  has  rendered  able  ser- 
vice upon  the  School  Board  in  Winchester  for 
eight  years,  having  been  its  chairman  two 
terms.  He  united  with  the  Congregational 
church  while  attending  school  in  Meriden, 
and  his  family  also  are  members. 


ILLIAM  W.  BUTLER,  who  occu- 
pies one  of  the  oldest  settled  farms 
in  Pelham,  was  born  September  30, 
183S,  in  the  house  he  now  occupies,  son  of 
Phineas  and  Betsey  (Wyman)  Butler.  The 
Butler  farm  is  a  part  of  the  original  tract 
purchased  of  Joseph  Blanchard  in  1732  by 
Samuel  Butler,  the  great-grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Samuel  Butler,  who 
was  its  first  settler,  made  the  original  clearing, 
and  erected  the  first  house  upon  this  property. 
[For  a  further  account  of  the  family's  ances- 
tors, see  the  biography  of  George  S.  Butler.] 
Caleb  Butler,  the  grandfather,  cultivated  the 
property  during  the  active  period  of  his  life. 

Phineas  Butler,  born  March  29,  1791,  was  a 
sturdy  and  industrious  general  farmer.  He 
succeeded  to  the  homestead.  In  his  religious 
views  he  was  a  Congregationalist;  and,  polit- 
ically, he  acted  with  the  Republicans  during 
the  latter  years  of  his  life.  He  died  August 
7,  1876.  The  first  of  his  two  marriages  was 
contracted  with   Sarah   Barker,   a  daughter  of 


368 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Deacon  Benjamin  Barker.  Born  of  that  union 
were  seven  ciiildren,  as  follows:  Benjamin, 
August  29,  1819;  Sarah  A.,  February  14, 
1821;  Asenath  B.,  November  23,  1822;  Jus- 
tin E.,  January  30,  1825;  Reuben  M.,  March 
24,  1827;  John  M.,  July  26,  1829;  and  Henry 
F.,  born  January  4,  1831.  Of  these  the  only 
survivor  is  Sarah  A.,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Brown, 
and  resides  in  Lowell,  Mass.  The  second 
wife  was  Betsey  Wyman  Butler,  who,  born 
in  Pelham,  March  3,  1799,  died  April  22, 
1874.  Her  only  child  is  William  W.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

William  VV.  Butler  began  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Pelham,  and  finished  his  studies 
at  Phillips  Andover  Academy.  He  has  been 
engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  since  he  reached 
manhood,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  the  home- 
stead farm,  which  contains  two  hundred 
acres.  Since  the  property  came  into  his 
hands  he  has  remodelled  the  buildings,  and 
kept  the  soil  in  the  high  standard  of  fertility 
for  which  the  place  has  long  been  noted.  His 
residence  occupies  an  excellent  location  upon 
high  ground,  overlooking  the  surrounding 
country. 

On  November  2,  1859,  Mr.  Butler  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Abbie  L.  Coburn. 
She  was  born  in  Pelham,  May  15,  1837, 
daughter  of  Gilbert  and  Cynthia  (Spalding) 
Coburn,  who  were  natives  respectively  of  Pel- 
ham and  Merrimac.  Gilbert  Coburn,  born 
June  12,  1797,  was  a  sturdy  farmer,  and  ably 
represented  his  district  in  the  legislature  for 
two  terms.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 
He  died  January  12,  1863,  aged  si.xty-five 
years,  seven  months.  His  wife  passed  her 
last  days  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Butler,  and 
died  November  5,  1888,  aged  eighty-four 
years,  seven  months.  They  were  members  of 
the  Congregational  church.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Butler  have  three  children,  namely:  Arthur 
M.,  born  July  9,  1869;  Clarence  E.,  born 
January  3,  1872;  and  Otis  W. ,  born  March  6, 
1S74. 

In  politics  Mr.  Butler  is  independent.  A 
thirty-second  degree  Mason,  he  is  a  member 
of  Ancient  York  Lodge  of  Lowell,  Lowell 
Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Masons,  Ahasuerus 
Council  of  Royal  and  Select  Masters,  Pilgrim 


Commandery  of  Knights  Templar,  and  the 
Massachusetts  Consistory.  He  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Pilgrim  Fathers.  After  a 
very  busy  life  he  partially  retired  from  active 
labor  some  time  ago.  He  attends  the  Con- 
gregational church,  of  which  Mrs.  Butler  is 
a  member. 


KUSSELL    H.   KITTREDGE,    a  pr 
inent  citizen  of  Jaffrey  and  one  of 
Board  of  County  Commissioners 


prom- 
if  the 
issioners  for 
Cheshire  County,  was  born  at  Nel- 
son, N.H.,  on  October  25,  1835,  '^^s  parents 
being  Herbert  and  Sally  (Livermore)  Kit- 
tredge.  His  grandfather,  Joshua  Kittredge, 
was  born  at  Tewksbury,  Mass. ;  and,  having 
grown  to  manhood,  he  went  to  Nelson  in  the 
year  1797.  A  farmer  by  occupation,  he  also 
ran  a  saw-mill,  and  did  considerable  lumber- 
ing. He  was  twice  married.  By  his  second 
marriage  there  were  nine  children  —  namely, 
Charlotte,  Abel,  Herbert,  Mary,  Nancy, 
Emily,  Joshua,  Harriet,  and  Stephen ;  and  by 
the  first,  three,  whose  names  are  not  known. 

Herbert  Kittredge  was  born  in  Nelson  in 
April,  1800.  Receiving  his  education  at  the 
district  school,  he  remained  at  the  parental 
home;  and,  when  his  father's  strength  failed 
by  reason  of  advancing  years,  he  assumed  the 
management  of  the  farm  and  the  care  of  his 
father's  interests.  He  carried  on  genera] 
farming,  but  made  a  specialty  of  raising  pota- 
toes and  barley.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  and  a  liberal  su]iporter 
of  its  varied  activities.  Lie  died  in  February, 
1855.  His  wife,  Sally,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  William  Livermore,  of  Alstead,  N.H.,  was 
born  in  1807,  and  died  in  1877.  Their  seven 
children  were  named  as  follows:  Harriet  E., 
William,  Russell  H.,  Helen,  Edwin  L. ,  Mary 
J.,  and  Sarah  A. 

Russell  H.,  now  the  only  surviving  member 
of  the  family,  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Nelson  in  his  childhood  and  youth,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  father's  last  illness  was  preparing 
for  college.  Summoned  to  his  father's  death- 
bed, he  gave  him  the  promise  that  he  would 
remain    on    the    farm    and     look    out    for    his 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


369 


mother  and  sister.  This  promise  he  faith- 
fully kept,  remaining  on  the  farm  until  1877, 
when  he  came  to  Jaffrey,  which  has  since  been 
his  home.  Mr.  Kittreilge  while  in  Nelson 
held  every  public  office  in  the  gift  of  his 
townspeople.  He  was  Selectman  in  i86g, 
1S70,  1S71,  1872,  and  1873;  and  in  1874-75 
he  represented  the  town  in  the  legislature, 
being  there  a  member  of  the  Committees  on 
Insurance  and  on  Roads  and  Bridges.  Since 
coming  to  Jaffrey,  Mr.  Kittredge  has  con- 
tinued his  interest  in  public  affairs;  and  here 
he  served  by  appointment  as  Overseer  of  the 
Poor  and  Selectman  for  eight  years  succes- 
sively. He  is  at  the  present  time  County 
Commissioner,  now  serving  his  second  term 
of  tv^fo  years  each.  Mr.  Kittredge  is  a  leading 
member  of  the  grange.  In  religion  he  is  a 
Congregationalist. 

Mr.  Kittredge  married  Laura  F".  Holmes, 
of  Nashua,  N.H.,  who  was  born  March  21, 
1836.  They  have  five  children  ;  namely,  Her- 
bert W.,  Alfred  B.,  Charles  R.,  Mary  L.,  and 
Fanny  H.,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Nelson. 
Herbert  W.  Kittredge  is  a  graduate  of  Dart- 
mouth College.  He  lives  at  VVestfield, 
Mass.,  where  he  is  principal  of  the  high 
school.  He  married  Isabelle  Thatcher. 
Their  two  children  are:  Russell  D.  and  Helen 
L.  Alfred  B.  Kittredge,  who  is  unmarried, 
was  graduated  at  Yale  College,  and  is  now  a 
prominent  lawyer  at  Sioux  Falls,  S.  Dak.  He 
is  a  Republican,  as  are  all  the  men  of  this 
family,  and  an  advocate  of  sound  money.  He 
was  elected  to  the  first  State  Senate,  and  in- 
troduced the  first  State  bill.  He  is  present 
chairman  of  the  National  Republican  Commit- 
tee, representing  South  Dakota.  Charles  R. 
Kittredge  went  into  a  large  general  store  in 
Jaffrey  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  remained 
for  five  or  six  years.  He  then  worked  for  a 
number  of  years  for  a  wholesale  grocer  in 
Boston,  and  two  years  ago  he  was  elected 
treasurer  of  the  Monadnock  Savings  Bank  of 
East  Jaffrey.  He  is  a  Free  Mason.  He  mar- 
ried Ida  F.  Fillebrown,  of  Somerville,  Mass., 
and  has  two  children  —  Florence  and  Marion. 
The  family  attend  the  Baptist  church.  Mary 
L.  is  the  wife  of  Charles  B.  Hall,  who  is  the 
storekeeper  in  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  shop  at 


Keene,  N.H.  I\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Hall  have  one 
child,  Edward  Hall.  Fanny  II.  Kittredge 
resides  with  her  parents. 


/^TeORGE  \V.  MASON,  a  leading  citi- 
\  •)  I  zen  of  Harrisville,  extensively  en- 
gaged  in  farming  and  teaming,  was 
born  November  13,  182S,  in  Dublin,  N.H., 
son  of  Samuel  and  Annie  (Kendall)  Mason. 
His  grandfather,  Samuel  Mason,  Sr.,  who  was 
a  prominent  farmer  of  Dublin  and  a  Captain 
of  the  militia,  married  May  VVillard,  daugh- 
ter of  Elijah  Willard,  and  became  the  father 
of  a  number  of  children. 

Samuel  Mason,  the  father  of  George  W., 
born  in  Sullivan,  N.H.,  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  Harrisville  and  Dublin, 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.  His  wife, 
Annie,  became  the  mother  of  eight  children; 
namely,  Samuel  K.,  Stephen  S. ,  Almira  A., 
Elijah  VV.,  George  W.,  Mary  A.,  Joel  F., 
and  James  A.  Samuel  K.  resided  in  Boston, 
and  was  there  engaged  in  a  grain  and  provi- 
sion business.  He  married  Maria  Whitte- 
more,  who  bore  him  three  children.  Stephen 
S.,  who  resides  at  Harrisville,  and  is  a 
teacher  of  music,  married  Lucy  Ann  McCol- 
lester,  of  Marlboro,  N.  H.,  and  has  eleven 
children.  Almira  A.  married  Ebenezer  Rus- 
sell, a  farmer  and  miller,  and  has  been  the 
mother  of  five  children.  Elijah  W.  married 
Clarissa  Cobb,  of  Maine,  and  by  her  has  seven 
children.  May  A.  married  Solon  Willard,  a 
Dublin  farmer,  and  has  four  chiUIren.  Joel 
F.,  who  is  a  farmer  of  Marlboro,  married 
Caroline  Richardson,  and  has  three  children. 
James  A.  resides  at  Keene,  and  carries  on  a 
farm.  His  wife,  Sara  Richardson  Mason, 
has  made  him  the  father  of  two  children. 

George  W.  Mason  was  educated  at  the 
Marlboro  High  School  and  at  the  Hancock 
Academy.  After  leaving  school,  he  worked 
in  a  mill  until  he  bought  a  farm  for  himself. 
This  was  forty-two  years  ago,  since  which  he 
has  carried  on  general  farming  and  done  a 
large  amount  of  teaming.  He  was  Tax  Col- 
lector for  a  good  many  years,  and  he  served  as 
a   delegate   in    the   Constitutional    Convention 


37° 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


of  1889.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church.  Mr.  Mason  married  Lois  A.  Pariver, 
a  daughter  of  Josiah  Parker,  of  Nelson,  born 
in  1834.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason  have  two  boys: 
George  G.,  who  married  Marian  L.  Wood- 
ward, of  Westmoreland,  and  resides  with  his 
parents;  and  Bonner  D.,  who  is  book-keeper 
for  a  hardware  firm  in  Boston. 


(STho 


HOMAS    A.    MERRILL,    one    of    the 


boro  County,  was  born  in  this  town, 
March  17,  1817,  son  of  Enos  and  Annie 
(Gregg)  Merrill.  His  grandfather  was  Thomas 
Merrill,  a  native  of  South  Hampton,  N.H., 
and  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Deering.  Thomas 
Merrill  cleared  and  improved  a  farm,  upon 
which  he  resided  for  many  years;  and  he  made 
such  good  use  of  his  resources  as  to  accumu- 
late a  considerable  amount  of  property.  The 
latter  part  of  his  life  was  passed  in  Weare, 
N.  H. ;  and  he  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-nine 
years,  eleven  months,  and  fourteen  days.  He 
was  a  Deacon  of  the  Congregational  church, 
and  presented  the  society  in  Deering  with  the 
land  upon  which  to  erect  a  church  edifice. 
The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Lydia; 
and  they  reared  five  children,  of  whom  Enos 
was  the  third-born,  but  none  of  whom  are 
living. 

Enos  Merrill,  father  of  Thomas  A.,  was 
born  in  Deering,  and  his  active  years  were 
spent  upon  a  farm  in  this  town.  He  was  an 
industrious  man  and  a  citizen  of  much  worth 
to  the  community.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Whig.  He  died  in  Weare,  January  3,  1836. 
His  wife,  Annie  Gregg  Merrill,  of  this  town, 
became  the  mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
Thomas  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
the  only  son  and  is  the  sole  survivor.  Mrs. 
Enos  Merrill  passed  away  two  years  before  her 
husband,  dying  February  4,  1834.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church. 

Thomas  A.  Merrill  started  in  life  for  him- 
self at  a  very  early  age,  and  was  employed  in 
the  construction  of  the  Boston  &  Lowell  Rail- 
road. He  entered  the  service  of  the  company 
as  a  common  laborer,  and  subsequently  held 
several  positions  of   trust.      After   many  years 


of  faithful  service  he  retired  to  his  farm  of 
two  hundred  acres  in  this  town,  and  has  since 
been  profitably  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil. 
He  retains  much  of  his  youthful  activity,  and 
is  fully  capable  of  attending  to  his  every-day 
duties  about  the  place. 

On  November  21,  1843,  Mi'-  Merrill  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Lucinda  Wilkins, 
daughter  of  John  Wilkins,  of  Deering;  and 
of  the  four  children  born  of  this  union  three 
are  living:  Edwin  A.,  Annie  L.,  and  Warren 
W.  Edwin  A.  married  Emma  Wooley,  of 
Westmoreland,  N.H.  Warren  W.  married 
Eliza  Osgood,  of  Nashua,  N.H.,  and  has  three 
children  —  Elmer  W.,  Leonard  A.,  and  Emma 
May.  Politically,  Mr.  Merrill  is  a  Demo- 
crat. The  family  attend  the  Congregational 
church. 


M 


ANIEL  MARSHALL,  one  of  the 
most  prominent  residents  of  _PeL- 
^J  ham^  and  an  ex-member  of  the  New- 
Hampshire  legislature,  was  born  in 
this  town,  November  19,  18 16,  son  of  Isaac 
and  Mehitable  (Tenney)  Marshall.  Isaac 
Marshall,  who  was  a  native  of  Chelmsford, 
Mass.,  settled  in  Pelham  in  1790,  and  for 
many  years  after  cultivated  the  farm  upon 
which  his  son  Daniel  now  resides.  An  ener- 
getic and  industrious  farmer,  he  was  quite 
prosperous.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat, 
and  he  held  liberal  opinions  on  questions  of 
religion.  He  was  twice  married,  and  was  the 
father  of  eleven  children,  six  by  his  first 
union  and  five  by  his  second.  Of  these 
Daniel,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  only 
one  now  living.  Isaac  Marshall  lived  to  be 
eighty-two  years  old.  Mehitable  Marshall, 
who  was  his  second  wife,  and  a  native  of  Pel- 
ham,  died  at  seventy. 

Daniel  Marshall  was  brought  up  to  farming, 
receiving  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  While  agricultural  pursuits  have 
been  his  chief  occupation  in  life,  he  has  been 
a  man  of  affairs,  and  has  engaged  in  various 
business  enterprises.  Possessing  excellent 
judgment  in  the  handling  of  property,  he  is 
frequently  called  upon  to  settle  estates.  So 
far   he   has    carefully   and   faithfully   executed 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


371 


seventy-five  such  trusts.  He  is  the  owner 
and  the  occupant  of  a  good  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred acres,  with  substantial  and  commodious 
buildings. 

On  January  9,  1838,  Mr.  Marshall  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Hannah  Jane  Camp- 
bell, who  was  born  in  Windham,  N.H.,  Au- 
gust 3,  1S17.  Mrs.  Marshall  has  had  five  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  died  young.  The  others 
are:  Mrs.  Louisa  Bell,  of  Lowell;  and  Will- 
iam C.  and  Moses  R.,  both  residents  of  La- 
conia,  N.H.  At  one  time  the  family  circle 
included  Isaac,  an  adopted  son,  who  now  lives 
near  by.  Mr.  Marshall  acts  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  politics,  and  was  for  many 
years  a  prominent  and  influential  factor  in  the 
local  organization.  For  ten  years  or  more  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Select- 
men, was  twice  elected  to  the  legislature,  and 
has  acted  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  fifty 
years.  He  and  Mrs.  Marshall  are  among  the 
very  few  couples  in  this  vicinity  who  have 
lived  to  celebrate  the  golden  anniversary  of 
their  wedding. 


DWARD  M.  SMITH,  the  well-known 
lawyer  of  Alstead,  Cheshire  County, 
N.  H.,  and  a  prominent  insurance 
agent,  was  born  in  this  town,  February  6, 
1838,  son  of  Alden  and  Lurinda  (Partridge) 
Smith.  The  family  came  originally  from 
England;  and  the  first  of  the  name  to  settle  in 
this  vicinity  was  Ezra,  Mr.  Edward  Smith's 
grandfather,  who  made  his  home  in  Langdon, 
Sullivan  County,  only  a  few  miles  from  Al- 
stead. He  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and 
good  business  ability,  a  leading  farmer  and 
active  as  a  citizen.  He  owned  a  large  farm, 
and  had  a  fine  herd  of  cattle.  In  religion  he 
was  a  Congregationalist,  and  liberally  assisted 
in  the  support  of  the  church  and  of  its  varied 
activities.  His  wife  was  a  Miss  Henry, 
daughter  of  a  prominent  family.  She  bore 
him  four  children  —  Nancy,  Orrin  and  Alden 
(twins),  and  Franklin. 

Nancy  Smith  married  Joseph  Tarbell,  a 
shoemaker  and  mason,  who  bought  a  farm  at 
Langdon,  where  he  lived  until  his  death. 
Their   two    children    were   Alvira  and   Abbie, 


the  first  named  of  whom  lives  in  Lowell, 
Mass.,  and  the  last  in  Langdon.  Orrin  Smith 
married  Marinda  Partridge,  of  Alstead.  He 
was  a  farmer,  living  first  in  Langdon,  and  re- 
moving from  there  to  Peterboro,  where  he 
died.  He  had  a  family  of  seven  children  — 
Ezra  M.,  Irving  H.,  Hattie  M.,  Silas,  Albert 
O. ,  Emma,  and  Alden.  Franklin,  youngest 
son  of  Grandfather  Smith,  was  a  farmer  of 
Bradford,  N.H.,  and  was  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  Clarissa  Kenney,  by  whom  lie 
had  four  children  —  Melvin,  Kendall,  Clar- 
issa, and  Charles;  and  his  second  wife  was  a 
Nashua  lady. 

Alden  Smith,  above  named,  son  of  Ezra, 
was  born  in  Langdon,  November  12,  1807. 
After  receiving  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  town,  he  worked  as  a  bridge 
builder  at  Fitchburg,  Mass.  He  shortly  con- 
tracted typhoid  fever,  and  this  so  undermined 
his  constitution  that  he  never  afterward  had  a 
well  day.  He  settled  at  Alstead,  where  he 
spent  his  remaining  years  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. A  devoted  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  he  was  teacher  in  the  Sunday- 
school  and  was  superintendent.  In  spite  of 
poor  health  he  held  many  town  offices,  and 
filled  them  in  a  creditable  and  entirely  satis- 
factory manner.  He  died  in  September, 
1845.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Sylvester 
Partridge,  a  leading  and  wealthy  citizen  of 
Alstead.  She  was  born  October  25,  1814, 
and  died  on, November  14,  1883.  Her  grand- 
father was  a  Sergeant  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  lost  his  life  in  the  service  of  his 
country.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alden  Smith  had  four 
children  —  Edward  M.,  Melissa  M.,  Alvah 
W.,  and  Alden  E.  Melissa,  born  March 
22,  1840,  died  May  4,  1886.  She  was  a 
finely  educated  woman,  having  graduated  at 
Tilden  Seminary,  N.H.,  and  then  studied  at 
Fort  Edward  Institute.  She  taught  most  suc- 
cessfully for  thirty  terms  in  Massachusetts  and 
in  New  Hampshire.  This  was  before  her 
marriage  to  a  Mr.  Joslin,  a  merchant  of  Mar- 
low.  Alvah  W.,  born  September  18,  1842, 
is  a  farmer  of  Alstead.  Alden  E. ,  Jr.,  born 
November  4,  1845,  ''id  April  20,  1849,  from 
the  effects  of  an  accident,  being  run  over  by  a 
team. 


372 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Edward  M.  Smith  in  his  youth  prepared  for 
college  at  the  Alstead  High  School,  and  later 
graduated  from  the  Albany  Law  School.  In 
i860  he  read  law  in  the  office  of  Dearborn  & 
Scott,  of  Peterboro,  N.H.,  and  was  afterward 
admitted  to  the  Cheshire  bar  by  examination. 
Sickness  prevented  him  from  actively  engag- 
ing in  business  for  three  years,  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time  he  located  for  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Alstead,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  Being  the  only  lawyer  in  the 
town,  he  has  acquired  an  extensive  practice, 
and  is  yearly  consulted  by  a  large  number  of 
clients.  His  business  in  settling  and  apprais- 
ing estates  takes  him  all  over  the  State;  and 
he  has  considerable  to  do  at  Keene,  the  county 
seat.  For  a  while  he  had  a  practice  in  towns 
in  Sullivan  County  in  addition  to  this  in  Al- 
stead; but,  the  demands  upon  his  time  being 
numerous  and  exhausting,  he  discontinued 
that. 

Mr.  Smith  has  long  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  all  the  town  affairs,  and  has  taken 
an  active  part  in  securing  many  measures 
which  he  believed  to  be  for  the  benefit  of  the 
town  or  for  the  convenience  of  the  towns- 
people. For  eleven  years  he  held  the  office  of 
Tax  Collector,  and  for  seven  years  was  chair- 
man of  the  School  Board.  In  1888-89  he  rep- 
resented Alstead  in  the  legislature,  being  the 
first  Republican  sent  from  this  town  in  twenty 
years;  and  while  there  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Committee  on  the  Revision  of  the  Laws, 
this  committee  being  composed  of  ten  lawyers. 
Mr.  Smith  is  now  Town  Moderator.  His 
political  principles  are  Republican.  He  is 
one  of  the  oldest  insurance  agents  in  the 
State,  having  begun  to  engage  in  this  busi- 
ness in  1869,  and  has  represented  the  North 
American,  .^tna,  Franklin,  Niagara,  Fitch- 
burg,  Granite  State,  and  other  companies. 

Mr.  Smith  married  S.  Fanny  Washburn,  of 
Peterboro,  this  State,  who  was  born  December 
18,  1853.  Mrs.  Smith's  father,  Harrison  D. 
Washburn,  was  born  at  Peterboro,  April  25, 
18 16;  and  her  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Betsey  M.  White,  was  the  daughter  of 
William  M.  White,  of  that  town,  and  grand- 
daughter of  David  and  Betsey  (Miller)  White, 
all  of  Peterboro.     Mrs.  Betsey  Miller  White, 


grandmother  of  Mrs.  Washburn  and  great- 
grandmother  of  Mrs.  Smith,  was  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Jane  (Todd)  Miller,  and  was  a 
cousin  of  General  James  Miller,  of  Peterboro, 
who  distinguished  himself  by  gallant  services 
in  the  War  of  1S12,  was  afterward  Governor 
of  the  Territory  of  Arkansas,  and  later,  from 
1824  for  the  period  of  twenty-four  years,  was 
Collector  of  Customs  for  the  district  of  Salem 
and  Beverly,  Mass.  Mrs.  Smith  was  a  suc- 
cessful school  teacher  before  her  marriage. 


Ji 


ANIEL  WHITCOMB,  a  well-known 
Cheshire  County  farmer,  an  octo- 
genarian, who  has  spent  forty-five 
years  of  his  life  in  F'itzwilliam., 
his  present  place  of  residence,  was  born  in  the 
adjoining  town  of  Richmond,  N.  H.,  October 
I,  1S17,  son  of  Jacob  and  Phillis  (Sweet) 
Whitcomb.  His  grandfather,  Oliver  Whit- 
comb,  was  born  in  Harvard,  Mass.  When  a 
young  man  he  came  to  F'itzwilliam,  and,  set- 
tling near  the  Richmond  line,  took  up  land 
which  he  cleared,  building  a  log  house  and 
later  a  frame  dwelling,  which  still  stands  and 
is  occupied  by  a  member  of  the  Whitcomb 
family.  His  wife,  Lucy  Patch,  of  Littleton, 
Mass.,  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  two  years 
of  age,  lacking  one  month.  Their  son  Jacob 
was  a  farmer  all  his  life,  owning  a  place  in 
Richmond.  He  married  Phillis  Sweet,  the 
daughter  of  Anthony  Sweet,  and  reared  the 
following  children:  Jacob,  Hannah,  Daniel, 
Anthony  S. ,  Isaac,  and  Cynthia.  Isaac  died 
in  childhood,  and  all  are  now  <leceased  except 
two,  namely:  Anthony,  who  married  a  Miss 
Fisher;  and  Daniel,  the  second-born  son,  who 
is  the  special  subject  of  this  notice. 

Daniel  Whitcomb  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  of  Richmond  and  Fitzwilliam, 
and  early  engaged  in  the  hereditary  occupation 
of  farming.  Coming  to  Fitzwilliam  in  1852, 
he  bought  his  present  place  of  fifty  acres,  on 
which  he  at  once  began  to  make  improve- 
ments. Diligent  and  thrifty,  he  repaired  the 
house  and  built  two  new  barns,  providing  him- 
self with  excellent  facilities  for  carrying  on 
his  business  of  general  farming.  He  married 
Mary  Taylor  Lyon,  but  has  no  family. 


BlOGRAriilCAL    REVIEW 


373 


Mr.  WhitcDiiib  is  an  independdit  voter, 
uniformly  casting  his  ballot  for  the  candidate 
whom  he  considers  the  best  man  for  ofifice. 
His  first  vote  at  a  Presidential  election  was 
for  William  Henry  Harrison  in  1840.  Mr. 
Whitcomb  was  a  Selectman  for  seven  years, 
and  during  si.\  years  of  this  period  was  chair- 
man of  the  Board.  For  two  years  in  the  six- 
ties he  was  Representative  in  the  legislature, 
and  he  served  as  Supervisor  from  1878  to  1884. 


'OHN  C.  BUTTER  FIELD,  who  fol- 
lows the  occupations  of  brick  mason 
and  farmer  in  the  town  of  Antrim,  was 
born  here,  January  2,  183S,  son  of 
Chandler  and  Naomi  (Robinson)  Butterfield. 
William  Butterfield,  grandfather  of  John  C, 
was  a  carpenter,  and  followed  his  trade  for 
some  years  in  Washington,  N.H.  He  subse- 
quently removed  to  a  farm  in  Antrim,  and  re- 
sided here  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  dying  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, his  first  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Lavinia  Case,  dying  in  1S36.  She  was  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Chandler 
was  the  eldest,  and  three  are  now  living; 
namely,  John  C,  Hannah,  and  Eliza. 

Chandler  Butterfield  was  born  in  Washing- 
ton, December  17,  1812.  At  an  early  age  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Antrim,  where  he 
was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  being 
thereafter  engaged  in  general  farming  to  the 
end  of  his  days.  His  wife,  Naomi,  was  a 
daughter  of  John  Robinson,  of  Hudson,  N.H. 
She  had  three  children,  of  whom  the  only  one 
now  living  is  John  C,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Chandler  Butterfield  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy-one  years,  and  his  wife  at  the  age 
of  eighty-two. 

John  C.  Butterfield  was  educated  in  Antrim, 
and  when  his  studies  were  completed  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  brick  mason's 
trade  in  Natick,  Mass.  Having  succeeded  to 
the  ownership  of  the  homestead  farm  of  one 
hundred  acres,  he  now  divides  his  time  be- 
tween tilling  the  soil  and  working  at  his 
trade. 

On  June  3,  1863,  Mr.  Butterfield  was  joined 
in  marriage  with   Miss   Roansa  Robb,  of  An- 


trim. Her  jiarents,  John  and  Roxanna 
(Woodward)  Robb,  had  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  are  living,  namely:  Roxy 
A.;  John  A.;  and  Roansa,  now  Mrs.  lUitter- 
field.  Mr.  and  Mrs  Butterfield  have  four  chil- 
dren—  John  A.,  George  W.,  Mason  C,  and 
Carrie  M.  George  W.  married  Elvira  llil- 
dreth,  of  Antrim,  and  has  one  son,  Raymond 
F.  Mason  C.  married  Florence  Story,  of  this 
town,  and  has  one  son,  Max  A. 

Politically,  Mr.  Butterfield  is  a  Democrat, 
and,  although  deeply  interested  in  public 
affairs,  has  never  sought  or  held  office.  He 
is  a  member  of  Waverly  Lodge,  No.  59, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Antrim.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Butterfield  attend  the  Congregational  church. 


ARON  RISING  GLEASON,  M.D., 
of  Keene,  N. H.,  is  a  native  of  War- 
ren, Vt.  Born  June  i,  1835,  he  is  a 
son  of  Captain  Windsor  and  Sophia 
Gleason.  The  father,  who  was  a  farmer,  set- 
tled finally  in  Canaan,  N.H.,  where  he  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three.  The  mother  died 
when  her  son  Aaron  was  ten  years  old.  His 
step-mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elmira 
-Silsby,  and  who  survived  her  hushand,  gave 
Aaron  kindly  care.  The  genealogy  of  the 
Gleasons,  who  came  here  from  Langdon,  is 
traced  back  through  six  generations  to  Thomas 
Gleason,  who  settled  in  Sudbury,  Mass.,  in  1673, 
and  afterward  moved  to  F"raminghani.  His  son, 
Isaac,  had  a  son  named  Isaac,  who  raairicd 
Thankful  Wilson,  and  died  in  1777.  The  third 
Isaac,  son  of  Isaac  and  Thankful  Gleason,  mar- 
ried Mary  Nixon,  and  settled  in  Langdon, 
N.H.  Their  son.  Captain  Windsor  Gleason, 
by  his  wife,  Sally  Gleason,  became  the  father 
of  Windsor  Gleason,  our  subject's  father. 

Aaron  R.  Gleason  lived  w^th  his  parents 
successively  at  Warren,  Vt. ,  Acworth,  Alstead, 
and  Gilsum,  N.H.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  an  acad- 
emy. When  twenty  years  of  age  he  entered 
on  the  profession  of  teacher,  and  followed  it 
until  he  was  thirty,  one  of  his  last  schools 
being  that  conducted  by  Dr.  S.  H.  McAllis- 
ter, D.  D. ,  in  South  Westmoreland.  He  was 
teaching    in    New    Salem,    Mass.,    when    the 


374 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Civil  War  Ijegan.  Having  read  medicine 
with  Dr.  Kimball  D.  Webster,  of  Gilsuni, 
and  Dr.  George  B.  Twichell,  of  Keene,  and 
attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  Burlington, 
Vt.,  in  1858,  he  was  nearly  ready  to  enter 
the  profession  of  physician,  when  he  en- 
listed September  11,  1861,  at  Keene,  in 
Company  F  of  the  New  Hampshire  Second 
Regiment,  under  Major  Fred  A.  Barker,  the 
present  Postmaster  of  Keene.  ]3eing  a  medi- 
cal student,  he  was  assigned  to  the  medical 
hospital  department;  and  in  the  fall  of  1863 
he  was  transferred  to  Campbell  Hospital, 
D.C.,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  being  acting  Assistant  Surgeon. 
While  here,  during  the  fall  of  1863  and  spring 
of  1864,  he  had  opportunity  to  still  further 
pursue  his  studies  at  Georgetown  Medical 
College,  where  he  finally  received  his  degree. 
The  surgeon  in  charge  at  Campbell  Hospital, 
Jed.  H.  Baxter,  an  old  friend  and  classmate  of 
Dr.  Gleason,  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  Sur- 
geon-general. Dr.  Gleason  was  appointed  As- 
sistant Surgeon  of  the  P'ourteenth  New  Hamp- 
shire Regiment,  but,  having  already  received 
his  appointment  at  Campbell  Hospital,  de- 
clined. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  relieved  from  his 
pressing  duties,  and  wishing  to  further  qualify 
himself  for  the  medical  profession.  Dr.  Glea- 
son took  a  course  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  of  New  York  City,  and  in  18S6 
at  the  I^st-graduate  College  in  that  city. 
On  January  11,  1866,  he  came  to  New  Hamp- 
shire and  began  practice  at  Fitzwilliam,  where 
he  remained  for  twenty-one  years.  In  the  fall 
of  1886  he  came  to  Keene,  where  he  has  been 
in  active  practice  ever  since.  At  present  he 
is  serving  on  the  Pension  Examining  Board 
of  Cheshire  County.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
State  Medical  Society  and  the  Cheshire  County 
Medical  Society;  also  of  the  Connecticut  River 
Valley  Medical  Association,  Vt.,  of  which  he 
has  been  the  chairman;  and  of  the  County 
Medical  Society,  of  which  he  is  now  the  sec- 
retary; and  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  R.  M.,  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  the  G.  A.  R. 

Dr.  Gleason  was  married  January  19,  i86g, 
at  Gilsum,  to  Miss  Marietta  E.  Webster,  only 
child    of    Dr.    Kimball    D.    Webster,    of    that 


place,  who  is  still  in  active  practice  at  the  age 
of  eighty-six.  Maude  Webster  Gleason  is  the 
only  child  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  (ileason.  The 
family  attend  the  First  Church.  In  politics 
the  Doctor  is  a  Republican.  In  1S81  he 
served  in  the  State  legislature  for  the  town 
of  Fitzwilliam,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittees on  Education  and  Insane  Asylum. 
He  was  on  the  School  Board  for  eighteen  years 
in  Fitzwilliam,  and  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  City  Council  of  Keene  two  years.  He  is 
also  serving  in  the  present  legislature  from 
Ward  Two  of  Keene. 


JLIJAH  ALEXANDER,  who  during  his 
^  life  was  an  esteemed  citizen  of  Win- 
chester. Cheshire  County,  was  born 
in  this  town,  February  2T,  1782,  and  very 
early  in  life  developed  the  strong  traits  of 
character  which  had  marked  his  ancestors. 
He  prepared  to  enter  Dartmouth  College  at 
an  early  age,  but  was  prevented  from  doing  so 
by  the  failing  health  of  his  father.  Devoting 
himself  to  business  pursuits,  he  became  largely 
interested  in  mills  and  manufactories  through- 
out his  section  and  in  various  public  works, 
building  bridges,  highways,  developing  water- 
power,  and  in  other  ways  contributing  to  the 
advancement  of  the  community,  a  cause  which 
he  had  always  at  heart.  He  held  many  town 
offices,  and  represented  his  native  town  of 
Winchester  for  many  terms  in  the  legislature 
of  the  State.  In  character  he  was  thoroughly 
upright  and  honorable,  and  eminently  just  in 
all  his  dealings  with  others  in  all  the  relation- 
ships of  life,  both  public  and  private.  Actu- 
ated by  true  Christian  principle,  he  was  truly 
a  "gentleman  of  the  old  school";  and  his  na- 
tive refinement  and  courtesy,  together  with 
his  great  kindness  of  heart,  gained  for  him 
the  sincere  respect  and  esteem  of  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact,  and  it  might  be 
said  that  his  friends  included  the  entire  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived.  His  death,  which 
occurred  May  13,  i860,  was  widely  and  deeply 
regretted. 

Mr.  Alexander  married  in  1812  Mrs.  Sarah 
H.  Viall,  of  Sudbury,  Mass.,  a  lady  of  rare 
graces   of   mind  and  heart,  and  universally  be- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIKW 


375 


loved,  who  proved  a  fitting  helpmeet  to  him 
through  all  the  happy  years  of  their  married 
life.  Mrs.  Alexamler  died  August  26,  1868. 
The  children  of  Elijah  and  Sarah  H.  (Viall) 
Alexander  were:  Reuben,  Mary  A.,  Maria, 
William  V.,  Emma  M.,  F"annie  H.,  Sarah  P., 
George  W.,  Louis  L.,  Lambert  P.,  Ellen  N., 
and  Ada  J. 

Of  the  four  sons  who  survived  their  father 
the  eldest,  Reuben,  was  inspector  at  the 
Armory  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  for  many  years. 
He  died  in  1890.  The  second  son,  William 
V.  Alexander,  held  office  in  the  treasury  de- 
partment of  the  custom-house  in  New  York 
City  from  the  administration  of  President 
Lincoln  to  his  own  death,  which  occurred  in 
1885.  The  third  son,  George  W.,  served 
under  General  Grant  at  Vicksburg,  Miss., 
where  he  lost  his  life  in  defence  of  the  Union. 
The  fourth  son,  Louis  L.  Alexander,  is  identi- 
fied with  mining  interests  in  California,  of 
which  State  he  has  been  an  honored  citizen 
since  1850.  Mr.  Alexander's  daughters  were 
several  of  them  of  marked  ability.  The  eld- 
est, Mrs.  Mary  Alexander  Giles,  was  an 
honored  and  eminently  successful  teacher  for 
almost  fifty  years. 


■AMES  B.  GREELY,  M.D.,  for  the 
past  fifteen  years  a  resident  of  Merri- 
niac,  was  born  July  18,  1S30,  in 
Nashua,  N.  PL,  on  the  old  Greely 
farm,  son  of  Colonel  Joseph  and  Hannah 
(Thornton)  Greely.  The  Greely  family, 
which  is  a  very  old  one  in  this  State,  settled 
in  Hudson.  In  1620,  seven  generations 
back  from  Dr.  Greely  in  the  male  line,  was 
born  Andrew  Greely,  who  married  Mary 
Gold.  His  son  Joseph,  born  in  1652,  married 
Martha  Wilford.  Joseph's  son  Benjamin,  born 
in  1700,  married  Ruth  Whittier.  Benjamin's 
son  Samuel,  born  in  1721;,  commanded  a  com- 
pany in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  was  at 
Bunker  Hill  and  at  Lexington.  His  wife  was 
Esther  Cunningham  Greely.  The  next  in 
line  was  Joseph,  who,  born  in  Hudson  in 
1756,  died  May  13,  1840,  was  grandfather 
of  Dr.  Greely.  He  also  fought  at  l^unker 
Hill,    and    there    received    a    gunshot    wound. 


His  wife  was  Sarah  Greely,  to  whom  he  was 
married  March  7,  1780.  His  son.  Colonel 
Joseph  Greely,  married  Hannah,  a  daughter  of 
James  Thornton,  Esc|.,  and  a  grand-daughter 
of  Judge  Matthew  Thornton,  who  was  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence. 

James  B.  Greely  grew  to  manhood  in 
Nashua.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  began  to 
fit  himself  for  the  medical  profession.  He 
first  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Moore,  of  Nashua. 
Later  he  entered  Dartmouth  College,  where 
he  studied  for  three  years.  In  1856  he  gradu- 
ated from  the  University  of  Vermont  at 
Woodstock,  and  afterward  took  a  post-graduate 
course  in  the  Harvard  Medical  School.  He 
then  went  abroad  to  continue  his  studies,  and 
was  gone  for  thirteen  months.  For  a  part  of 
this  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  household  of 
Dr.  James  Y.  Simpson,  of  Edinburgh,  Scot- 
land, after  which  he  studied  on  the  continent. 
After  returning  to  America,  he  entered  upon 
his  profession  at  Nashua,  and  was  in  active 
practice  until  the  war  broke  out  in  1S61. 
Then,  prompted  by  his  patriotism,  he  accepted 
a  commission  as  Assistant  Surgeon  in  the  New 
Hampshire  Battalion  of  the  New  England 
Cavalry,  and  later  in  the  same  year  was 
made  Surgeon.  At  the  second  Battle  of  Bull 
Run  he  received  injuries  which  disabled  him 
for  life.  He  was  honoraby  discharged,  and 
returned  to  Nashua,  hoping  to  resume  his 
practice.  The  effects  of  his  wounds  rendered 
him  unable  to*  carry  out  this  purpose,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  renounce  a  career  for  which  he 
was  in  every  way  qualified.  While  many  men 
sacrificed  their  lives  in  the  war,  many  others 
sacrificed  what  was  equally  dear  to  an  ambi- 
tious man  — his  hopes  of  a  useful  and  success- 
ful career.  Dr.  Greely  afterward  moved  to 
Merrimac,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  It  is  one  of  the  compensations  of  his 
life  that  he  has  been  able  to  see  his  sons  grow 
up  to  fill  the  position  which  he  had  hoped  to 
fill  himself. 

On  June  24,  1858,  Dr.  Greely  was  married 
to  Miss  Arabella  McGaw  Wood,  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Henry  and  Harriet  T.  (McGaw) 
Wood,  of  Hanover.  The  Rev.  Henry  Wood 
was  a  chaplain  in  the  United   States  Navy  and 


376 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


also  United  States  Consul  at  Beirut,  Syria, 
under  the  administration  of  President  Pierce. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Greely  have  had  three  sons. 
Dr.  Harry  W.  Greely,  the  eldest,  died  at  Nor- 
folk, Va.,  aged  twenty-five  years.  Dr.  James 
T. ,  who  is  now  city  physician  at  Nashua, 
N. H.,  married  P"lorence  Richardson,  daughter 
of  the  Rev.  Cyrus  Richardson,  of  Nashua. 
Dr.  Guy  Greely  is  at  Thornton's  Ferry  with 
his  parents,  and  is  practising  his  profession. 
The  father  holds  liberal  views  on  religious 
subjects.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
he  has  represented  the  town  in  the  legislature. 
A  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  he  is  a  member 
of  Rising  Sun  Lodge  of  Nashua.  He  is  also 
a  comrade  of  John  Foster  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Nashua. 


RY  DAVIS,  a  prosperous  farmer 
f  Plast  Sullivan  and  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Selectmen,  was  born 
in  Stoddard,  N.  H.,  May  5,  1S41, 
son  of  Marcus  and  Lydia  L.  (Wilson)  Davis. 
His  grandfather,  Asa  Davis,  who  was  a  native 
of  Massachusetts,  settled  when  a  young  man 
upon  a  farm  in  Stoddard,  and  resided  there  for 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  active  in  public 
affairs,  and  was  one  of  the  stirring  men  of  his 
'day.  With  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Hodgeman,  he  reared  seven  children;  namely, 
Sarah,  Marcus,  Asa,  Nancy,  Alden,  Isaiah, 
and  IJzzie,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Stod- 
dard. 

Marcus  Davis,  born  May  4,  1807,  who  was 
for  some  years  employed  as  a  farm  assistant, 
finally  settling  at  the  homestead,  became  a 
well-to-do  farmer,  and  died  December  2,  1859. 
His  wife,  who  was  born  August  10,  1814, 
daughter  of  Colonel  William  Wilson,  of  Stod- 
dard, became  the  mother  of  five  children  — 
Elvira,  Henry  Davis,  Albert,  Lyman,  and 
Martha.  Elvira,  who  is  no  longer  living,  was 
the  wife  of  D.  W.  Rugg,  of  Sullivan,  and  left 
one  son,  who.  is  an  industrious  farmer  in  Sul- 
livan, married  Rosetta  Town,  and  has  one 
daughter.  Martha  married  Leslie  H.  Good- 
now,  the  present  Postmaster  and  Town  Treas- 
urer of  Sullivan.  Lyman  Davis,  in  early  life  a 
farmer,  learned  the  trades  of  blacksmith   and 


wheelwright,  and  has  since  carried  on  busi- 
ness in  Sullivan.  He  was  Selectman  for  sev- 
eral years;  a  Representative  to  the  legislature 
in  1893,  serving  on  the  Committee  on  Manu- 
factures; is  connected  with  the  Order  of  the 
Golden  Cross  and  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry; 
and  attends  the  Congregational  church.  He 
married  Nettie  E.  P^veleth,  who  was  born 
April  28,  1 848,  daughter  of  Charles  Eveleth, 
of  Keene. 

Henry  Davis  was  educated  in  Stoddard. 
After  his  father's  death  the  management  of 
the  home  farm  devolved  upon  him.  At  a  later 
date  he  moved  to  East  Sullivan,  where  he  has 
since  resided,  and  where  he  has  become  one  of 
the  most  able  and  prosperous  farmers  in  the 
locality.  Formerly  he  raised  sheep,  but  of 
late  he  has  given  his  principal  attention  to 
dairying.  He  has  served  as  Road  Agent,  and 
is  now  rendering  efficient  service  to  the  town 
as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen.  He 
is  actively  interested  in  the  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, and  is  Master  of  the  local  grange.  In 
religious  belief  he  is  a  Congregationalist. 
Mr.  Davis  married  Emma  S.  Rugg,  who  was 
born  June  18,  1846,  daughter  of  Martin  Rugg, 
of  Sullivan.  His  only  child,  Lester  I".,  born 
April  7,  1877,  now  assists  his  father  on  the 
farm. 


NDREW  NICHOLS  SHEPARD,  of 
Milford,  was  born  in  Lyndeborij^ 
N.H.,  July  22,  1818,  of  poor  but 
respectable  parents.  His  father 
was  of  English  origin,  being  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  Colonel  John  Shepard,  who  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  that  part  of  the  town  of 
Amherst,  N.  H.,  which  is  now  Milford.  Colo- 
nel Shepard,  who  Was  the  great-grandfather 
of  Andrew,  moved  from  Concord,  Mass.,  to 
Amherst  in  1741,  and  became  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  useful  citizens  of  that  town. 
He  built  the  first  mills  there  and  the  first 
bridge  across  the  Souhegan  River. 

When  Andrew  was  two  years  old,  his  father, 
who  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  moved  his 
family  to  Francestown,  and  shortly  after  to 
Bedford,  N.  H.  Here  Andrew  remained  during 
his  boyhood,  in   the  summer  assisting   on   his 


ANDREW     N.    SHEPARD. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


379 


grandfather's  farm  or  in  his  fatiier's  shop,  and 
in  the  winter  attending  school.  Wlien  seven- 
teen he  wont  to  Woburn,  Mass.,  to  learn  the 
currier's  trade,  serving  as  an  apprentice  under 
Deacon  B.  V.  Thompson,  of  that  town,  for 
three  and  a  half  years.  At  the  end  of  this 
time  he  started  out  into  the  world  for  himself 
with  a  capital  of  three  hundred  dollars,  which 
he  had  saved  by  overwork  and  the  strictest 
economy.  The  overwork  affecting  his  health, 
and  business  being  dull,  he  next  tried  his  hand 
at  school-teaching,  successfully  conducting  a 
difficult  school  through  one  term.  Afterward 
for  many  years  Mr.  Shepard  was  interested  in 
the  various  branches  of  the  leather  business. 
Pi  is  first  venture  as  a  journeyman  currier  was 
at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  where  he  worked  for  a 
short  time.  From  Charlestown  he  returned 
to  the  employ  of  Deacon  Thompson,  who  was 
then  located  in  that  part  of  Woburn  that  was 
afterward  known  as  Winchester,  whom  he  al- 
ways respected  as  a  conscientious,  Christian 
man.  After  a  time  Deacon  Thompson  offered 
him  a  partnership;  but  Mr.  Shepard,  preferring 
a  certainty  to  an  uncertainty,  declined,  and  re- 
mained several  years  with  Deacon  Thompson 
as  a  journeyman.  At  length  he  drifted  into 
real  estate  business,  which  was  then  in  its 
infancy  in  Winchester,  doing  something  in  in- 
surance at  the  same  time,  and  was  for  several 
years  the  agent  for  the  Middlesex  Mutual 
Company,  of  Concord,  Mass.  He  built  several 
houses  in  Winchester,  and  was  eminently  suc- 
cessful in  his  investments. 

In  i860  Mr.  Shepard  associated  himself 
with  Mr.  F.  W.  Perry,  of  Winchester,  in  the 
leather  business.  This  firm  of  Shejjard  & 
Perry  had  a  currier's  shop  in  Winchester  and 
a  store  on  Pearl  Street,  Boston,  where  they 
sold  not  only  their  own  products,  but  consign- 
ments received  from  ]iarties  in  other  places  on 
commission.  In  1861  they  bought  the  Munroe 
tannery  at  Woburn,  and  in  1868  they  united 
with  Mosley  &  Dunn  in  building  a  large  tan- 
nery at  Winchester.  Mr.  Shepard  soon  sold 
his  interest  in  the  last-named  tannery  to  the 
other  partners,  and  bought  Mr.  Perry's  interest 
in  the  Munroe  tannery.  Then,  uniting  with 
Messrs.  Samuel  and  Andrew  Pierce,  under  the 
firm  name  of  A.  N.  Shepard  &  Co.,  he  did  his 


part  in  conducting  a  successful  business  for 
several  years,  besides  selling  for  others  on 
commission.  This  connection  was  terminated 
when  an  accident  disabled  him  for  active  work. 
He  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  business  to  the 
other  members  of  the  firm.  Pefore  he  had  fully 
recovered  from  his  lameness,  he  was  induced 
by  Butler,  Dunn  &  Co.,  a  large  commission 
house  on  Congress  Street,  Boston,  to  take  a 
tannery  with  them  in  Hudson,  Mass.,  for  a 
term  of  years.  The  partnership  entered  into 
with  them  was  successful,  and  at  its  expiration 
Mr.  Shepard  was'urged  to  continue  for  another 
term  of  years.  Notwithstanding  the  strong 
inducements  presented  to  him,  he  preferred  to 
join  with  a  Mr.  Kllis  in  refitting  an  old  tannery 
in  Lowell,  Mass.  This  firm  had  a  store  on 
Purchase  Street,  Boston,  and  continued  for 
some  time  in  business.  At  length,  on  ac- 
count of  his  health  and  increasing  years,  Mr. 
Shepard  concluded  to  retire  from  active  busi- 
ness; and  he  sold  out  his  interest.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  more  or  less  interested 
in  real  estate  and  stocks.  He  has  been  a 
very  successful  business  man,  and  his  ventures 
have  almost  always  proved  fortunate. 

In  1850  Mr.  Shepard  married  Mrs.  Harriet 
W.  Brown,  a  young  widow  with  two  daughters. 
This  marriage  did  not  prove  a  happy  one. 
After  a  number  of  years  there  was  a  separa- 
tion and  then  a  divorce.  In  1893  Mr.  Shep- 
ard married  Mrs.  Lucy  A.  Sawtelle,  daughter 
of  Wilder  and  Julia  Ann  (Clarke)  Read.  He 
has  no  children.  Being  fond  of  books  and 
study,  Mr.  Shepard  made  the  most  of  his 
meagre  opportiuiities  to  acquire  knowledge. 
The  greater  part  of  his  education  was  obtained 
at  the  district  school  in  Bedford,  N.  H.  Later 
he  attended  the  academy  at  Woburn,  Mass.,  for 
three  months  while  serving  his  aj^prentice- 
ship.  With  this  his  school  education  was  fin- 
ished; but  he  has  been  a  student  all  his  life, 
gathering  information  from  nature,  men,  and 
books.  Although  not  an  extensive  traveller, 
he  has  seen  something  of  the  West  and  South. 
He  has  been  twice  through  a  jiortion  of  the 
Western  States,  visiting  Wisconsin,  Minnesota, 
and  Michigan,  with  a  view  to  investing  in 
land,  but  each  time  returned  with  a  determi- 
nation to  confine  his  real  estate  investments  to 


38o 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


New  England.  He  has  made  three  trips  to 
Florida  and  other  parts  of  the  South  for  the 
twofold  purpose  of  health  and  pleasure. 
Being  very  fond  of  gunning,  he  derived  much 
enjoyment  from  these  .Southern  journeys,  hunt- 
ing alligators,  wild  turkeys,  ducks,  and  a 
variety  of  small  game.  During  one  of  these 
trips  he  made  the  shot  of  his  life,  with  which 
he  brought  down  three  wild  turkeys.  For  six 
or  seven  years  he  belonged  to  the  Shooting 
Club  of  Milford,  N.H. 

In  politics  Mr.  Shepard  was  first  a  Whig 
and  then  a  Republican.  He  always  favored 
the  anti-slavery  cause,  and  was  a  thorough 
temperance  man,  while  he  has  never  been  a 
politician,  his  forte  being  business.  Being  of 
a  diffident,  retiring  disposition,  he  has  never 
sought  office.  At  one  time,  however,  he  was 
Assessor  in  the  town  of  Winchester,  where  he 
lived  for  forty  years.  He  was  also  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace  for  Middlesex  County,  Massachu- 
setts, for  fourteen  years,  receiving  his  com- 
mission from  Governor  Andrew  and  its  re- 
newal from  Governor  Washburn.  At  present 
he  is  a  trustee  of  the  City  Guaranty  Savings 
Bank,  of  Nashua,  N.  H.,  and  of  the  Riverside 
Cemetery,  in  Milford,  N.H.  When  seventeen 
years  of  age  Mr.  Shepard  united  with  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  Bedford,  N.H.  In 
Woburn,  where  there  was  no  Presbyterian  so- 
ciety, he  entered  into  relationship  with  the 
Congregational  church,  and  he  has  been  a 
Congregationalist  since.  For  many  years  he 
was  connected  with  the  church  of  that  denomi- 
nation in  Winchester,  Mass.,  holding  offices  of 
trust  in  both  the  church  and  parish.  Later 
he  belonged  to  the  First  Congregational 
Church  in  Nashua.  At  present  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  church  of  that  denomination 
in  Milford.  In  a  quiet  way  he  has  constantly 
helped  by  his  influence  and  contributions,  not 
only  the  church  in  which  he  worshipped,  but 
others  needing  aid.  Mr.  Shepard  has  always 
been  a  great  lover  of  music,  and  now,  though 
seventy-eight  years  of  age,  is  an  enthusiastic 
and  skilful  player  on  the  flute.  For  twenty 
years  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  church 
choir  in  Winchester,  Mass.,  assisting  some- 
times with  his  voice  and  sometimes  with  his 
flute. 


While  not  rich,  Mr.  Shepard  has  a  compe- 
tency. He  has  a  pleasant  home  in  Milford, 
which  he  built  in  1890.  For  forty  years  he 
resided  in  Winchester;  but  for  the  last  fifteen 
or  sixteen  years  he  has  lived  in  Amherst, 
Nashua,  or  Milford,  near  the  home  of  his  boy- 
hood. Though  seventy-eight  years  old,  Mr. 
Shepard  is  still  active  and  vigorous,  visiting 
Boston  once  or  twice  a  week  to  attend  to  his 
interests  in  real  estate  and  stocks. 


/^STeORGE  H.  leach,  who  carries  on 
\   '•)  I       a   prosperous   mercantile   and    lumber 

—  business  in  Gilsum,  Cheshire  Countj^ 
N.H.,  was  born  in  Chesterfield  N.H.,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1851,  son  of  Lewis  and  Emily  (Hill) 
Leach.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Josiah 
Leach,  who  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland, 
N.  H.,  resided  upon  a  farm  in  Swanzey,  N.H. 
By  his  first  wife,  Lois  Britton,  who  was  born 
in  Westmoreland,  he  had  three  children  — 
Laura,  Lyman,  and  Lewis;  and  by  his  second 
wife,  Sarah  Ochington,  of  Swanzey,  N.H.,  he 
had  five  children — Thomas  G.,  Charles  A., 
Leonard  W. ,  Lorilla  E.,  and  Lucy  A.  Lewis 
Leach  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  December 
25,  181 1.  He  spent  his  life  partly  in  that 
town  and  partly  in  Chesterfield,  N.H.,  and  was 
engaged  as  a  farmer  and  general  jobber.  His 
wife,  formerly  Emily  Hill,  who  was  born  in 
Swanzey,  F"ebruary  13,  1813,  became  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  namely:  Josiah; 
Bradley;  Charles;  George  H.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Maria  E.  ;  Jane;  Charles,  second; 
and  Irving.  The  father,  Lewis  Leach,  died 
January  13,  1870.  The  mother,  Mrs.  Emily 
H.  Leach,  is  still  living. 

George  H.  Leach  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Chesterfield  and  Westmoreland,  and 
for  some  time  was  engaged  in  farming  and 
teaming.  He  finally  located  in  Gilsum, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business, 
and  also  keeps  a  general  store.  He  is  a  capa- 
ble and  successful  business  man,  and  his  nat- 
ural energy  and  ability  have  been  employed  to 
the  advantage  of  his  fellow-townsmen,  who 
elected  him  to  the  Board  of  Selectmen.  He 
has  also  served  as  Road  Agent,  and  was  nomi- 
nated for  Representative  to  the  legislature  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


38. 


1893.  He  is  connected  with  tiie  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  tiie  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, and  is  prominent  in  both  orders. 

Mr.  Leach  married  Minnie  M.  Barrett,  who 
was  born  in  1864,  daughter  of  Lund  and  Mary 
Barrett.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leach  have  two  chil- 
dren :  Carlton  B.,  born  in  1885;  and  Helen 
M.,  born  in  1887. 


-AMES    P.    TODD,  one   of    the    leading 
farmers    and    business    men    of    New 


Boston,  was  born  in  this  town,  Novem- 


ber  24,  1822,  son  of  Samuel  and  Betsey 
(Starrett)  Todd.  He  is  a  descendant  of  Colo- 
nel Andrew  Todd,  who  commanded  a  regi- 
ment in  the  Continental  army  during  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Colonel  Todd,  who  was 
the  hrst  ancestor  of  the  family  to  settle  in 
Hillsboro  County,  resided  upon  a  farm  in 
Peterboro  until  his  death.  His  son,  James 
Todd  (first),  great-grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  and  a  farmer  in  Peterboro  for 
the  greater  part  of  his  life,  spent  his  last  days 
in  Francestown,  and  was  buried  in  Peterboro. 
James  Todd  (second),  grandfather  of  James 
P.,  was  a  native  of  Peterboro.  When  a  young 
man  he  settled  in  Francestown;  and  he  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits  with  prosperity, 
and  was  one  of  the  stirring  men  of  his  day. 
He  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Se- 
lectmen, and  was  very  active  in  public  affairs. 
In  politics  he  was  originally  a  Whig  and 
later  a  Democrat.  In  his  religious  views  he 
was  a  Congregationalist.  He  lived  to  be 
seventy-seven  years  old.  His  first  marriage 
was  contracted  with  Lenity  Page,  a  native  of 
Goffstown,  N.H.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-four  years.  For  his  second  wife  he 
wedded  Mrs.  Sarah  (Miller)  Duncan,  of  Peter- 
boro. By  his  first  wife  there  were  twelve 
children;  namely,  Nabby,  Anna,  Samuel, 
William,  Mary,  Jane,  Robert,  Nathaniel, 
James,  Eli,  Roxanna,  and  one  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. Those  of  his  second  were:  John  and 
Sarah.  Samuel  Todd  was.  born  in  Frances- 
town,  November  14,  1788.  In  early  life  he 
became  familiar  with  the  shoemaker's  and 
blacksmith's  trades,  and  in  18 16  he  settled 
upon  the  farm  in  New  Boston  where  his  son, 


James  P.,  now  resides.  Samuel  Todd  died 
October  6,  1880.  His  wife,  Betsey,  whom 
he  married  June  7,  1S14,  was  born  in  New 
Boston  March  20,  1793.  She  became  the 
mother  of  ten  children,  as  follows:  a  son,  who 
was  born  October  27,  181 5,  and  died  Decem- 
ber 27  of  the  same  year;  Mary  S.,  born  Sep- 
tember 28,  1816,  who  died  August  22,  1841; 
Harriet  A.,  born  September  14,  1818,  who 
lives  in  Nashua,  N.  H.,  and  is  now  the  widow 
of  David  Grigg;  Mark,  born  September  16, 
1820,  who  died  in  August,  i860;  James  P., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Davis  .S.,  born 
October  25,  1824,  who  resides  in  New  Boston; 
Caroline  S. ,  born  September  26,  1827,  who 
married  Horace  Langdell,  and  died  November 
I,  1855;  John  M.,  born  November  22,  1829, 
who  died  September  6,  1832;  Sarah  E,  born 
August  9,  1833,  who  is  now  Mrs.  George 
Upham,  of  Nashua;  and  John  M.  (second), 
born  September  6,  1835,  who  is  residing  in 
New  Boston.     The  mother  died  June  23,  18S0. 

James  P.  Todd  acquired  a  common  and  high 
school  education,  and  when  a  young  man  he 
taught  school.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was 
capable  of  earning  good  wages  as  a  farm  as- 
sistant, and  his  summers  were  passed  in  work- 
ing upon  farms  in  his  neighborhood.  He 
managed  the  home  farm  for  four  years,  and  in 
1850  he  went  to  California  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus,  and  was  there  profitably  engaged  in 
raining  for  two  years.  After  his  return  he 
settled  at  the  homestead,  and  worked  at  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  engaged  extensively  in  lum- 
bering, and  built  a  cotton-batting  mill,  which 
he  carried  on  until  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
At  present  his  attention  is  devoted  to  lumber- 
ing and  dairy  farming.  He  has  enlarged  and 
improved  the  homestead  farm,  kee]5S  from  fif- 
teen to  twenty  cows,  antl  has  remodelled  the 
old  residence,  which  was  erected  in  1810. 
Politically,  he  acts  with  the  Democratic  party, 
and  he  served  with  ability  as  Selectman  for 
four  years,  besides  holding  other  town  offices. 

On  December  30,  1852,  Mr.  Todd  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Desire  A.  Loring. 
She  was  born  in  New  Boston,  October  27, 
1832,  daughter  of  John  and  Desire  (Fuller) 
Loring.  Her  mother  was  born  in  Frances- 
town,    N. H.,  December  4,  1802.      Her  pater- 


382 


BIOGRAPHICAL   KEVIEW 


nal  grandfather,  John  Loring  (first),  was  a  na- 
tive of  Salem,  Mass.,  and  her  grandmother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Morse,  was 
born  in  Methuen.  John  Loring  (second), 
Mrs.  Todd's  father,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  1 812.  He  followed  agriculture  indus- 
triously in  New  Boston  for  the  greater  part  of 
his  active  period,  and  died  March  24,  1S68. 
His  wife  died  September  18,  1861.  Their 
eight  children  were:  Lorinda,  born  October 
22,  1S23,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Stephen  F. 
Burnham,  of  Manchester,  N.H.  ;  John  E., 
born  July  11,  1826,  who  died  in  1S53; 
Daniel  F.,  born  July  10,  1828,  who  died  in 
1838;  Aaron,  born  August  6,  1829,  who  died 
in  California,  August  6,  1854;  Desire  A., 
who  is  now  Mrs.  Todd;  George  F. ,  born  June 
8,  1834,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Wyoming; 
Sarah  E.,  born  July  14,  1838,  who  died  in 
1844;  and  Hannah  Catherine,  born  July  14, 
1S41,  who  is  the  wife  of  Elizaphan  Langdell, 
of  Milford,  N.H. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Todd  have  had  twelve  chil- 
dren, namely:  John  L.,  born  October  10, 
1853,  who  died  aged  one  month;  Alice  M., 
born  October  6,  1854;  Arthur  J.,  born  De- 
cember 6,  1856;  George  L. ,  born  June  17, 
1859;  Caroline  E. ,  born  July  29,  1862; 
Frank  P.,  born  October  17,  1863;  John  L., 
born  December  i,  1866,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  two  years  and  eight  months;  Perley  A., 
born  January  19,  1868;  Emma  D. ,  born  July 
7,  1870;  a  son  born  March  28,  1871,  who 
died  in  infancy;  Sadie  A.,  born  February  2, 
1875;  and  Adelaide  B.,  born  November  15, 
1877.  Alice  M.  is  the  wife  of  Moses  Dane, 
of  New  Boston.  Arthur  J.  Todd,  M.D.,  who 
graduated  at  the  Homoeopathic  Medical 
School,  Boston,  is  now  practising  in  Man- 
chester, N.H.,  is  one  of  the  Board  of  State 
Medical  Examiners,  and  is  president  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Homoeopathic  Medical  Soci- 
ety. The  Rev.  George  L.  Todd,  who  gradu- 
ated from  Amherst  College  and  the  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  in  Auburn,  N.Y. ,  is  now  pastor 
of  a  church  in  Merrimac,  Mass.  He  was  the 
founder  and  first  president  of  La  Paz  Bolivian 
National  College,  and  was  Vice-Consul  Gen- 
eral to  Bolivia  under  President  Cleveland. 
Caroline  E.  is  the  wife  of  George  W.  Bridges, 


and  resides  in  ]5rookline,  N.H.  Frank  P., 
M.D.,  received  his  medical  education  in  Bos- 
ton, and  is  now  a  homcEopathic  physician  in 
Danielsonville,  Conn.  Perley  A.  resides  at 
home,  and  is  now  serving  as  Tax  Collector. 
Emma  D.  is  now  Mrs.  Walter  H.  Spaulding, 
of  Peterboro,  N.H.  Sadie  A.  and  Adelaide 
B.  are  residing  at  home.  The  family  attend 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  Mr.  Todd  has 
been  an  Elder  for  the  past  thirty  years.  His 
success  in  life  is  the  result  of  energy  and  per- 
severance, and  he  stands  high  in  the  commun- 
ity as  an  able  business  man  and  an  upright 
citizen. 


•AMES  MANNING  HOWARD,  a  re- 
tired tanner  and  well-to-do  resident  of 
Marlow,  was  born  in  Langdon,  Sulli- 
van County,  N.H.,  April  7,  1830,  son 
of  Nathan  and  Phcebe  (Miller)  Howard.  The 
family  originated,  we  are  told,  in  either 
Aylesford  or  Maidstone,  County  of  Kent, 
England;  and  Thomas  Howard,  the  American 
ancestor,  who  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  it  is  said, 
settled  at  Ipswich,  Mass.,  in  1634.  Stephen 
Howard,  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  in  Ipswich,  and  died  in 
Chaplin,  Conn.,  in  1848.  James  M.  Howard's 
grandfather,  Stephen  Howard,  second,  who 
was  born  in  Hampton,  Conn.,  August  6,  1763, 
became  a  pioneer  in  Alstead,  N.  H.,  and 
built  the  first  saw  and  grist  mill  in  that 
town.  He  died  November  3,  1857.  He 
married  Polly  Jewett,  a  native  of  Coventry, 
Conn.,  and  reared  four  children,  namely: 
Nathan;  Betsey,  born  December  5,  1791; 
Polly,  born  January  10,  179S;  and  Sophia, 
born  February  2,    1808,  all   now  deceased. 

Nathan  Howard,  father  of  James  M.,  was 
born  in  Hampton,  Conn  ,  F"ebruary  9,  1789. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  settled  in  Al- 
stead, where  he  followetl  farming  and  teaming 
the  rest  of  his  life,  and  died  November  3, 
1857.  He  married  Phi^be  Miller,  born  in 
Acworth,  N.  H.,  February  16,  1794,  daughter 
of  James  and  Mary  (Livermore)  Miller;  and 
she  died  in  Alstead',  April  13,   1830. 

James  Manning  Howard  was  left  motherless 
when  but   six  days  old,  and   he  was   reared   in 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


383 


the  family  of  Leonard  Whitney,  of  Acworth. 
He  attendetl  common  sciiools  and  the  Maiiovv 
Academy,  and  when  fourteen  years  old  began 
life  for  himself  as  a  farm  assistant.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  came  to  Marlow,  where  he 
learned  the  tanner's  trade  under  the  direction 
of  James  Burnap,  and  later  became  foreman. 
He  was  connected  with  the  tannery  until  its 
close  in  1892,  and  at  one  time  was  a  partner 
in  the  business.  IVlr.  Howard  is  a  self-made 
man,  and  has  reached  a  position  of  affluence 
through  his  industry  and  thrift.  He  is  highly 
esteemed  by  his  business  associates  as  well  as 
those  who  have  worked  under  him,  and  it  is 
greatly  to  his  credit  that  he  always  gave  the 
highest  wages  the  business  would  permit.  He 
was,  above  all,  charitable  and  considerate,  and 
many  instances  could  be  related  of  his  kind- 
hearted  and  generous  disposition.  He  has 
served  upon  the  School  Board  and  in  other 
town  offices,  is  interested  in  the  business 
prosperity  of  Marlow,  and  is  connected  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry.  He  is  a  liberal  contributor 
toward  the  support  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Stewards. 

Mr.  Howard  married  Lucretia  A.  Mitchell, 
born  in  Manchester,  N.H.,  August  4,  1832, 
daughter  of  Ansel  and  Melinda  (Flanders) 
Mitchell.      Mrs.  Howard  died  May  16,   1890. 


ON.  MURRAY  DAVIS  was  a  well- 
known  figure  in  public  affairs  at 
Chesterfield  for  some  time  before 
the  year  1888.  Born  here,  Decem- 
ber 16,  1845,  son  of  Charles  M.  and  Deborah 
H.  (Cobleigh)  Davis,  he  is  a  descendant  of 
Amos  Davis  (first),  one  of  the  original  propri- 
etors of  Westmoreland,  N.  H.  Amos  Davis 
(second),  who  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland 
settled  in  Chesterfield  about  the  year  1770, 
locating  upon  land  situated  one  mile  west  of 
Centre  Village.  He  resided  here  for  the  rest 
of  his  life,  and  died  August  i,  1794.  He 
married  Sarah  Metcalf ;  and  of  his  eleven  chil- 
dren Ezra  Davis,  great-grandfather  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  his  third  child. 

Ezra  Davis,    who  was    born    in    Westmore- 


land, November  9,  1761,  grew  to  manhood  on 
a  farm  in  Chesterfield,  tilled  the  soil  with 
energy  during  his  active  years,  and  died  Au- 
gust 23,  1840.  He  married  Amy,  daughter  of 
Warren  Snow,  and  reared  a  family  of  si.\  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Russell,  the  third-born,  was 
grandfather  of  Murray  Davis.  Russell  Davis, 
a  lifelong  resident  of  Chesterfield,  died  Octo- 
ber 22,  1859.  He  married  Thirza,  daughter 
of  John  Veazey,  of  Westmoreland;  and 
Charles  M.  was  the  second-born  of  their  chil- 
dren. Charles  M.  Davis  was  born  in  Chester- 
field, April  II,  1 81 8.  He  was  a  sturdy,  in- 
dustrious farmer  through  life,  and  was 
esteemed  as  a  worthy,  upright  man.  He  died 
in  the  prime  of  life,  June  30,  1849.  His 
wife,  Deborah,  whom  he  wedded  March  9, 
1842,  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Cobleigh. 
She  became  the  mother  of  two  sons,  namely : 
Murray,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Charles  M.,  born  November  14,  1849. 

Murray  Davis  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Chesterfield.  When  sixteen  years  old  he  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  Company  F,  P"ourteenth 
Regiment,  New  Hampshire  Volunteers.  He 
served  until  September  19,  1863,  when  he  re- 
ceived a  severe  grapeshot  wound  in  his  left  leg 
at  the  battle  of  Winchester.  He  laid  upon 
the  field  three  days  before  medical  aid  reached 
him,  and  then  it  was  found  necessary  to  am- 
putate the  limb.  He  was  discharged,  and  in 
1866  he  bought  the  farm  in  Chesterfield, 
which  is  now  owned  by  his  son,  Frank  M. 
The  property  was  considered  of  but  little 
value  at  the  time,  but  by  industry  and  perse- 
verance he  revived  its  fertility,  and  brought 
it  to  a  high  standard  of  cultivation.  Upon 
Republican  nominations  Mr.  Davis  was  regu- 
larly elected  to  the  Board  of  Selectmen  for 
upward  of  fifteen  years.  He  also  served  as 
Town  Treasurer  and  Moderator  for  a  number 
of  terms.  In  1881  he  was  chosen  to  represent 
this  town  in  the  legislature,  and  in  1885  he 
was  elected  State  Senator.  While  a  member 
of  the  lower  house,  he  took  an  active  part  in 
securing  the  passage  of  the  bill  providing  for 
the  support  of  aged  or  disabled  soldiers  at 
their  homes,  instead  of  sending  them  to  the 
county  farm.  In  the  Senate  he  occupied  a 
seat   near  to   that    of   the   Hon.    William    E. 


384 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Chandler,  now  United  States  Senator  from 
New  Hampshire.  He  was  a  forcible  speaker, 
and  always  studied  a  measure  before  advocat- 
ing or  opposing  it.  His  work  in  both  houses 
was  deserving  of  the  highest  praise.  It  is 
told  of  him  that,  when  having  drawn  a  seat  in 
the  front  row,  and  some  of  the  older  members 
offered  to  buy  it,  proffering  him  a  good  price, 
he  declined  to  sell,  saying,  "I  like  a  good  seat 
just  as  well  as  anybody  else."  During  the 
contest  between  the  Boston  &  iVIaine  and  the 
Concord  &  Montreal  Railroad  Companies  he 
was  offered  a  liberal  compensation  by  one  of 
the  opposing  corporations,  to  go  to  Concord 
and  assist  in  lobbying  their  bill  through,  but 
he  declined  the  proposition. 

On  June  6,  1866,  Mr.  Davis  married  Elvira 
E.  Farr,  daughter  of  Parker  Farr,  of  West 
Chesterfield.  Mrs.  Davis  has  had  three  chil- 
dren—Frank M.,  Celia  E.,  and  Maud  M. 
Celia  E.  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Winn,  and  re- 
sides in  Brattleboro,  Vt.  Frank  M.  Davis, 
born  December  29,  1868,  passed  his  youth  in 
working  on  the  farm  and  attending  school.  He 
also  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  fol- 
lowed it  for  a  time;  and  in  1893  he  purchased 
the  property  of  his  mother,  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  general  farming.  He  is  energetic 
and  progressive,  and,  although  one  of  the 
youngest  farmers  in  town,  is  already  well  ad- 
vanced upon  the  road  to  prosperity.  In  1897 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Se- 
lectmen. On  November  11,  1891,  he  wedded 
Annie  P.  Davenport,  daughter  of  Edgar  Dav- 
enport, and  now  has  two  children  —  Murray  and 
Gladys  A.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  was  formerly  Over- 
seer of  the  local  grange.  Mr.  Davis,  Sr. , 
died  in  Chesterfield,  March  20,  1888.  Mrs. 
Davis  has  continued  to  reside  at  the  home- 
stead, and  with  the  assistance  of  her  son  has 
since  carried  on  the  farm. 


/©To 


EORGE  SAMUEL  TUCKER,  pro- 
\  '•)  I  prietor  of  Tucker's  Tavern,  Peter- 
boro,  was  born  in  Henniker,  N.  H., 
July  12,  1858,  son  of  Thomas  Brown  aiid 
Susan  Rebecca  (Clarke)  Tucker.  In  regard 
to  the  genealogy  of  the  family,    upon   which 


Mr.  Tucker  has  for  some  time  been  engaged, 
the  facts  obtained  up  to  the  present  time  are 
chiefly  as  follows:  l^zra  Tucker  was  born  in 
Poplin,  N.H.,  now  Fremont,  and  moved  to 
Salisbury,  N.H.,  prior  to  the  Revolutionary 
War.  He  was  the  father  of  eighteen  chil- 
dren, twelve  sons  and  si.\  daughters.  The 
average  length  of  the  lives  of  the  sons  was 
seventy  years,  and  each  lived  to  have  great- 
grand-children.  Nathan  Tucker,  great-gi-and- 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
in  Poplin,  October  18,  1764.  His  first  wife 
was  Lydia  Stevens;  and  his  second,  Mary 
Welch,  of  Canaan,  N.H.  By  his  first  mar- 
riage he  had  six  children,  and  by  his  second 
union  there  were  two. 

Caleb  Tucker,  grandfather  of  George  Sam- 
uel, was  born  in  Salisbury,  November  6,  1789, 
and  was  the  fourth  son  by  his  father's  first 
wife.  He  was  a  prosperous  tiller  of  the  soil 
during  the  active  period  of  his  life,  and  he 
died  in  Wilmot,  N.H.,  March  29,  1834.  On 
December  26,  181 1,  he  married  Dorothy 
Bean,  second  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Me- 
hitable  (Garland)  Bean,  of  Salisbury.  Ten 
-children  were  the  fruit  of  this  union,  and  the 
following  are  living,  namely:  Lydia  C,  born 
August  30,  1825,  now  the  wife  of  John  Gove; 
Charles  W.,  born  March  9,  1828;  and  Thomas 
Brown,  George  Samuel  Tucker's  father,  who 
is  the  youngest. 

Thomas  Brown  Tucker  was  born  in  Wilmot, 
August  17,  1830.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  and 
then  began  to  serve  an  apprenticeship  at  the 
machinist's  trade  in  Manchester,  N.H.  From 
that  city  he  went  to  Providence,  R.I.,  where 
he  gradually  rose  to  the  position  of  superin- 
tendent of  the  works  in  which  he  was  em- 
ployed, but  was  at  length  forced  to  resign  on 
account  of  failing  health.  During  the  inter- 
vening period  he  engaged  as  a  merchant  in 
Rhode  Island,  Sut  about  1857  he  returned  to 
New  Hampshire,  and  succeeded  Hiram  Bell 
in  the  management  of  the  old  National  Hotel 
at  Henniker.  Returning  in  1859  to  his  old 
business  as  a  maker  of  fine  tools  and  builder 
of  machinery  in  Providence,  he  remained  there 
some  years  when  he  was  again  compelled  by 
ill  health   to  return   to  his  native  State,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


38s 


immediately  purchased  and  carried  on  the 
Kearsarge  House  at  Warner  for  six  years. 
During  the  succeeding  seven  years  he  ran  the 
Washington  House  in  PittsfieJd,  N.H.;  and, 
then  removing  to  Peterboro,  he  was  engaged 
in  the  same  business  here  for  many  years,  or 
until  the  transferring  of  same  to  his  son.  He 
is  widely  and  favorably  known  as  a  genial 
and  agreeable  host,  who  succeeded  in  keeping 
a  model  house  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
public,  and  has  been  equally  successful  finan- 
cially. He  owns  some  of  the  most  important 
buildings,  together  with  much  valuable  land 
in  this  town,  and  has  been  a  director  of  its 
Savings  15ank.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 
While  residing  in  Pittsfield,  he  held  many 
positions  of  trust,  Sheriff,  County  Commis- 
sioner, etc.  He  has  since  been  active  in  local 
public  affairs  in  Peterboro,  and  is  at  the  pres- 
ent time  president  of  the  Board  of  Water 
Commissioners.  His  wife,  Susan  Rebecca 
Clarke,  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  C.  Clarke,  of 
Narragansett  Pier,  R.I.  They  have  reared 
but  one  son,  George  Samuel,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  Thomas  B.  Tucker  is  now  liv- 
ing in  retirement,  and  is  highly  esteemed  by 
his  fellow-townsmen  as  well  as  by  a  large  cir- 
cle of  friends  and  acquaintances  throughout 
the  State. 

George  Samuel  Tucker  was  educated  in 
Providence,  R.I.  The  feeble  condition  of  his 
father's  health,  however,  caused  him  to  dis- 
continue his  studies;  and  he  at  once  joined  his 
father  in  the  hotel  business,  which  relation 
has  been  uninterrupted,  with  the  exception  of 
the  two  years  during  which  he  was  engaged  in 
the  completion  of  Dartmouth  College's  new 
hotel  and  its  management.  Since  the  elder 
Tucker's  retirement  he  has  managed  Tucker's 
Tavern  with  an  ability  which  has  not  only 
kept  up  the  high  reputation  of  the  house,  but 
has  greatly  increased  its  regular  patronage. 
He  has  improved  the  property  by  introducing 
all  modern  conveniences;  and  Peterboro  has 
every  reason  to  be  proud  of  its  only  hotel,  as 
the  very  best  of  its  class. 

Mr.  Tucker  married  Evelyn  Genevieve 
Barker,  of  Boston,  on  December  25,  1SS7, 
and  has  one  daughter,  Marguerite  Clarke. 

Politically,  Mr.  Tucker  is  a  Democrat.      He 


is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member  of  the  en- 
campment. His  enterprise  and  progressive 
tendencies  are  heartily  appreciated,  and  as  a 
business  man  and  a  citizen  he  occupies  an  im- 
portant place  in  the  community.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tucker  attend  the  Unitarian  church. 


HARLES  A.  BLAKE,  proprietor  of 
the  Nubaunsit  House  at  Harrisville, 
U  ^  Cheshire  County,  and  an  extensive 
contractor,  was  born  in  Nashua, 
N. H.,  November  19,  1853,  son  of  Asa  and 
Rosetta  (Swingington)  Blake.  His  grand- 
father, Asa  Blake,  first,  who  was  a  lifelong 
resident  of  Canada,  reared  a  family  of  chil- 
dren, by  name  as  follows:  Andrew,  Lewis, 
Asa,  Annie,  Eunice  Polly. 

Asa  Blake,  second,  father  of  Charles  A.,  is 
a  native  of  Canada,  but  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  has  been  spent  in  the  United  States.  He 
has  been  a  resident  at  different  times  of 
Nashua,  Greenfield,  and  other  places,  but  for 
the  past  seventeen  years  has  been  engaged  in 
teaming  in  East  Jaffrey,  N.  H.  He  married 
Rosetta  Swingington,  daughter  of  Job  Swing- 
ington, of  Lyndeboro,  N. H.,  and  she  became 
the  mother  of  five  children  —  Charles  A., 
George,  William,  Sarah,  and  Mary.  George 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years;  William 
is  a  dyer  in  a  mill  in  Jaffrey;  Sarah  married 
Charles  Bartlett,  who  is  connected  with  the 
cutlery  works  in  Bennington,  N.H.;  Mary  is 
the  wife  of  A.  Burpee,  principal  dyer  in  the 
factory  in  Jaffrey.  Mrs.  Asa  Blake  is  no 
longer  living. 

Charles  A.  Blake  attended  schools  in 
Lyndeboro  and  Greenfield,  N.H.,  and  in  Lan- 
caster, Mass.  He  was  engaged  in  farming 
and  teaming  for  three  years,  and  for  the  suc- 
ceeding six  years  he  carried  on  the  fish  busi- 
ness in  Greenfield  and  Jaffrey.  He  next  en- 
gaged in  the  jobbing  business,  which  he 
followed  in  Jaffrey  until  1881,  when  he  came 
to  Harrisville,  and  purchased  the  Nubaunsit 
House.  He  has  since  conducted  the  hotel 
and  livery  business  in  connection  with  jobbing 
and  contracting,  and  his  various  enterprises 
keep  him  constantly  busy.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  as  Highway   Surveyor  he  has 


386 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


kept  the  roads  in  first-class  condition.  He  is 
connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the 
Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  and  the  For- 
esters. 

Mr.  Blake  married  Miss  Eva  J.  Sawyer, 
daughter  of  Silas  W.  and  Charity  (Scott) 
Sawyer,  of  Francestovvn,  N.H.;  and  Mrs. 
Blake  is  the  mother  of  three  children — Ernest 
C,  Edith  v.,  and  Harold  Leroy — all  of 
whom  were  born  in  Harrisville. 


(p^JLAS  HARDY,  attorney-at-law  and 
merchant  of  Keene.  N.  H..  is  a  son 
of  the  late  Captain  Noah  and 
Jerusha  (Kimball)  Hardy,  of  Nel- 
son, N.H.,  and  was  born  in  that  town,  April 
3,  1827.  Mr.  Hardy's  paternal  grandfather, 
who  was  also  named  Noah  Hardy,  removed 
from  Hollis,  N.H.,  to  Nelson  just  after  the 
Revolution,  and  became  Deacon  of  the  Ortho- 
dox church.  Early  in  the  war,  when  but  a 
mere  lad,  he  had  enrolled  as  a  minute-man  in 
the  .Cavalry  Reserve  at  Hollis.  He  was 
called  out  twice  to  go  to  Bennington  and  once 
to  Rhode  Island,  but  did  not  participate  in 
actual  battle.  His  wife,  Sarah  Spofford,  was 
a  descendant  of  John  Spofford,  of  Rowley, 
Mass.,  who  emigrated  from  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
land, in  1638,  and  is  the  ancestor  of  the 
Spoffords  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
The  old  Spofford  farm  at  Georgetown  is  still 
in  the  family,  and  periodical  reunions  are  held 
there.  Both  of  Mr.  Silas  Hardy's  parents 
were  born  in  Nelson,  and  both  died  there,  the 
father  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  the  mother 
at  the  age  of  si.xty-three. 

Mr.  Hardy's  maternal  grandfather,  David 
Kimball,  of  Boxford,  Mass.,  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  He  enlisted  at  Bo.xford 
in  April,  1777,  in  a  IMassachusetts  regiment, 
and,  serving  three  years  m  Captain  Daniel 
Lane's  company  under  Colonel  Ichabod  Alden, 
was  in   the   battle  ot    Stillwater,  and  wintered 


at  Valley  Forge.  At  the  expiration  of  three 
years  he  again  entered  the  army  as  a  substi- 
tute for  six  months,  and  served  under  Captain 
Wilder  in  Colonel  Michael  Jackson's  Massa- 
chusetts regiment.  He  was  present  in  camp 
at   West   Point  at   Andre's  capture,    being  on 


detail  at  Washington's  headquarters,  and  saw 
Washington  when  he  read  the  paper  taken  from 
Andre's  boot.  His  name  was  entered  on  the 
pension  list  in  1820,  and  his  record  is  on  file 
at  the  pension  office.  David  Kimball  mar- 
ried Lydia  Simmons,  of  Boxford,  whose  father 
and  brother  were  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  Mr.  Kimball  settled  in  Nelson 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  war. 

Noah  Hardy,  father  of  Silas  Hardy,  was 
first  a  farmer;  but,  owing  to  the  loss  of  a  leg 
in  an  accident,  he  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade.  He  had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  now  living,  the  youngest  being  si.xty-si.x 
years  old.  All  but  two  of  them  reside  in 
Cheshire  County.  One,  George  G.,  served 
in  the  late  war  in  Company  G,  Sixteenth 
Regiment,  New  Hampshire  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, and  died  in  the  service.  Frank  B.  was 
in  same  service. 

Silas  Hardy,  the  eighth  child  born  to  his 
parents,  spent  his  early  life  on  the  farm  and 
in  the  shop.  Owing  to  the  large  family  and 
the  financial  condition  of  his  father  he  was 
put  out  to  a  farmer  at  the  age  of  eleven,  for 
one  year,  for  twenty-five  dollars.  Every  sea- 
son after  that  till  of  full  age  he  worked  away 
from  home,  his  earnings  amounting  to  over 
seven  hundred  dollars.  The  people  among 
whom  he  lived  were  honest  and  industrious, 
but  illiterate;  and  all  the  opportunity  he  had 
for  improvement  and  education  was  a  winter 
term  of  eight  to  twelve  weeks  in  country 
schools,  yet  the  winter  before  his  full  age  he 
taught  a  district  school.  The  next  four  years 
he  spent  in  hard  work  and  in  teaching  and 
fitting  for  college,  receiving  no  outside  aid. 
In  1852,  being  twenty-five  years  old,  he  en- 
tered the  Sophomore  class  in  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, graduating  in  1855,  having  the  honor  of 
being  one  of  the  speakers  at  Commencement. 
In  his  class  were  the  Hon.  Nelson  Dingley,  of 
tariff  fame;  Judge  Field,  of  the  Massachusetts 
Supreme  Court;  Judges  Allen  and  Ladd,  late 
of  the  New  Hampshire  Supreme  Court.  Mr. 
Hardy  was  principal  of  Foxcroft  Academy, 
Me.,  one  year  after  graduation,  when  he  en- 
tered the  office  of  the  Hon.  Levi  Chamberlain 
as  a  law  student,  where  his  office  now  is, 
in  Cheshire  Bank  Building.      He  served  as  an 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


387 


engrossing  clerk  of  the  New  Hampshire  leg- 
islature in  i860  and  1861. 

In  September,  1858,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  Sullivan  County,  and  began  the  practice 
of  law  at  Keene.  For  five  years  —  from 
March,  1859,  to  1864 —  he  was  Register  of 
Probate,  and  from  1864  to  1874  Judge  of  Pro- 
bate. Since  that  time  he  has  confined  himself 
to  his  regular  practice,  serving  a  large  number 
of  clients.  He  has  always  taken  an  interest 
in  public  affairs,  has  served  the  city  in  various 
official  positions,  and  has  been  connected  with 
banking  institutions.  Mr.  Hardy  has  done  a 
large  amount  of  business  as  pension  attorney; 
and  many  a  veteran  in  this  section  of  the 
State,  and  many  widows  and  orphans  of  vet- 
erans, have  occasion  to  be  grateful  to  him.  He 
has  been  a  Republican  since  the  organization 
of  the  party  in  1856,  and  has  voted  for  all  its 
Presidential  nominees.  He  has  attended  most 
of  the  State  conventions  and  many  lesser 
conventions.  He  has  been  City  Solicitor,  and 
has  served  for  four  years  on  the  School  Board 
in  the  Union  District.  During  the  last  si.x 
years  he  has  conducted  a  dry-goods  business, 
in  addition  to  attending  to  his  professional 
duties.  He  has  always  been  in  vigorous 
health,  and  never  used  tobacco  or  spirituous 
liquors. 

On  December  31,  1863,  Mr.  Hardy  was 
married  to  Josephine  M.  Kingsley,  a  graduate 
of  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary,  class  of  1857, 
and  daughter  of  Alonzo  and  Sophia  Kingsley. 
Mrs.  Hardy  died  June  19,  1871,  leaving  one 
son,  Ashley  K.  Hardy,  then  ten  weeks  old, 
who  has  received  his  father's  unremitting  care. 
He  was  instructed  by  his  father  until  he  went 
into  the  Keene  High  School  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen, and  when  he  entered  college  he  was  able 
at  once  to  take  a  leading  position.  He  was 
graduated  in  1894  as  one  of  the  leaders  in  his 
class,  both  in  scholarship  and  in  personal  in- 
fluence, being  valedictorian  of  his  class.  He 
has  since  finished  a  three  years'course  in  phi- 
lology in  Leipzig  University,  Germany,  having 
spent  the  first  year  in  the  University  of  Ber- 
lin, and  is  to  be  Instructor  in  German  at  Dart- 
mouth College  the  coming  year.  To  Miss 
Esther  Hills,  who  was  to  him  a  foster-mother 
from    infancy  to  manhood,  he  is   indebted   for 


much  that  he  is.  Her  care,  teaching,  and  con- 
stant watching  were  to  him  invaluable.  The 
ties  of  parent  and  child  still  bind  them 
together. 


LI  C.  CURTIS,  an  extensive  dairy 
farmer  of  Lyndeboro  and  an  e.\-Repre- 
sentatiVe  to  the  New  Ilami)shire  leg- 
islature, was  born  in  this  town.  May  3,  1821, 
son  of  Eli  Curtis  (second)  and  Sarah  (Lor- 
ing)  Curtis.  His  great-grandfather,  who,  it 
is  said,  was  a  native  of  the  northern  part  of 
England,  came  to  America  about  1725.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Eli  Curtis  (first),  was 
born  in  Reading,  Mass.,  in  1754,  and  was  sub- 
sequently engaged  in  farming  at  Middleton, 
that  State.  In  May,  1796,  he  moved  to  Beach 
Hill,  which  was  formerly  a  part  of  Lyndeboro, 
but  is  now  included  in  the  town  of  Mont 
Vernon.  He  finally  removed  to  another  farm 
in  Lyndeboro,  and  resided  here  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  when  he  was  eighty  years  old. 
He  was  a  Whig  in  politics  and  a  Presbyterian 
in  his  religious  belief.  He  married  Susan 
Wilkins.  Of  her  four  children  by  him  Eli 
(second)  was  the  oldest.      None  are  living. 

Eli  Curtis  (second),  the  father  of  Eli  C. , 
was  born  in  Reading,  Mass.,  in  1784,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  Lyndeboro  at  the  age 
of  twelve  years.  He  established  the  first  saw- 
mill here,  and  was  also  engaged  in  tilling  the 
soil.  His  prosperity  was  earned  by  hard  work. 
He  was  one  of  the  five  residents  of  this  town 
who  voted  for  the  Free  Soil  candidates,  and 
he  became  a  Republican  at  the  formation  of 
that  party.  He  married  Sarah  Loring,  of 
New  Boston,  N.H.,  a  daughter  of  William 
Loring,  son  of  John  Loring,  who  came  from 
England  in  the  army  of  General  Wolf  in  1759, 
and  participated  in  the  capture  of  Quebec. 
She  became  the  mother  of  twelve  children,  of 
whom  Eli  C,  Betsey  Ann,  and  William  W. 
are  now  living.  Betsey  Ann  is  the  widow  of 
Robert  Lynch,  late  of  Lyndeboro,  and  her 
children  are:  Lillian  and  Herbert.  William 
W.  married  Deborah  Parker,  of  this  town,  and 
his  children  are:  Abbie  F.,  Charles  P.,  and 
Willis  C.  Eli  Curtis  (second)  lived  to  be 
ninety-two  years  old,  dying  August  6,    1876; 


388 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  his  wife  attained  the  age  of  eighty-eight. 
They  were  members  of  the  Congregational 
church. 

Eli  C.  Curtis  attended  school  in  Lyndeboro. 
When  his  studies  were  completed,  he  began 
work  in  his  father's  mill.  Later  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and  firewood. 
After  doing  a  large  and  profitable  business  for 
many  years  in  these  industries,  he  finally  re- 
tired to  his  farm.  He  owns  about  si.x  hundred 
acres,  which  give  him  ample  room  for  pastur- 
age, and  he  is  one  of  the  largest  milk  dealers 
in  this  locality. 

On  November  24,  1845,  Mr.  Curtis  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  his  cousin,  Betsey 
Ann  Curtis,  a  daughter  of  Asher  Curtis,  of 
this  town.  His  children  are:  Isaiah  B., 
Clara  A.,  and  S.  Kate.  The  last  named,  who 
has  taught  school  successfully  in  this  county, 
is  now  the  wife  of  Albert  E.  Swinington,  of 
Lyndeboro,  and  has  one  child,  E.  Clarabel. 
She  is  active  in  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry, 
and  is  at  the  present  time  District  Deputy  of 
the  State  grange.  Clara,  who  is  no  longer  liv- 
ing, was  formerly  a  school  teacher,  and  became 
the  wife  of  Samuel  Sheldon,  of  Wilton.  In 
politics  Mr.  Curtis  is  a  Republican.  He  served 
with  ability  upon  the  Board  of  Selectmen, 
and  he  represented  this  town  in  the  legislature 
during  the  years  1872  and  1873.  He  is  a  Past 
Master  of  Pinnacle  Grange,  and  is  officially 
connected  with  the  Congregational  church,  of 
which  his  wife  is  a  member.  Mr.  Curtis  is 
widely  known  in  musical  circles  throughout 
Hillsboro  County,  where  he  has  taught  singing- 
schools  for  upward  of  forty  years.  He  is  es- 
pecially interested  in  all  educational  advance- 
ment. Both  he  and  his  family  have  generously 
given  time  and  money  to  assist  in  all  move- 
ments of  that  kind. 


tBNER  EROST,  an  esteemed  resident 
of  the  part  of  Weare  called  Riverdale, 
was  born  in  Tewksbury,  Mass.,  Jan- 
^^ — '  uary  4,  1814,  son  of  Aaron  and  Su- 
sanna (Stearns)  Frost.  Aaron  Frost,  a  native 
of  Tewksbury,  was  a  wheelwright  by  trade, 
and  also  followed  farming.  The  greater  part 
of  his  life  was  spent   in  Tewksbury.      His  last 


years  were  passed  in  the  home  of  his  son, 
Abner,  in  Lowell,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six  years.  Susanna,  his  wife,  who  was 
also  born  in  Tewksbury,  died  thereat  the  same 
age.  lioth  were  members  of  the  Congregational 
church.  In  politics,  he  was  first  a  Whig  and 
later  a  Republican.  They  had  ten  children, 
of  whom  three  are  now  living:  Aaron,  residing 
in  Tewksbury;  Abner,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  ;  and  Beulah,  the  widow  of  Isaac  Hunt. 
Abner  Frost  remained  with  his  parents  during 
his  early  years,  and  was  educated  in  the  district 
school.  After  attaining  the  age  of  eighteen, 
he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and  followed 
it  for  a  short  time.  Then  he  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  cabinet-making  in  Charles- 
town,  Mass.,  and  subsequently  followed  that 
trade  in  various  places,  in  the  last  of  which, 
Lowell,  Mass.,  he  remained  for  about  twenty 
years.  In  May,  i866  or  1867,  he  came  to 
Riverdale,  then  called  Oil  Mills,  and  there 
for  a  number  of  years  conducted  a  general 
store.  Afterward  for  seventeen  years  he  was 
employed  as  station  agent  on  the  North  Weare 
Railroad,  now  a  part  of  the  Boston  &  Maine 
system.  He  has  now  practically  retired  from 
active  business. 

In  1837  Mr.  Frost  married  Miss  Mary  Liv- 
ingston, who  was  born  in  Tewksbury,  Mass. 
She  died  February  24,  1887,  aged  sixty-eight 
years,  four  months,  and  one  day.  Four  chil- 
dren were  born  of  the  union,  namely:  Freder- 
ick, who  died  in  infancy;  Carrie  A.,  who  mar- 
ried Arthur  Black,  and  died,  leaving  four 
children  —  Ellen  C. ,  Carrie  E.,  Walter  A., 
and  Ruth  M.  ;  Ellen  J.,  who  is  the  wife  of 
William  Pierce,  of  West  Auburn,  Mass.,  and 
has  one  son,  Frederick  A.  ;  and  M.  Serena, 
the  wife  of  John  C.  Hoyt,  of  Riverdale,  and 
the  mother  of  four  daughters  —  Alice  M., 
Carrie  G.,  Maud  L.,  and  Edith  L.  Mr.  Frost 
is  a  stanch  Republican.  In  Lowell  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  for  two 
years,  and  also  served  for  a  time  as  Surveyor 
of  Wood  and  Lumber.  He  has  held  the  latter 
office  here  in  Weare,  was  a  Representative  to 
the  New  Hampshire  legislature  for  two  years, 
was  Postmaster  for  about  sixteen  years,  and  he 
has  been  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  many  years. 
He   is  the  senior   member  of   Oberlin   Lodge, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


389 


No.  28,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Lowell;  and  he  is  a 
communicant  of  the  l^aptist  church,  of  which 
his  wife  was  also  a  member.  Mr.  Frost  has 
a  nice  residence  in  Riverdale. 


I  RAD  POOR,  a  farmer  of  Goffstown,  was 
born  here,  September  2,  1822,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Jane  (Wells)  Poor.  His 
grandfather,  Samuel  Poor,  who  was  born 
December  13,  1758,  in  Rowley,  Mass.,  lived 
there  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life, 
chiefly  engaged  in  general  farming.  _A  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  he  served  with  General  Gage 
in  New  York,  and  was  present  at  the  surrender 
of  General  Burgoyne.  He  died  August  21, 
"1841.      His  wife  survived   him   until  April  21, 

1853- 

Samuel  Poor,  son  of  Grandfather  Poor  and 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  born 
in  Hookset,  N.  H.,  April  9;  17S7,  settled  in 
Goffstown  about  the  year  1S15,  when  the  land 
was  in  rather  a  wild  state.  He  engaged  in 
lumbering  and  general  farming,  and  built  the 
present  dwelling.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  at  Manchester. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Republican,  and  always 
voted  with  that  party.  On  August  3,  1816, 
he  married  Jane  Wells,  who  was  born  in 
Goffstown,  March  25,  1796.  He  died  October 
20,  1882,  having  lived  but  a  little  more  than 
two  months  after  his  wife's  death,  which  had 
occurred  on  the  twelfth  of  the  preceding 
August.  They  had  seven  children,  of  whom 
Irad,  Jane,  Louisa,  and  Asa  are  living.  The 
others  —  Samuel,  Julia  Ann,  and  Daniel  —  are 
deceased.  Jane  married  a  Mr.  Pike,  and  at 
present  is  living  in  Goffstown  ;  Louisa  married 
Mr.  Gould,  and  lives  in  Providence,  R.L  ;  and 
Asa  lives  in  the  State  of  Vermont. 

Irad  Poor  remained  in  Goffstown  until  his 
majority,  receiving  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Goffstown.  He  then  went  to 
Manchester,  and  was  there  employed  by  the 
Stark  Manufacturing  Company  in  the  capacity 
of  watchman,  for  several  years.  He  was  next 
engaged  in  the  confectionery  business  until 
1 86 1,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  the 
homestead  where  he  was  born,  and  which  has 
been  his  home  since.      Here  he  has  carried   on 


general  farming,  kept  a  dairy,  and  acquired  a 
profitable  milk  business.  Besides  improving 
the  buildings,  he  has  added  more  land  to  the 
farm,  which  now  contains  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  mostly  under  cultivation.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  has  accept- 
ably served  in  the  capacity  of  Selectman. 

On  May  4,  1847,  Mr.  Poor  married  Fannie 
George,  who  was  born  in  Goffstown,  January 
13,  1829.  She  is  the  only  surviving  child  of 
Nathaniel  and  Judith  (Coggin)  George,  both 
of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Poor  have  had  seven  children  —  Fannie  M., 
Frank  I.,  Emma  J.,  Tilon  M.,  Flora  M.,  Flla 
A.,  and  Cora  M.  Fannie  M.  married  a  Mr. 
Marsh,  and  died,  leaving  a  son,  Joseph  Marsh. 
Frank  I.  is  deceased.  Emma  married  Mr. 
Richards,  and  has  two  children — l^rtell  and 
Lena.  Tilon  M.  remains  at  home  and  assists 
in  carrying  on  the  farm.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  O.  U.  A.  M.,  Washington  Council,  No.  3. 
P"lora  married  Mr.  Austin,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren—  Herbert,  Iiverett,  and  Ralph.  Ella 
married  Mr.  Pollard,  and  has  one  son,  Her- 
mon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poor,  accepting  no  creed, 
are  members  of  no  church.  Both  are  highly 
respected  in  the  town. 


HARLES    H.   MARTIN,   a    farmer   of 
,  Goffstown,    was    born    here,    June    8, 

Is  ,  1846,  son  of  Elnathan  W.  and 
Annie  (Wells)  Martin.  His  great- 
grandfather was  Joshua  Martin.  His  grand- 
father, Caleb  Martin,  who  was  born  on  the  old 
homestead  in  this  town,  owned  and  success- 
fully conducted  a  good  farm.  Caleb  married 
Polly  Whitney,  and  lived  to  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty  years. 

Elnathan  W.  Martin,  born  October  20, 
1812,  son  of  Caleb,  spent  most  of  his  life  on 
the  old  homestead,  chiefly  engaged  in  general 
farming.  In  religion  he  was  a  Congregation- 
alist.  He  held  no  public  offices,  but  in  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Republican,  and  he  was  one  of 
the  first  to  start  the  organization  of  the  party 
in  his  town.  He  married  Annie  Wells,  who, 
born  in  Goffstown,  December  15,  1820,  died 
June  7,  1882.  His  death  occurred  Marcli  21, 
18S3.      They  had   six  children;  namely,  Mary 


39° 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


A.,  Charles  H.,  Etta  F.,  Hattie  A.,  Selwin 
T.,  and  Ilattie  E.  Mary  A.  and  Selwin  T. 
are  residing  in  Goffstown.  Ilattie  E. ,  Etta 
F.,  and  Hattie  A.  are  deceased. 

Charles  H.  Martin  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  the  town.  He  has  followed 
the  business  of  general  farming,  besides  at- 
tending to  a  milk  route  in  the  city  of  Man- 
chester, for  the  last  twenty-two  years.  He 
owns  a  good  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  acres,  on  which  are  substantial  buildings. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  has 
been  Selectman  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Junior  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, Grange  No.  1 50,  at  Grasmere.  On 
December  31,  1881,  he  married  Angle  M. 
Richardson,  who  was  born  in  New  London, 
N.H.,  April  4,  1853,  daughter  of  James  and 
Mary  E.  (Armour)  Richardson.  Mrs.  Rich- 
ardson died  December  31,  1891.  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson now  lives  with  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Martin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  have  no  chil- 
dren. They  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Active  and  enterprising, 
Mr.  Martin  is  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the 
town. 


Cc^f  AMES  S.  PROUTY,  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man  and  real  estate  dealer  of  Al- 
stead,  Cheshire  County,  was  born  in 
South  Acworth,  N.H.,  on  January  27, 
1856.  His  parents  were  Samuel  W.  and  Sarah 
(Stearns)  Prouty.  His  paternal  grandfather 
was  Willard  Prouty,  a  well-known  farmer  of 
this  section,  whose  life  was  spent  partly  at 
Langdon  and  partly  in  Acworth.  He  married 
Sally  French,  and  they  had  a  family  of  six 
children,  Samuel  W. ,  above  named,  who  was 
born  in  Langdon  in  December,  181 5,  being 
the  second. 

Samuel  W.  Prouty  was  in  a  general  store 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  later  was  interested 
in  a  paper-mill.  During  the  rest  of  his  active 
life  he  was  engaged  in  the  cattle  business, 
and  by  his  own  thrift  and  enterprise  he  ac- 
cumulated a  considerable  property.  Always 
so  closely  occupied  by  his  own  personal  inter- 
ests as  to  have  no  time  for  political  affairs, 
he   never    cared    to   hold    office.      He   died    in 


September,  1871.  His  wife,  formerly  Sarah 
Stearns,  of  Langdon,  who  was  born  in  18 19, 
died  in  1889,  leaving  one  son,  James  S. ,  of 
Alstead.  Mr.  I^routy's  parents  were  regular 
attendants  of  the  Congregational  church. 

James  S.  Prouty  was  an  only  child,  and  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  Alstead  and  in  Bos- 
ton, Mass.  After  his  school  days  were  over, 
he  went  into  the  post-office  for  a  time,  and 
later  was  clerk  in  a  boot  and  shoe  store  at 
P^itchburg,  Mass.  He  was  then  clerk  in 
Town's  Hotel,  at  Pellows  Falls,  Vt.,  for  ten 
years;  and  after  that  time,  while  his  mother 
lived,  he  was  busy  looking  out  for  her  busi- 
ness interests.  Since  the  death  of  his  mother 
Mr.  Prouty  has  continued  to  care  for  his  prop- 
erty, and  has  dealt  considerably  in  cattle  and 
horses  and  in  real  estate.  He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  town  affairs,  and  has  been  Select- 
man for  a  number  of  years,  being  at  present 
chairman  of  the  Board.  In  1895  he  was 
sent  to  the  legislature  to  represent  the  town, 
and  served  on  the  Committee  on  Educational 
Matters. 

Mr.  Prouty  married  Emily  D. ,  daughter  of 
Samuel  C.  and  Martha  M.  Savory,  of  this 
town.  Mrs.  Prouty  was  born  in  November, 
1865.  Mr.  Prouty  and  his  wife  attend  the 
Congregational  church,  and  are  always  ready 
to  aid  in  any  of  the  benevolent  enterprises  of 
that  society. 


iOL.  WILLIAM  DUMOND  SWART, 
is  a  self-made  man,  who  has  won  his 
way  to  eminence  in  political,  finan- 
cial, and  social  affairs.  A  son  of 
William  R.  and  Eliza  (Dumond)  Swart,  long 
residents  of  Margaretville,  N.Y. ,  he  was  born 
in  that  town,  July  9,  1856. 

Colonel  Swart's  ancestors,  both  paternal 
and  maternal,  came  from  Holland,  and  were 
among  the  earliest  European  settlers  of  New 
York  State,  locating  at  and  near  Kingston  on 
the  Hudson  River.  His  great-grandfather, 
Tunis  Swart,  son  of  Samuel  Swart,  lost  his 
entire  possessions  at  the  time  the  British 
burned  the  city  of  Kingston  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War;  and  his  son,  Samuel  Swart, 
grandfather  of   Colonel  Swart,  served  through- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


39' 


out  the  War  of  1812  with  honor  and  distinc- 
tion. 

On  the  maternal  side,  tracing  back  from 
the  ninth  generation,  we  come  to  Walerandt 
Du  Mont,  who  was  married  in  Kingston,  Janu- 
ary 13,  1664,  to  Margaret  Hendricks,  and  who 
was  at  that  time  one  of  the  Military  Council, 
serving  on  the  staff  of  the  Noble  Lord  Di- 
rector-general Stuyvesant  in  the  Netherland- 
ish service,  and  stationed  at  Kingston,  N.Y. 

William  Dumond  Swart  acquired  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Margaretville 
and  the  Wesleyan  Academy  at  Wilbraham, 
Mass.,  finishing  his  studies  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen. Soon  alter  leaving  school  he  obtained 
a  clerkship  in  the  wholesale  dry-goods  house 
of  Evans,  Peak  &  Co.,  of  New  York  City; 
and  he  was  with  this  firm  about  five  years  and 
subsequently  with  Bates,  Reed  &  Cooley  for 
two  years.  In  1881  he  engaged  in  the  decora- 
tive art  business  in  Newark,  N.J.,  and  his  en- 
terprise was  crowned  with  marked  success. 
He  was  in  this  business  about  seven  years, 
and  then  travelled  for  pleasure  for  two  years 
through  the  United  States.  In  February, 
1890,  he  located  in  Nashua,  N.H.,  engaging 
in  the  retail  lumber  business  with  Charles  A. 
Roby,  under  the  firm  name  of  Roby  &  Swart. 
Two  years  later  this  firm  purchased  the  edge- 
tool  works  in  this  city,  and  added  a  wood- 
working ]3lant;  and  in  1894  they  consolidated 
their  retail  business  with  that  of  F.  D.  Cook 
&  Co.,  the  united  firms  being  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  the  F.  D.  Cook  Lumber 
Company.  The  consolidation  was  for  retail 
purposes  only.  The  firm  of  Roby  &  .Swart  re- 
tained the  manufacturing  and  wholesale  busi- 
ness under  the  corporate  name  of  the  Roby 
&  Swart  IManufacturing  Company.  Colonel 
Swart  is  a  director  in  the  F.  D.  Cook  Lumber 
Company,  a  director  and  treasurer  in  the  Roby 
&  Swart  Manufacturing  Company,  director  in 
the  Nashua  Machine  Company  and  the 
Nashua  Trust  Company,  and  a  director  and 
treasurer  of  the  Nashua  Building  Company. 
He  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the 
Nashua  Board  of  Trade  three  times  in  succes- 
sion, in  1893,  1894,  and  1895.  In  politics 
he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He  had  been  in 
Nashua  but  three  years  when  he  was  elected  to 


the  Common  Council,  in  which  he  served  in 
1893,  1894,  and  189s,  occupying  the  presi- 
dent's chair  the  last  two  yeans.  In  1895  he 
resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  Fire  Com- 
missioner, which  he  still  holds.  In  January, 
1S97,  Governor  Ramsdell  appointed  him  a 
member  of  his  staff,  with  rank  of  Colonel, 
which  position  he  now  occupies. 

He  was  married  in  Nashua,  October  7, 
1890,  to  Miss  Lizzie  A.  Roby,  daughter  of 
Luther  A.  Roby,  of  this  city,  and  has  two 
children  —  Elizabeth  and  William  Roby 
Swart.  In  society  circlesi  Colonel  Swart  is 
very  prominent  and  popular.  He  is  a  member 
of  Rising  Sun  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Aaron  P. 
Hughes  Council,  St.  George's  Chapter  and 
Commandery;  E.  A.  Raymond  Consistory; 
and  the  Aaron  P.  Hughes  Lodge  of  Perfection, 
Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  having 
taken  thirty-two  degrees  in  Masonry.  He  is 
one  of  the  directors  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Society. 


,APTAIN  OSCAR  I.  CONVERSE, 
United  States  Army,  retired,  is  a 
native  of  Rindge,  and  was  born 
August  9,  1843.  He  is  a  son  of 
Captain  Ebenezer  H.  and  Sarah  (Darling) 
Converse.  His  grandfather  was  Joshua,  only 
son  of  Zebulon  Converse.  In  1845  Joshua 
Converse  purchased  the  mills  at  what  is  now 
known  as  Converseville,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacturing  of  lumber  and  woodenware, 
and  was  later  associated  in  business  vvith  his 
sons,  Zebulon  and  Omar  D.  Converse.  He 
increased  the  water-power  facilities  by  con- 
structing, mainly  at  his  own  expense,  a  reser- 
voir, which  was  regarded  at  the  time  as  a 
great  public  improvement,  and  is  still  the 
source  of  much  benefit  to  the  locality.  For 
seventeen  years  he  served  upon  the  Board  of 
Selectmen,  was  a  member  of  the  legislature 
in  1840  and  1841,  and  a  delegate  to  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  in  1850.  Joshua  Con- 
verse married  for  his  first  wife  Polly  Piper, 
who  died  leaving  thirteen  children;  and  for 
his  second  wife  he  married  Polly  Kimball. 

Captain    Ebenezer   H.    Converse,    father  of 
Captain  Oscar  I.,  was  born  November  14,  181 1 ; 


39  = 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  with  the  exception  of  a  few  years  spent  in 
New  Ipswich,  N. H.,  he  has  resided  in  Rindge 
for  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  early  took 
a  lively  interest  in  military  affairs,  having 
been  Commander  of  the  Rindge  flight  Infantry 
from  1834  to  1837;  and  at  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Rebellion  he  promptly  raised  a  company 
for  the  Sixth  New  Hampshire  Regiment.  He 
was  commissioned  Captain,  and  in  the  autumn 
of  1S61  marched  to  the  front,  where  he  ren- 
dered efficient  services  for  a  year,  at  the  expi- 
ration of  which  time  he  resigned  his  com- 
mand. In  October,  1835,  he  married  Sarah 
Darling,  daughter  of  Jewett  B.  and  Hannah 
(Murdock)  Darling,  of  Winchendon,  Mass. 
She  became  the  mother  of  four  children, 
namely:  Morton  E.  ;  Nettie  S. ;  Oscar  I.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Clarence  Converse. 
Oscar  I.  Converse  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town.  When  seven- 
teen years  old  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  a 
battery  of  New  Hampshire  Light  Artillery, 
and  on  May  26,  1863,  was  discharged  on  ac- 
count of  physical  disability.  In  July,  1864, 
he  was  commissioned  Second  Lieutenant  in 
the  First  New  Hampshire  Cavalry,  with 
which  he  served  until  June  10,  1865,  when  he 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  First  Lieuten- 
ant, and  mustered  out.  In  February,  1866, 
he  entered  the  regular  army,  being  commis- 
sioned as  Second  Lieutenant,  and  engaged  in 
active  service  upon  the  frontier.  In  the  fol- 
lowing May  he  was  made  First  Lieutenant. 
While  serving  in  Arizona,  he  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  leg  and  shoulder  during  a 
desperate  encounter  with  the  Apache  Indians, 
and  for  meritorious  conduct  upon  the  field  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain.  His  wound 
was  of  such  a  serious  nature  as  to  incapacitate 
him  for  active  service,  and  he  was  placed  upon 
the  retired  list.  He  was  one  of  the  youngest 
commissioned  officers  in  the  regular  army; 
but  his  knowledge  of  military  affairs,  unques- 
tionable ability,  and  bravery  in  action  gained 
for  him  the  confidence  of  his  superiors  and 
the  respect  of  his  brother  officers.  After  his 
retirement  he  received  a  leave  of  absence,  and 
visited  Europe  with  a  view  of  obtaining  a 
permanent  cure  for  his  disabled  shoulder,  re- 
maining abroad  for  nearly  five  years.     He   is 


now  serving  as  a  United  States  Inspector  of 
Emigration  and  Acting  Commissioner,  being 
stationed  at  Quebec  summers  and  at  Halifa.x, 
N.  S.,  during  the  winter  season.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  1865  was  elected 
to  the  New  Hampshire  House  of  Representa- 
tives, serving  on  the  Committee  on  Railroads. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  and  is  a 
comrade  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic. 

While  Commander  of  the  United  States  Mil- 
itary Post  at  Walla  Walla,  Wash.,  Captain 
Converse  was  united  in  marriage  with  Coralie 
S.  Mix,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  James  D.  Mix, 
of  that  place.  Their  only  son,  Ralph  Con- 
verse, is  now  a  medical  student  at  McGill  Col- 
lege, Montreal.  Mrs.  Converse  is  a  native  of 
New  Orleans,  La.,  a  graduate  of  the  College 
of  California,  and  has  been  highly  cultivated 
in  vocal  music  by  the  celebrated  master,  Cav. 
Francesco  Lamperti,  of  Milan,  Italy;  and,  al- 
though she  made  a  successful  debut  in  grand 
opera  at  Arezzo,  Italy,  she  has  never  become 
a  professional  cantatrice. 


|DWARD  HARDY,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  dairyman  of  Hollis,  was  born  in 
this  town,  August  6,  1825,  son  of 
Amos  and  Mary  (Cummings)  Hardy.  His 
great-grandfather,  Phineas  Hardy,  came  here 
from  Bradford,  Mass.,  in  175 1.  The  Hardy 
family,  of  whom  there  are  many  representa- 
tives in  this  section,  are  of  Scotch  ancestry. 
The  Hardys  of  Hollis  have  been  largely 
farmers.  Mr.  Edward  Hardy's  father  and 
grandfather  were  coopers  and  farmers,  and 
both  spent  their  lives  in  Hollis.  Amos 
Hardy  was  well  known  and  respected  through- 
out the  county.  He  was  a  Republican  in  pol- 
itics, in  religion  a  Congregational ist.  He 
lived  to  be  eighty-three  years  of  age,  and  his 
wife  lived  to  be  seventy-one.  Their  children 
were:  Frances  A.,  Daniel,  Harriet,  Edward, 
William,  Horace,  and  George.  Only  four  of 
these  are  now  living. 

Edward  Hardy  grew  to  manhood  in  Hollis, 
and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
town.  When  a  young  man  he  learned  the 
cooper's  trade  under  his  father's   instruction. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


393 


Subsequently  he  was  extensively  engaged  in 
that  line  of  business.  In  recent  years  he  has 
carried  on  general  farming.  His  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  comprises  orchards, 
tillage  land,  and  pasture.  His  dairy  products 
are  of  a  high  order,  and  he  obtains  large  crops 
of  fruit,  particularly  of  apples.  Last  year  he 
shipped  one  thousand  barrels  of  apples  to 
Liverpool,  had  besides  two  hundred  barrels  of 
first  quality,  hand-jiicked  apples  for  the  home 
markets,  and  about  a  hundred  barrels  more  of 
windfalls.  His  cattle  are  fine  stock  of  cele- 
brated Holstein  breed.  Mr.  Hardy  has  lived 
on  the  farm  since  1S50,  and  he  has  made 
many  improvements,  both  by  fertilizing  and 
the  erection  of  substantial  buildings. 

In  1S50  Mr.  Hardy  married  Louisa  M. 
Wheeler,  a  native  of  Hollis,  born  in  182S, 
and  a  daughter  of  Major  James  Wheeler. 
Mrs.  Hardy  died  September  20,  1881,  leaving 
one  son,  Charles  E.,  who  lives  with  his  father. 
Charles  Hardy,  who  managed  a  milk  business 
in  Nashua  for  a  number  of  years,  now  devotes 
his  whole  time  to  assisting  in  the  care  of  his 
father's  farm.  He  is  married,  and  has  two 
children  —  Harold  and  Louisa.  He  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  legislature  of  1897. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  grange,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  now  in 
Mexico,  engaged  with  other  parties  in  clearing 
up  six  hundred  acres  of  land,  on  which  they  in- 
tend to  cultivate  coffee  and  the  rubber  plant. 
Mr.  Edward  Hardy  has  always  been  interested 
in  the  civil  and  political  affairs  of  Hollis.  He 
has  served  the  town  as  Selectman,  and  also  as 
Town  Treasurer.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, and  liberal  in  religious  faith.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  grange,  and  he  has  been  greatly 
interested  in  the  work  of  that  organization. 


ORD,   a   well- 
chester,  N.H., 


WEBSTER  L.  RIXFC 
known  citizen  of  Wrm 
was  born  in  this  town  on  August  6, 
1848,  son  of  Lucius  and  Adeline  J.  (Cook) 
Rixford.  The  family  is  an  old  one  in  Win- 
chester, and  from  the  time  its  first  representa- 
tive settled  here  has  been  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  in  town.     About   1782,  before  any 


roads  were  laid  out  in  this  region,  three  Rix- 
ford brothers — William,  Henry,  and  Simon 
— ^came  from  Grafton,  Mass.,  to  Winchester. 
Their  father,  whose  name  was  William,  and 
who  may  be  here  called  William,  first,  was 
probably  born  in  England.  Simon,  one  of  the 
brothers,  did  not  permanently  settle  here. 
William,  second,  and  his  wife,  Lucy  Wilson, 
of  Northboro,  Mass.,  with  their  infant  son 
Luther,  came  on  horseback.  They  settled  on 
the  homestead  now  occupied  by  J.  L.  Reno 
Putnam.  The  first  season  a  log  cabin  was 
built,  and  about  ten  acres  of  land  were 
cleared.  This  early  period  was  one  of  great 
privation  and  anxiety.  Bears  and  wolves 
often  prowled  around,  hungry  for  sheep  or  for 
human  flesh;  and,  to  add  to  the  difficulty  of 
procuring  proper  food,  all  grain  to  be  groimd 
must  be  taken  to  Northfield,  Mass.,  where  was 
the  nearest  grist-mill.  The  children  of  Will- 
iam and  Lucy  Rixford  were:  Luther,  Lucy, 
Ephraim,  William  (third),  Sally,  Artemas, 
Harriet,  Solomon,  and  Finis.  Luther  mar- 
ried Sally  Hawkins,  and  was  the  first  settler 
in  the  village  of  Ashuelot,  and  subsequently 
became  one  of  the  firm  of  Rixford,  Fairbanks 
&  Allen,  manufacturers  of  cotton  yarn.  He 
also  made  scythes.  After  a  time  he  removed 
to  Highgate,  Vt. ,  where  he  carried  on  the 
last-named  business,  and  where  he  died. 

William,  third,  brother  of  Luther,  and 
better  known  as  Captain  William,  married 
Betsey,  daughter  of  Lieutenant  Amos  Willard, 
and  settled  upon  the  homestead  in  the  log 
house  in  which  he  was  born.  In  1S12  be 
helped  his  father  in  building  the  house  in 
which  his  son  Willard  now  resides.  Captain 
William  Rixford  was  a  successful  farmer  and 
a  man  highly  esteemed  as  a  citizen.  He  died 
on  the  homestead  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years.  He  had  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, namely :  Eliza;  Emily;  William,  fourth, 
and  Willard,  who  were  twins;  Harriet;  and 
Lucius.  Willard  Rixford,  who  resides  on  the 
Rixford  homestead,  married  Rhoda  Coombs, 
and  has  had  a  family  of  five  children.  J.  L. 
Reno  Putnam,  above  mentioned,  married  his 
•  grand-daughter,  Nellie  R.  Rixford. 

William,  fourth,  son  of  Captain  William, 
married  Sarah  J.  Cook   in    1845,  and   brought 


394 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


her  to  live  at  the  old  home.  He  formed  a 
business  association  with  his  brother  Lucius, 
which  lasted  until  the  death  of  the  latter  on 
December  i,  1882.  For  many  years  the  two 
brothers  worked  together,  and  their  lives  were 
so  closely  and  so  harmoniously  blended  that  a 
sketch  of  the  career  of  one  necessarily  in- 
cludes an  account  of  the  other.  They  had 
large  farming  interests,  and  besides  did  an  ex- 
tensive business  in  buying  and  fattening  cattle 
for  sale.  They  were  known  as  successful 
cattle  dealers,  progressive  farmers,  and  citi- 
zens who  by  their  upright  living  reflected 
credit  upon  the  town  and  could  always  be 
counted  upon  to  look  out  for  her  welfare. 

Lucius  Rixford,  who  was  born  on  April  23, 
1 818,  married  on  November  8,  1842,  Adeline 
J.  Cook,  daughter  of  John  Cook  and  sister  of 
his  brother  William's  wife;  and  the  two  fam- 
ilies lived  together  on  the  Rixford  farm  for 
about  twenty  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time, 
upon  the  death  of  their  father-in-law,  they  re- 
moved to  the  John  Cook  farm.  Here  they 
lived  for  the  ensuing  eighteen  years.  A  year 
after  the  death  of  Lucius,  William  moved  to 
the  fine  residence  near  the  village  which  is 
now  occupied  by  his  widow,  who  has  no  chil- 
dren living.  William  was  four  years  Select- 
man and  two  years  Representative.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Universalist  church.  In 
politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republican.  Lucius 
was  Representative  for  one  term  and  was  ac- 
tive in  town  affairs.  During  the  time  of  the 
Know  Nothings  he  was  a  Republican,  but 
afterward  joined  the  Democratic  party,  to 
which  he  ever  after  remained  loyal.  One  of 
his  favorite  sayings  was  "Only  fools  don't 
change  in  politics."  Both  brothers  were 
directors  in  the  bank  for  many  years,  and  were 
men  of  wide  influence.  Lucius  is  survived 
by  two  children:  Sarah  E.,  born  September 
17,  1S43;  and  Webster  L. 

Webster  L.  Rixford,  who  worthily  repre- 
sents a  family  that  has  produced  men  of  such 
sterling  character,  is  jjopular  in  the  town,  and 
is  actively  interested  in  its  social  and  business 
life.  He  is  well  informed  on  matters  of  pub- 
lic interest,  and  possesses  much  of  the  shrewd 
and  keen  business  judgment  for  which  his 
father  and    uncles   have   been   so  remarkable. 


After  leaving  school  he  went  to  farming  with 
his  father  and  uncles,  and  subsequently  en- 
gaged in  butchering  and  the  meat  business, 
which  he  carried  on  successfully  for  twelve 
years.  He  then  added  a  stock  of  groceries, 
and  for  eight  years  longer  carried  on  this  busi- 
ness most  successfully,  making  twenty  years 
in  all.  He  employed  two  men,  but  did  the 
butchering  himself.  During  the  latter  part  of 
this  time  he  occupied  a  place  in  the  village 
which  he  had  built  for  the  purpose,  a  large 
block.  But  this  was  burned,  and  Mr.  Rixford 
never  rebuilt.  In  18S8  he  sold  the  land. 
The  same  year  in  which  he  went  out  of  busi- 
ness he  was  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff,  and 
that  position  he  has  occupied  ever  since,  its 
duties  claiming  a  large  share  of  his  attention. 
For  fifteen  years  he  has  been  a  policeman. 
He  is  public-spirited,  and  is  liberal  in  his 
sup|3ort  of  any  good  cause.  He  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  Republican 
party  as  one  of  its  leading  men  in  this  town, 
and  since  iSgi  has  been  Tax  Collector.  He 
is  now  janitor  of  the  town  hall  and  town  li- 
brary, the  Universalist  church,  and  the  school- 
house.  He  is  a  member  of  Pokahonet  Tribe, 
No.  20,  of  the  Order  of  Red  Men  at  Keene, 
N.H. 

Mr.  Webster  L.  Rixford  married  Emma  F. , 
daughter  of  Fred  and  Emmeline  Robertson. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  them; 
namely,  Willie  L.  and  Emma  Frances.  Mr. 
Rixford  resides  near  his  aunt,  Mrs.  William 
Rixford,  with  whom  his  sister  Sarah  makes 
her  home. 


ON.  ROBERT  M.  WALLACE,  As- 
sociate Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  New  Hampshire,  is  a  native  of 
Henniker,  this  State,  born  May  2, 
1847,  son  of  Jonas  and  Mary  (Darling)  Wal- 
lace. His  father  was  a  well-known  merchant 
of  Henniker,  and  his  ancestors  on  the  paternal 
side  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Lon- 
donderry, N.H.  When  a  lad  he  attended  the 
common  schools  and  academy  of  his  native 
town,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  entered 
Dartmouth  College.  He  was  there  graduated 
in   the   class   of    1867,    and  shortly  afterward 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


395 


began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Mason 
W.  Tappan,  of  Bradford,  who  afterward  be- 
came attorney-general  of  New  Hampshire. 
Having  read  law  for  three  years,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1870,  and  he  remained 
with  Mr.  Tappan  for  a  short  time  subse- 
quently. In  1S72  he  came  to  Milford,  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  United  States  Sen- 
ator Bainbridge  Wadleigh,  with  whom  he  was 
professionally  associated  until  the  latter's  re- 
moval to  Boston,  since  which  time  he  has 
practised  alone.  In  1877-78  Mr.  Wallace 
represented  the  town  in  the  State  legislature. 
In  1889  he  was  a  member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention.  In  1883  he  was  appointed 
County  Solicitor  for  Ilillsboro  County,  which 
position  he  held  during  the  succeeding  ten 
years;  and  at  the  end  of  that  time,  in  1893, 
he  was  appointed  by  Governor  John  B.  Smith 
as  Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Bench  of 
New  Hampshire.  Mr.  Wallace  was  united  in 
marriage  in  August,  1874,  with  Miss  Ella  M. 
Hutchinson,  daughter  of  the  late  A.  F. 
Hutchinson,  of  Medford.  Three  children 
have  blessed  their  union — Edward  D.,  Robert 
B.,  and  Helen. 


'OHN  M.  COLLINS,  proprietor  of  the 
old  Governor  Steele  estate  in  Peter- 
boro,  was  born  in  Francestown,  N.  H., 
May  31,  1853,  son  of  John  M.  and 
Abbie  S.  (Dean)  Collins.  His  grandfather, 
also  named  John  M.  Collins,  some  years  after 
reaching  manhood  removed  from  Braintree, 
Mass. ,  his  native  town,  to  Hancock,  N.H., 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  From  Han- 
cock he  subsequently  removed  to  Francestown, 
where  he  cleared  a  farm  from  the  wilderness, 
and  resided  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  which 
closed  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  He 
married  Betsey  Brackett,  who  became  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  none  of  whom  are 
living.  She  died  at  the  age  of  si.xty-nine 
years. 

John  M.  Collins,  second,  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Hancock, 
N.H.,  October  4,  1801.  Having  acquired  a 
good  education,  he  taught  school  in  New  Jersey 
for  some  time.      Subsequently,    settling  upon 


a  farm  in  Francestown,  N.I  I.,  he  resided 
there  until  1856.  Then  after  a  residence 
of  two  years  in  Hancock  he  moved  in  1858 
to  Peterboro  and  purchased  the  (jovernor 
Steele  estate,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  The  rest  of  his  life  was  spent 
in  tilling  the  soil,  and  he  died  September 
16,  1880.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs,  serv- 
ing three  years  as  Selectman,  and  representing 
Francestown  in  the  legislature  in  1854  and 
1855.  In  his  religious  belief  he  was  a  Con- 
gregationalist.  His  wife,  Abbie  .S.  Dean, 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Nathan  Dean,  of  Dover, 
Vt.,  became  the  mother  of  two  children:  John 
M.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Lizzie  A., 
who  was  born  August  17,  1854.  The  last 
named  married  her  cousin,  George  H.  Collins, 
and  now  resides  in  Waltham,  Mass.  Mrs. 
Abbie  S.  Collins  died  March  21,  1897,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-two  years. 

John  M.  Collins,  who  is  the  third  represent- 
ative of  the  family  in  direct  line  to  bear  that 
name,  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Peterboro.  Since  the  completion  of  his 
studies  he  has  given  his  attention  to  farming, 
and  has  managed  the  estate  since  his  fatlier's 
death  with  ability  and  success. 

On  June  lo,  1885,  Mr.  Collins  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Lizzie  F.  (Knight) 
Perham,  daughter  of  Isaac  S.  Knight,  of 
Tyngsboro,  Mass.  He  has  one  son,  Harold 
D.,  born  June  26,  1886.  Politically,  Mr. 
Collins  acts  with  the  Republican  party. 


■tgTENRY  W.  HUBBARD,  Town  Audi- 
l-^-j  tor  of  Sullivan  and  an  e.x-member 
J_U  I  of   the   legislature,  was  born  in  Gil- 

— '  sum,  N.  H.,  March  18,  1859,  son  of 
George  and  Marcia  J.  (Wright)  Hubbard. 
The  grandfather,  Daniel  Hubbard,  was  a  pros- 
perous farmer  of  Walpole,  N.  H.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Catherine  Griffin,  and 
their  children  were:  Leonard  C.  ;  Willard  and 
\Villiam,  twins;  Daniel;  Catherine;  George; 
Albert;    Levi;   Henry;  and  Fred. 

George  Hubbard,  father  of  Henry  W. ,  was 
born  in  Walpole,  N.H.,  November  18,  1827. 
He  served  as  a  soldier  in   the   Mexican  War, 


396 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  after  his  return  from  the  army  he  fol- 
lowed the  cooper's  trade  for  a  short  time.  He 
suhsequently  located  upon  a  farm  in  Westmore- 
land, from  whence  he  moved  to  Gilsum,  where 
he  remained  eight  years.  He  then  followed 
farming  in  Keene  for  two  years,  after  which 
he  came  to  Sullivan;  and  for  the  past  twenty- 
eight  years  he  has  tilled  the  soil  successfully 
in  this  town.  His  wife,  Marcia,  was  born  in 
March,  1838,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  D.  and  Abi- 
gail (Mosley)  Wright.  She  became  the 
mother  of  three  children:  Arthur  J.;  Henry 
W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Emma  J. 
Arthur  J.  Hubbard  is  a  vocalist  and  music 
teacher  in  Cambridge,  Mass.  ;  and  his  sister, 
Emma  J.,  who  is  unmarried,  resides  with  him. 
Henry  W.  Hubbard  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Gilsum,  Sullivan,  and  Keene.  He 
has  always  resided  with  his  parents,  and  he 
assists  his  father  in  carrying  on  the  farm. 
He  is  active  and  prominent  in  public  affairs, 
having  served  as  a  Selectman  three  years  and 
as  Auditor  during  the  past  four  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Health,  and, 
while  Representative  to  the  legislature  in 
1877,  was  upon  the  Committee  on  Public 
Improvements.  He  is  connected  by  member- 
ship with  the  local  grange.  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, and  is  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  that  order.  He  attends  the  Congregational 
church. 


ALTON  H.  ALDRICH,  M.D.,  who 
has  practised  his  profession  suc- 
cessfully in  Marlboro  for  the  past 
ten  years,  was  born  in  Swanzey,  N.  H.,  July 
2,  1854,  son  of  George  H.  and  Hannah  A. 
(Thompson)  Aldrich.  His  parents  were  born 
in  Swanzey,  as  was  also  his  grandfather,  Paul 
F.  Aldrich.  The  latter  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  cattle  dealer,  who  drove  many 
herds  of  cattle  to  the  stock-yards  in  Brighton, 
Mass.,  and  whose  last  years  were  spent  at  the 
home  of  one  of  his  sons  in  Brighton. 

George  H.  Aldrich,  Dr.  Aldrich's  father, 
was  in  early  life  a  mechanic,  and  formerly 
worked  in  the  mills  in  this  locality.  For 
some  years  past  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
fire  and  life  insurance  business  in  Keene.      He 


married  Hannah  A.  Thompson,  a  daughter  of 
Alvah  Thompson,  of  Swanzey,  and  they  reared 
seven  children;  namely,  Walton  H.,  Herbert 
C,  Edwin  T.,  I'^dith  L.,  Eugene  L. ,  Emma 
M.,  and  Sidney  C.  Walton  H.  and  Emma 
M.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  A.  M.  Doolittle, 
a  druggist,  live  in  Marlboro;  and  the  others 
are  residents  of  Keene. 

Walton  H.  Aldrich  passed  some  time  in 
Wisconsin  during  his  boyhood.  He  attended 
the  district  school  in  Troy,  N.  H.,  graduated 
at  the  high  school  in  the  same  place,  and  then 
pursued  the  course  of  study  at  the  Agricultural 
College,  at  that  time  in  Hanover,  N.H.,  where 
he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science. 
He  was  a  student  at  the  Dartmouth  Medical 
School  for  one  term  ;  and,  after  continuing  his 
studies  in  the  office  of  Drs.  Ira  and  F.  W. 
Russell,  Winchendon,  Mass.,  for  two  years, 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  was 
there  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine  in  18S0.  Locating  at  Gilsum, 
N.H.,  in  the  same  year,  he  shortly  removed  to 
Rindge,  this  State,  where  he  resided  for  seven 
years;  and  since  1887  he  has  practised  in 
Marlboro.  Dr.  Aldrich  is  widely  and  favor- 
ably known,  both  as  an  able  physician  and  a 
public-spirited  citizen.  He  occupies  a  sub- 
stantial granite  residence  on  the  old  Green- 
wood estate  in  the  centre  of  the  village.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, the  New  Hampshire  State,  Cheshire 
County,  and  the  Connecticut  River  Medical 
Societies,  is  connected  with  the  Order  of  the 
Golden  Cross,  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  in  politics  he  acts  with 
the  Republican  party.  During  the  Presiden- 
tial term  of  President  Harrison  he  served  on 
the  Board  of  Pension  E.xaminers  for  Cheshire 
County. 

Dr.  Aldrich  married  Eliza  J.  Wilder,  daugh- 
ter of  Mark  Wilder,  of  Peterboro,  N.  H. 
Three  children  —  Nellie  E.,  George  H.,  and 
PZthel  J.  ^  have  been  born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Aldrich;  and  besides  these  they  had  an 
adopted  daughter,  named  Emma  A.  Stannard, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years.  Nellie  E. 
Aldrich  is  now  attending  Wesleyan  Academy 
at  Wilbraham,  Mass. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


397 


/^TlToKGE  W.  PIERCE,  M.D.,  is  a 
y  '*)  I  prominent  physician  and  surgeon  of 
Winchester,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War,  and  an  ex-nicmber  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Senate.  Born  in  this  town,  April  24, 
1 83 J,  he  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Hosea  and  Verlina 
(Futnam)  Pierce.  The  father,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  New  Salem,  Mass.,  settled  in  Win- 
chester in  1828,  and  followed  the  medical  pro- 
fession with  success  until  his  retirement  in 
1857.  A  skilful  and  reliable  physician  of  the 
old  school,  he  is  spoken  of  in'  the  highest 
terms  by  the  older  residents,  who  remember 
well  his  unselfish  devotion  to  his  duties.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  leading  spirit  in  local 
public  affairs.  In  politics  he  was  succes- 
sively a  Whig  and  a  Republican  ;  and  he  served 
as  a  Representative  in  the  State  legislature, 
and  was  the  Postmaster  for  four  years.  After 
transferring  his  practice  to  his  son,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  business  as  a  means  of  keep- 
ing himself  busy;  and  his  store  was  frequently 
the  scene  of  impromptu  political  discussions 
during  the  long  winter  evenings.  He  was  not 
only  noted  for  his  professional  ability,  but  by 
his  genial  disposition  and  generous  hospitality 
he  gained  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact.  His  death,  which  occurred 
March  24,  1893,  was  the  cause  of  general  re- 
gret. He  was  connected  with  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Masons,  and  was  buried  with 
Masonic  rites.  His  children  are:  George  W., 
E.  Proctor,  and  J.  Warren.  E.  Proctor  Pierce, 
M.D. ,  served  as  a  medical  officer  during  the 
late  war,  and  is  now  practising  his  profes- 
sion in  Springfield,  Mass.  J.  Warren  Pierce 
studied  dentistry,  and  practised  it  until  he 
entered  the  army,  where  he  served  as  a  Lieu- 
tenant in  the  Thirty-fifth  Regiment,  United 
States  C.  T.  Volunteers.  After  his  return  he 
was  for  some  time  engaged  in  a  niercantile 
business  in  Claremont,  N.  H.  Later  he  bought 
a  farm  in  Cornish,  where  he  is  still  residing. 
George  W.  Pierce  became  familiar  with 
drugs  and  their  use  at  an  early  age.  While 
still  a  boy,  he  was  instructed  by  his  father  in 
the  manner  of  compounding  medicine,  and 
previous  to  the  completion  of  his  studies  he 
was  able  to  attend  to  minor  surgical  cases. 
His  early  education  was  acquired    in   the  dis- 


trict schools,  Townsend  (Vt. )  Academy,  the 
Keene  High  School,  the  academy  in  Shel- 
burne  Falls,  Mass.,  and  at  the  New  luigland 
Institute  for  Young  Men  in  New  York  City. 
The  knowledge  of  medicine  and  experience  in 
practice  obtained  under  the  guidance  of  his 
father  greatly  facilitated  his  medical  studies 
at  the  Berkshire  Medical  School,  Pittsfield, 
Mass.,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1854. 
After  graduation  he  immediately  became  as- 
sociated with  his  father.  He  eventually  took 
charge  of  the  entire  practice,  and  attended 
to  it  without  interrujition  until  1864.  Then 
he  enlisted  as  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the 
First  New  Hampshire  Cavalry,  in  which  he 
was  later  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Surgeon. 
In  an  engagement  fought  at  Back  Roads  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley  he  received  five  sabre 
wounds;  and,  being  left  upon  the  field  for 
dead,  he  was  captured  by  the  enemy,  who 
conveyed  him  to  Libby  Prison.  Later  he 
obtained  his  liberty,  and  rejoined  his  regi- 
ment. After  his  discharge  at  the  close  of  the 
war  he  resumed  his  practice  in  this  town. 

A  physician  and  surgeon  of  recognized  abil- 
ity, the  services  of  Dr.  Pierce  are  in  constant 
demand  in  Winchester  and  the  surrounding 
towns,  and  he  is  frequently  called  to  distant 
localities  for  consultation.  Outside  his  pro- 
fession he  is  the  president  of  the  Ashuelot 
Valley  FLlectric  Heat  and  Power  Company,  he 
was  at  one  time  chief  partner  in  the  S.  M. 
Kendrick  Steam  Mill  Company,  and  he  is  ex- 
tensively interested  in  real  estate.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  New  Hampshire  State,  the 
Cheshire  County,  and  the  Connecticut  River 
Valley  Medical  Societies,  in  all  of  which  he 
takes  an  active  interest.  Politically,  Dr. 
Pierce  is  a  Republican.  He  has  rendered 
valuable  services  to  the  town  as  a  member  of 
the  School  Board,  and  is  at  the  present  time 
the  chairman  of  that  body.  While  serving  in 
the  legislature  during  the  session  of  1875,  he 
served  upon  the  Committee  of  F^lection.  As 
a  member  of  the  Senate  in  i8gi,  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Railroads,  and  he 
had  charge  and  successfully  carried  through 
the  bills  authorizing  the  Boston  &  Maine  and 
the  Concord  &  Montreal  Railroads  to  increase 
their  capital   stock.       He   is  the  president  of 


398 


BIOGRAPHICAL    KEVIEW 


the  Winchester  Republican  Club,  has  been  a 
member  of  the  State  Republican  Committee 
for  the  past  thirty  years,  has  been  a  dele- 
gate in  many  county  and  State  conventions, 
and  in  1896  was  elected  Moderator  of 
town  meetings  for  two  years.  He  served  as 
Surgeon -general  upon  Governor  Currier's 
staff,  was  in  April  of  the  present  year  se- 
lected by  Governor  Ramsdell  as  a  trustee  of 
the  State  Lunatic  Asylum,  and  for  the  past  six- 
years  has  been  the  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Winchester  Public  Library. 
The  Doctor  has  prepared  historical  sketches 
of  Winchester  for  Child's  Clicsliirc  Coinity 
Ga.':ettccy,  the  Granite  State  monthly  magazine, 
and  the  History  of  Cheshire  and  Sullivan 
Counties.  He  is  a  Past  Commander  of  the 
local   Grand  Army  post. 

Dr.  Pierce  wedded  Maria  C.  Follett,  a 
daughter  of  William  Follett,  who  was  formerly 
a  successful  hotel-keeper  and  prosperous 
farmer  of  this  town.  Mrs.  Pierce  is  the 
mother  of  four  children,  namely:  Alexander 
v.,  who- married  Minnie  H.  Howard,  only 
daughter  of  the  late  Albert  M.  Howard; 
-Susan  P.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Walter  O.  Steb- 
bins,  a  merchant  of  Hinsdale,  N.  H.  ;  Abbie 
M.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Edward  C.  Thompson, 
of  Winchester;  and  Philip  W.,  who  resides 
with  his  parents. 


r^o 


EORGE  R.  PERRY,  a  well-known 
\    '•)  I       resident   of   Westmoreland,    Cheshire 

—  County,  N.H.,  where  lie"  has  long 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  town  affairs,  was 
born  in  Brookline,  Vt.  ;  April  16,  1826,  son  of 
Dr.  William  and  Susan  (Reed)  Perry.  His 
grandfather  was  William  Perry,  one  of  the 
first  settlers  on  West  Hill  in  Putney,  Vt., 
where  the  Doctor  was  born. 

When  a  young  man  Dr.  William  Perry  set- 
tled in  Brookline,  Vt.  ;  and  afterward  he  re- 
moved to  Newfane,  Vt. ,  where  he  died.  He 
was  a  physician  of  high  standing,  with  a  large 
country  practice,  necessitating  long  rides  on 
horseback.  He  was  a  strong  Democrat  in 
politics;  he  held  many  town  offices,  and  served 
as  a  Representative  to  the  General  Court ;  and 
he  was  a  man  of  decided  opinions,  but  one  who 


made  many  friends.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six.  His  wife,  Susan,  was  a  daughter  of 
Timothy  Reed.  They  had  nine  children, 
namely:  CheseUlon,  a  prosperous  hotel  man; 
Caroline,  who  married  David  Sherwin ; 
Thatcher;  Jane,  who  married  Thomas  Wake- 
field, a  lawyer  of  Boston,  Mass. ;  George  R., 
of  Westmoreland;  Lura,  who  died  unmarried; 
Bertrand,  who  married  Leavitt  Wellman; 
Crogan,  who  died  young;  and  John,  who  went 
into  the  hotel  business. 

George  R.  Perry  was  educated  in  Brookline, 
Vt.,  and  at  the  Townshend  Academy.  Upon 
finishing  his  studies  he  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  and  for  some  time  also  he  drove 
the  stage.  After  his  marriage  he  removed  to 
Westmoreland,  and  took  up  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  owns  at  the  present  time  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty -five  acres  of  land,  and  carries 
on  general  farming.  Mr.  Perry  is  a  leading 
Republican,  public-spirited  and  liberal  in  his 
views  and  a  favorite  with  his  townspeople. 
He  has  held  office  in  the  town  almost  continu- 
ously since  his  first  appointment  to  a  position 
of  trust.  He  has  been  Selectman  for  six 
years,  clerk  of  his  school  district  for  thirty- 
three  years,  and  is  at  the  present  time  a  trus- 
tee of  the  town.  He  has  been  Moderator, 
Supervisor,  delegate  to  different  conventions, 
and  a  member  of  various  important  commit- 
tees. 

He  married  in  November,  1847,  Jane  M., 
daughter  of  Amos  Blodgett,  of  Brattleboro, 
Vt.  Three  children  were  born  of  this  union, 
namely:  Addie  F.,  who  married  Hibbard  C. 
Black,  of  Putney,  Vt. ;  Jennie  L. ,  who  mar- 
ried George  E.  Corser,  of  Holyoke,  Mass. 
and  Kate  W.,  who  lives  at  home  with  her 
father.  Mrs.  Perry  died  June  22,  i8g6.  In 
her  death  Mr.  Perry  lost  a  helpmate  who  had 
made  his  home  one  of  the  truest  happiness,  a 
woman  of  rare  virtues,  and  a  devoted  wife  and 
tender  mother. 


HARLES     H.      HARTSHORN,     who 

conducts  a  thriving  general  mercantile 
business     in     Greenville,     Hillsboro 
County,  was  born  in  this  town,  Sep- 
tember   13,     1854,    son    of    James    and    Mary 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


399 


(Sawtelle)  Hartshorn.  His  great-grandfather 
was  an  Englishman  who  emigrated  to  America 
and  settled  in  Wilton,  N.H.,  where  he  cleared 
a  farm.  Samuel  Hartshorn,  grandfather  of 
Charles  H.,  was  born  in  Wilton,  February  i8, 
1788,  and  was  a  farmer  and  lifelong  resident 
of  that  town.  He  died  in  the  prime  of  life, 
December  3,  1831.  His  wife,  Mary  Tarbell 
Hartshorn,  was  born  in  Mason,  N.  H.,  Febru- 
ary 8,  1793.  They  had  four  children,  none 
of  whom  are  now  living.  The  mother  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  She  and  her 
husband  were  Congregationalists  in  religion. 

James  Hartshorn,  who  was  the  youngest 
child  of  his  parents,  was  born  in  Wilton,  May 
26,  1829.  Leaving  school  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  he  went  to  Manchester,  N.H., 
where  he  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the 
tinsmith's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  some 
time  in  that  city.  He  finally  settled  in  Green- 
ville, where  he  conducted  a  tinware  business 
for  several  years.  He  subsequently  opened  a 
general  store,  and  also  dealt  quite  extensively 
in  carriages.  In  his  business  career  he  was 
associated  at  different  times  with  others,  but 
during  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  he  carried 
on  business  alone.  He  had  a  wide  reputation 
for  honest  dealings  and  was  respected  for 
his  many  sterling  qualities.  He  was  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  attended  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  His  death  occurred  July  6, 
1891.  His  wife,  Mary  Sawtelle  Hartshorn, 
whom  he  married  April  8,  185 1,  is  a  daughter 
of  William  Sawtelle,  of  Mason.  She  has  had 
two  children,  one  of  whom  is  no  longer  living; 
and  she  now  resides  with  her  son,  Charles 
H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Charles  H.  Hartshorn  completed  his  school 
life  at  Appleton  Academy  in  New  Ipswich, 
N.  H.,  and  immediately  began  to  assist  his 
father  in  business.  When  the  latter's  health 
failed  he  took  the  entire  charge  of  the  store, 
and  after  the  death  of  the  elder  Hartshorn  he 
settled  the  estate.  Since  1891  he  has  been 
sole  proprietor  of  the  store,  and  he  has  main- 
tained the  high  reputation  it  acquired  under 
his  father's  management.  He  is  rapidly  ex- 
panding the  business  into  much  larger  propor- 
tions, and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading 
merchants  of  this  locality. 


On  November  30,  1876,  Mr.  Hartshorn  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Nellie  Medora  Nut- 
ting, daughter  of  Joel  Nutting,  of  Groton, 
Mass.  He  has  one  son,  Linus  F. ,  who  was 
born  October  22,  1877.  In  politics  Mr.  Harts- 
horn is  a  Republican.  He  is  connected  by 
membership  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  I'ellows, 
of  Greenville.  He  and  his  wife  attend  the 
Congregational  church. 


FORGE  F.  15ARNARD,  a  prominent 
dairy  farmer  of  jJedford,  Hillsboro 
County,  and  formerly  a  member  of 
the  New  Hampshire  legislature,  was  born  in 
this  town,  September  8,  1848.  His  parents 
were  Daniel  and  Martha  D.  (Riddle)  ]5arnard, 
the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Weare, 
N.  H.  The  mother  was  born  upon  the  farm 
in  Bedford  now  owned  and  occupied  i)y  her 
son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Daniel  Barnard  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  when  a  young  man,  and  subsequently 
followed  it  in  connection  with  farming.  The 
greater  part  of  his  life  was  passed  at  the  farm 
on  Bedford  Hill,  and  he  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years.  He  was  a  citizen  of  ability 
and  worth,  and  served  as  Town  Treasurer  and 
Postmaster  for  a  number  of  years.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat.  In  his  religious  belief 
he  was  a  Presbyterian.  His  wife,  Martha, 
reared  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing; namely,  David,  Hugh,  Martha,  Mar- 
garet, Ouincy,  Eliza,  and  George  ¥.  The 
two  deceased  are:  Mary  J.  and  Henry.  Mrs. 
Martha  D.  Barnard  lived  to  be  sixty-nine 
years  old. 

George  V.  Barnard  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Bedford,  and  he  has  resided  since  his  birth 
upon  the  farm  he  now  cultivates.  He  owns 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fertile  land, 
which  is  especially  valuable  on  account  of  its 
elevation;  and  the  farm  residence  can  be  seen 
for  many  miles.  As  a  dairy  farmer  he  is  un- 
usually successful,  and  has  a  large  and  profit- 
able milk  trade.  Politically,  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Selectmen  two  years,  as  Town  Treasurer  one 
year,  and  was  Representative  to  the   legislat- 


400 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


lire  in  1889.  In  each  official  capacity  lie 
labored  diligently  for  the  best  interests  of  the 
town. 

On  December  24,  1873,  Mr.  Barnard  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Sarah  L.  Moore,  who 
was  born  in  Bedford,  December  9,  1849, 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  A.  Moore. 
Her  father,  who  was  a  native  of  this  town, 
followed  the  trade  of  a  brickmaker  in  connec- 
tion with  farming;  and  her  mother  was  a  na- 
tive of  Pelham,  N.H.  Neither  is  now  liv- 
ing. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnard  have  had  two 
children,  namely:  Harry  G.,  who  was  born 
September  18,  1878,  and  died  April  5,  1892; 
and  Alice  Leone,  born  October  7,  1883.  Mr. 
Barnard  belongs  to  Hillsboro  Lodge, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Manchester;  Thomas  Savage 
Commandery,  No.  192;  United  Order  of  the 
Golden  Cross  of  Bedford;  and  to  Narragansett 
Grange,  No.  46,  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  He 
occupies  a  leading  position  among  the  repre- 
sentative agriculturists  of  Bedford,  and  both 
the  Barnard  and  Moore  families  are  prominent 
in  this  locality.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnard  attend 
the  Presbyterian  church. 


KfRY  C.  MORRILL,  senior  mem- 
)er  of  the  firm  of  Morrill  &  Mer- 
rill, Hillsboro,  and  formerly  Rep- 
resentative  to  the  State  legislature, 
was  born  in  Warner,  N.H.,  May  14,  1833, 
son  of  John  and  Rebecca  (Call)  Morrill.  The 
father,  who  was  an  industrious  farmer,  spent 
the  active  period  of  his  life  in  Warner,  and 
lived  to  the  age  of  about  eighty-three  years. 
His  wife,  Rebecca,  who  was  a  native  of  War- 
ner, became  the  mother  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  four  are  now  living,  namely:  Nancy  S., 
Sarah,  Henry  C,  and  Fanny.  Nancy  S.  mar- 
ried Nathaniel  Loud,  a  late  resident  of  Stone- 
ham,  Mass.  Sarah  is  the  widow  of  Samuel 
Webster,  late  of  Methuen,  Mass.,  and  has  two 
children  —  Carrie  and  Emma.  Fanny  became 
the  wife  of.  George  Barnett,  of  Penacook,  who 
is  now  deceased;  and  her  children  are  Ida  and 
Charles.  Mrs.  Rebecca  Call  Morrill  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-five.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Henry  C.  Morrill  was  educated  in  his  native 


town  of  Warner,  and  was  brought  up  to  farm 
life  and  labor.  He  subsequently  entered  the 
service  of  the  Claremont  &  Contoocook  Rail- 
road as  a  fireman,  and  in  course  of  time  be- 
came a  locomotive  engineer.  After  continu- 
ing in  the  service  for  twenty -five  years  he 
resigned.  While  in  the  employ  of  the  rail- 
road company  he  had  settled  in  Hillsboro.  In 
1875  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Frank 
E.  Merrill,  of  this  town,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Morrill  &  Merrill,  and  they  have  since 
carried  on  a  general  store  here.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  elected  to  the 
legislature  in  1877,  and  re-elected  in  1878; 
and  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Select- 
men in  1895. 

On  November  2,  1854,  Mr.  Morrill  wedded 
Mary  M.  Smiley,  of  Hillsboro,  by  whom  he 
has  one  daughter,  Emily  Belle,  who  is  now 
the  wife  of  Frank  E.  Merrill,  Mr.  Morrill's 
business  associate.  Mr.  Morrill  belongs  to 
Harmony  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  has 
held  various  offices,  and  to  Valley  Lodge, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Hillsboro,  in  which  he  has 
occupied  the  principal  chairs.  He  was  for- 
merly a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Loco- 
motive Engineers,  and  was  very  active  in  the 
local  organization.  He  is  a  man  of  much 
business  ability,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  progressive  citizens  of  Hillsboro. 


fRANK  E.  MERRILL,  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Morrill  &  Merrill,  who 
carry  on  an  extensive  general  mercan- 
tile business  in  Hillsboro.  was  born  in  this 
town,  February  17,  1854,  son  of  William  and 
Mary  C.  (Clark)  Merrill.  Daniel  Merrill, 
Mr.  Merrill's  grandfather,  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Hillsboro,  and  in  his  day  was  one 
of  the  representative  citizens  of  this  town. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  By  his 
wife,  Abigail,  he  had  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  William  was  the  fourth-born. 
But  three  are  now  living — Alvah,  William, 
and  Luke.  Alvah  married  Caroline  Gregg, 
of  Deering,  N.  H.  ;  and  his  only  surviving 
daughter,  Emma,  is  now  the  wife  of  John  H. 
Locke,  of  Zealand,  Coos  County,  N.H.  Luke 
married    Pamelia   Wood,    of   Henniker,   N.H., 


BIOGRAl'lllCAL    REVIEW 


401 


aiul  lias  three  children — -Etta  M.,  Ida  F.,  and 
George  W. 

William  Merrill,  Frank  E.  Merrill's  father, 
was  born  in  Hillsboro.  He  was  reared  to 
farm  life,  has  followed  agricultural  pursuits 
from  his  boyhood,  and  is  now  residing  at  the 
homestead.  He  has  figured  prominently  in 
local  affairs,  having  served  as  a  Selectman, 
and  having  represented  this  town  in  the  legis- 
lature. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  His 
wife,  Mary,  was  a  daughter  of  Seth  Clark,  of 
Hillsboro.  She  became  the  mother  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living;  namely, 
Daniel  C. ,  Frank  E. ,  Flora  E.,  and  Hattie  E. 
Daniel  C.  married  Melissa  Severance,  of 
Hillsboro,  and  has  three  children  —  Estella, 
William,  and  George.  Flora  E.  is  the  wife 
of  Salisbury  Bickford,  of  Bethelem,  N.H., 
and  her  children  are:  Mabel,  Mamie,  and 
Howard.  Hattie  E.  married  Charles  W.  Gil- 
christ, of  Somerville,  Mass. 

"  Frank  E.  Merrill  acquired  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  at  an 
early  age  he  displayed  a  taste  and  a  capacity 
for  mercantile  pursuits.  In  1875  he  became 
associated  in  business  with  his  father-in-law 
under  the  firm  name,  of  Morrill  &  Merrill, 
and  they  carry  a  large  and  varied  line  of  gen- 
eral merchandise.  Politically,  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  was  Town  Clerk  for  twelve  years, 
and  at  the  present  time  is  serving  as  a  member 
of  the  School  Board.  He  is  proficient  in 
vocal  music,  and  has  led  the  choir  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  for  the  past 
twenty-three  years. 

On  June  16,  1875,  Mr.  Merrill  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Emily  Belle  Morrill,  a  na- 
tive of  Hillsboro,  and  daughter  of  Henry  C. 
Morrill,  his  business  partner.  He  is  highly 
esteemed  as  an  enterprising  and  progressive 
business  man,  and  both,  he  and  Mrs.  Merrill 
occupy  a  prominent  social  position. 


^SD/lLLIAM 
VfoV       the   okl 
*^^     N.H.,  i 
Levi  W.  Le( 
ison)  Smith, 
October    13, 


S.     LEONARD,      M.D., 

est    physician    of    Hinsdale, 

s  the  only   son   of  the  Rev. 

Leonard,  D.D.,  and  Elizabeth  (Mor- 

and   was   born  in   Dublin,  N.  H., 

1832.     His    grandfather,    Jacob 


Leonard,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Bridge- 
water,  Mass.,  and  a  Revolutionary  s(jldier. 
Dr.  Leonard's  father  was  a  Unitarian  clergy- 
man of  distinction  and  an  eminent  scholar  of 
his  day.  He  was  instrumental  in  establishing 
the  first  free  public  library  in  the  United 
States  at  Dublin  in  1825,  and  was  the  author 
of  several  valuable  educational  text-books, 
among  them  the  "North  American  Spelling- 
book"  being  best  known. 

William  S.  Leonard  prepared  for  college  at 
Phillips  Exeter  Academy.  During  his  college 
course  and  afterward  he  taught  schools  in 
New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts.  He  pur- 
sued his  preliminary  medical  studies  under 
Professor  Albert  Smith,  of  Peterboro,  N.H., 
and  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College 
with  the  class  of  1856,  and  from  the  Dart- 
mouth Medical  School  in  i860,  having  taken 
high  rank  in  both  his  classical  and  profes- 
sional studies.  In  the  autumn  of  i860  he 
became  associated  in  practice  with  Dr.  Fred- 
erick Boyden,  who  was  at  that  time  the  only 
physician  in  Hinsdale;  and,  as  Dr.  Boyden 
was.  interested  in  various  outside  business  en- 
terprises during  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life. 
Dr.  Leonard  eventually  succeeded  to  his  en- 
tire practice.  He  has  had  an  extensive  clien- 
tage throughout  this  section,  and  acquired  a 
reputation  as  a  skilful  and  successful  physi- 
cian. As  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
State  Medical  Society  he  was  twice  chosen 
a  delegate  to  the  Dartmouth  Medical  School, 
and  in  1887  he  delivered  the  annual  address 
at  commencement.  He  has  served  with  abil- 
ity upon  the  Board  of  Education  in  Hinsdale, 
and  for  many  years  has  been  identified  with 
the  public  library  of  his  town.  In  July,  1897, 
he  was  appointed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Pen- 
sions as  Examining  Surgeon  for  Pensions  upon 
the  Keene  Board.  The  Doctor  possesses  lit- 
erary taste  and  ability  far  beyond  that  of  the 
ordinary  professional  man,  writes  much  for 
the  local  newspapers,  and  has  been  for  several 
years  the  regular  Hinsdale  correspondent  of 
the  Springfield  Republican. 

On  April  30,  1861,  Dr.  Leonard  married 
Martha  E.  Greenwood,  a  daughter  of  Jackson 
Greenwood,  of  Dublin.  There  have  been 
born  to   them   seven   children,   four  of   whom 


402 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


died  in  infancy  or  early  childhood.  The  liv- 
ing are:  Frederick  S.  Margaret  E. ,  and  W. 
Jackson  Leonard.  Frederick  S.,  is  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Barrett  &  Leonard,  printers, 
Springfield,  Mass.  Margaret  E.  has  been  a 
teacher  in  the  high  schools  of  Winchester  and 
Hinsdale,  likewise  instructor  in  Latin  and 
English  literature  at  the  Prospect  Hill  Sem- 
inary in  Greenfield,  Mass.,  for  two  years,  and 
and  is  highly  spoken  of  as  an  accomplished 
scholar  and  excellent  teacher.  She  is  at 
present  a  member  of  the  Senior  class  (1897)  at 
Radcliffe  College.  VV.  Jackson  Leonard  de- 
veloped artistic  tastes  at  an  early  age ;  and, 
after  studying  at  Cowles  Art  School  in  Bos- 
ton, he  spent  two  years  abroad,  during  which 
time  he  was  a  student  at  Julien's  Art  School 
in  Paris,  and  visited  Florence  and  other  art 
centres.  Since  his  return  he  has  devoted  his 
time  principally  to  artist  pursuits.  It  may 
be  said  of  Dr.  Leonard  that  he  is  of  a  genial 
nature,  looks  upon  the  bright  and  mirthful 
side  of  life,  always  has  a  good  word  and  a 
cheery  smile  for  his  patients,  and  believes  in 
"the  hearty  laugh  that  doeth  good  like  a 
medicine."  Increasing  years  have  not  made 
him  morose  or  dogmatic;  but  he  keeps  fresh 
and  young  in  all  his  feelings  and  sympathies, 
the  friend  and  companion  of  old  and  young 
alike,  and  makes  no  claim  to  being  anything 
more  or  better  than  an  alert,  wide-awake,  pro- 
gressive country  doctor. 


EORGE  SIMONS,  the  senior  partner 
in  the  firm  of  George  Simons  &  Son, 
who  manufacture  ladies'  fine  shoes  in 
_North  Weare,  was  born  May  13,  1828,  in  the 
part  ot  Vveare  called  Riverdale,  son  of  Chris- 
topher and  Nancy  (Lock)  Simons.  His  grand- 
father, John  Simons,  who  was  an  early  settler 
in  Weare,  spent  the  active  period  of  his  life  in 
tilling  the  soil. 

Christopher  Simons,  a  native  of  Weare,  was 
a  prominent  business  man  of  this  place.  Be- 
sides carrying  on  lumber  operations,  he  was 
largely  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  lin- 
seed oil.  He  was  instrumental  in  building  up 
Oil  Mills,  which  took  its  name  from  his 
works;    and    he    also    cultivated    a    farm.       In 


politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  his  relig- 
ious belief  he  was  a  Universalist.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  His  wife, 
Nancy,  who  was  a  native  of  Deering,  N.  H., 
became  the  mother  of  nine  children,  eight  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity,  and  four  are  living. 
The  latter  are:  Clarissa,  born  January  2,  1806, 
who  is  now  Mrs.  Richards,  and  lives  in  River- 
dale;  James,  born  December  26,  1808,  who 
resides  in  the  same  village;  Harrison,  born 
July  14,  1813,  who  is  also  a  resident  of  River- 
dale;  and  George,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
The  others  were:  Hiram,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy-eight;  Louis,  who  died  at  eighty; 
Langdon  and  Lorinda,  both  of  whom  died  at 
twenty;  and  Eliza  Ann,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  three  and  one-half  years.  The  mother  lived 
to  be  seventy-eight  years  old. 

George  Simons  received  his  elementary  edu- 
cation in  the  town  schools.  Subsequently, 
after  attending  the  Lebanon  Academy  for  two 
terms,  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  studying  on 
account  of  poor  health.  His  first  employment 
for  salary  was  that  of  clerk  in  the  store  of  his 
brother  Louis.  At  a  later  date  he  purchased 
the  business  and  carried  it  on  for  a  year,  when 
it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  On  F'ebruary  i, 
1853,  he  resumed  business  at  Weare  Centre, 
where  he  conducted  a  general  store  until  1876. 
Then  he  disposed  of  the  store  and  engaged  in 
building,  general  farming,  and  fruit  growing. 
He  has  dealt  largely  in  apples,  and,  having 
made  pomology  a  special  study,  has  contrib- 
uted articles  upon  that  subject  to  various 
agricultural  journals.  Since  1891  he  has  been 
at  the  head  of  the  firm  of  George  Simons  & 
Son,  shoe  manufacturers.  This  business  was 
established  in  North  Weare  by  J.  W.  Hanson 
in  1865,  and  the  factory  is  now  employing  an 
average  of  twenty-five  workmen.  In  politics 
he  acts  with  the  Democratic  party.  He  was 
Postmaster  for  eight  years.  He  has  served  as 
Town  Clerk,  Treasurer,  and  Collector,  and  he 
is  now  Agent  of  the  town  funds.  He  is  con- 
nected with  Wyoming  Grange,  Patrons  of 
Husbandry. 

On  September  30,  1854,  Mr.  Simons  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mary  C.  Bagley,  who 
was  born  in  Nashua,  N.H.,  September  4, 
1834,  and  died    in  June,   1870.      On  February 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


403 


5,  1880,  he  wedded  for  his  second  wife  Elsie 
Dearborn.  She  was  born  in  South  Weare, 
April  8,  1836,  daughter  of  Moses  and  Betsey 
(Philbrick)  Dearborn.  By  his  first  union 
there  were  three  sons,  namely:  George  1". , 
born  August  31,  1S56;  Louis  C,  born  July 
II,  1S58;  and  Frank  N.,  born  December  10, 
1866.  Louis  C.  died  February  23,  1861. 
George  F".  Simons,  who  died  December  31, 
1890,  was  one  of  the  leading  young  business 
men  of  Weare,  and  served  for  a  time  as  Post- 
master and  Town  Treasurer.  He  wedded  Mari- 
anna  Gove,  and  left  two  children  —  George  C. 
and  Elmore  G.  Frank  N.  Simons  fitted  for 
his  collegiate  course  at  the  Dean  Academy, 
P^ranklin,  IMass. ,  and  w-as  graduated  from 
Tufts  College  with  the  class  of  1889.  For  a 
year  and  a  half  after  completing  his  studies 
he  was  a  designer  in  the  toy  works  at  Leom- 
inster, Mass.  In  1891  he  engaged  in  the 
shoe  manufacturing  business  with  his  father. 
He  is  now  the  general  manager,  and  the  enter- 
prise is  rapidly  developing  under  his  charge. 
In  October,  1892,  he  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  Mabel  A.  Colby,  who  was  born  in  Weare, 
March  16,  1868,  daughter  of  Stephen  P.  Colby. 
PI  is  religious  creed  is  the  Universal  ist.  In 
politics  he  is  an  active  Democrat,  and  he  has 
been  Town  Clerk  for  two  terms.  Mr.  Simons, 
senior,  has  been  the  clerk  and  treasurer  of  tlie 
Universalist  society  since  1859,  and  he  is  ac- 
tive in  Sunday-school  work.  Taking  a  deep 
interest  in  agricultural  questions,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Wyoming  Grange,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry. 


ILLIAM  ATHERTON,  farmer,  be- 
longs to  one  of  the  oldest  families 
of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.  He  was  born 
here  December  18,  1826,  son  of  Nathaniel 
and  Charlotte  (Fletcher)  Atherton.  The  first 
American  ancestor  of  the  family,  James  Ather- 
ton, settled  in  Milton,  Mass.,  where  he  was 
taxed  from  1678  to  1703. 

Joseph  Atherton,  one  of  his  descendants,  and 
a  son  of  Oliver  Atherton,  was  born  at  Harvard, 
Mass.,  August  15,  1750.  He  married  in 
1 77 1  Hannah  Farnsworth  of  Groton,  Mass.  ; 
and  on  June  28,   1794,  he  purchased  a  tract  of 


land  in  Chesterfield,  and  settled  here.  "The 
field  on  which  he  lived,  and  on  which  he  built 
a  mansion-like  dwelling,  is  now  called  Ather- 
ton Hill."  Joseph  Atherton  was  Selectman 
in  1798,  1799,  1809,  and  181 1;  and  he  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  State  legislature  in 
1 8 17.  He  died  April  4,  1839,  "honored  and 
respected  by  his  neighbors  and  townsmen." 
Plis  wife  died  in  Chesterfield  April  15,  1835. 
Their  children  were:  Nathaniel,  father  of 
William;  Oliver,  born  August  4,  1774;  Are- 
thusa,  born  May  15,  1778;  Sally,  born  March 
30,  1780;  Humphrey,  born  May  4,  1783,  who 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1806,  and  went  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  became  an  eminent 
lawyer;  Rachel,  born  June  8,  1787;  and  Lucy, 
born  October  23,  1791.  Nathaniel,  the  eldest 
child,  married  first,  in  1801,  Jemima  Daniels, 
of  Westmoreland,  who  died  April  4,  181 7. 
His  second  wife,  Mrs.  Charlotte  P'letcher, 
widow  of  Abel  P'letcher,  and  daughter  of 
I'lphraim  Hubbard,  died  P'ebruary  9,  1848.  Na- 
thaniel Atherton  settled  on  the  paternal  farm 
in  Chesterfield,  and  died  here  August  4, 
1855.  His  children  were:  PImily,  born  Janu- 
ary 13,  1803;  Persis,  born  August  15,  1804; 
Nathaniel  D.,  born  August  13,  1806;  Are- 
thusa,  born  January  6,  1808;  Joseph,  born  De- 
cember 14,  1810;  Humphrey,  born  January  19, 
181 5;  George,  born  March  23,  181 7;  Char- 
lotte, born  October  9,  1819;  Otis,  born  April 
19,  1 821;  Hannah  F. ,  born  July  25,  1823; 
William,  born  December  18,  1826,  as  above 
mentioned;  and  Rachel,  born  August  27,  1829. 
Like  his  ancestors,  Mr.  William  Atherton 
has  taken  an  active  interest  in  public  matters, 
and  has  served  his  town  faithfully  and  efifi- 
ciently.  He  was  Selectman  in  1876,  1877, 
and  1878,  Supervisor  in  18S0,  Selectman  in 
1885,  1886,  and  1887.  He  is  a  strong  Re- 
jniblican  and  one  of  the  representative  men  of 
Chesterfield,  a  man  of  integrity,  practical  abil- 
ity and  good  judgment,  and  much  esteemed. 
His  life  has  been  spent  upon  the  farm  inher- 
ited from  his  father.  He  married  Hannah 
Maria,  daughter  of  George  Peirce,  March  10, 
1852.  Their  children  are:  John  W. ,  born 
December  26,  1852,  who  married  Flmma  Bart- 
lett,  of  Westmoreland;  Joseph  A.,  born  March 
9,    1856,  who  married   Clara  A.    Whipple,    of 


404 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Orange,  Mass.  ;  Anna  M.,  born  April  5,  1859, 
who  married  Frank  Knight,  son  of  John  B. , 
of  Westmoreland;  Fred  E.,  the  youngest  son, 
born  December  6,  i860,  who  married  Laura 
Chamberlain,  daughter  of  Samuel  Chamber- 
lain, and  has  one  child. 

Mr.  Fred  E.  Atherton,  after  acquiring  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  Chesterfield,  taught 
for  some  time  in  the  district  schools  of  Keene, 
Chesterfield,  and  Westmoreland.  In  1882  he 
gave  up  teaching,  and  went  to  Orange,  where 
he  became  a  clerk  in  the  dry-goods  store  of 
George  A.  Whipple.  Capable  and  faithful,  he 
was  soon  made  manager  of  the  store ;  and  he  re- 
mained there  until,  his  health  giving  out,  he 
was  obliged  to  relinquish  his  position.  He  re- 
turned to  his  father's  farm  in  1S90  to  regain 
his  health,  and  has  since  engaged  in  farming 
with  his  father.  He  is  a  Republican  and  ac- 
tive in  politics.  He  is  popular  with  his 
townspeople,  and  is  now  (1897)  serving  his 
third  term  as  Selectman. 


AMES  KNOWLTON,  an  active  busi- 
ness man  of  Marlboro,  Cheshire  County, 
was  born  in  Dublin,  N.  H.,  December 
20,  1828.  He  is  a  son  of  Luke  and 
Mercy  (Bemis)  Knowlton,  and  a  grandson,  on 
the  paternal  side,  of  Deacon  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Wright)  Knowlton.  Deacon  John 
Knowlton,  who  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
became  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Dublin. 
He  was  a  blacksmith,  and  followed  his  trade 
in  Haverhill,  Mass.  For  many  years  he  was 
Deacon  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Luke  Knowlton,  father  of  James,  was  born 
in  Dublin,  N.H.,  August  i,  1801.  He  was 
in  early  life  a  farmer,  but  eventually  became 
a  stone  mason  and  stone  cutter.  Settling  in 
Marlboro  in  April,  1849,  ^^  continued  in 
business  here  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1883.  He  was  widely  and  favorably  known 
throughout  this  section  as  an  energetic  and  re- 
liable business  man,  and  for  many  years  he 
occupied  the  substantial  stone  house  situated 
opposite  the  Frost  Free  Library.  He  held 
the  rank  of  Captain  in  the  Dublin  Grena- 
diers, which  then  formed  a  part  of  the  State 
militia.      His  wife,  Mercy,  whom   he  married 


December  28,  1826,  was  born  September  12, 
1804,  and  was  a  daughter  of  James  Bemis. 
She  proved  a  faithful  wife  and  a  kind,  affection- 
ate mother.  Her  father  was  a  patriot  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  War,  enlisting  at  the  age 
of  eighteen,  and  serving  three  }'earsr  His 
father  was  much  opposed  to  his  enlisting,  be- 
cause of  his  youth;  but  one  day,  while  chop- 
ping wood  near  the  road,  a  party  of  men  came 
along  who  were  going  to  join  the  army  at 
Boston.  They  told  him  of  the  battle  of  Lex- 
ington, and  the  news  so  increased  his  ardor  for 
serving  his  country  that  he  struck  his  axe  into 
a  stump,  declaring  that  he  would  never  take  it 
out  until  he  had  struck  a  blow  for  American 
liberty.  He  joined  the  party,  and  reached  the 
headquarters  of  the  army  just  in  time  to  take 
part  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Luke 
and  Mercy  (Bemis)  Knowlton  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  namely:  James,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Luke;  Eli  B.  ;  Charles;  Caroline 
E.  ;  and  Sarah  A.  Caroline  is  no  longer  liv- 
ing. Charles  died  in  the  army  during  the 
Civil  War.  Eli  B.  resides  in  Marlboro. 
Sarah  A.  is  the  widow  of  the  late  William  M. 
Mason,  formerly  a  prosperous  merchant  in 
Marlboro;  and  Luke,  who  is  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War,  is  now  associated  with  his  brother 
James  in  business. 

James  Knowlton  has  been  actively  identified 
with  the  business  interests  of  Marlboro  since 
early  manhood.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can and  in  his  religious  views  a  L^niversalist. 
He  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  is  highly  respected  in  business 
and  social  circles. 

On  May  23,  1854,  Mr.  Knowlton  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Emily  L.  Mason,  a  native  of 
Dublin,  and  a  daughter  of  Dexter  and  Abigail 
(Adams)  Mason. 


•AMES  M.  PERKINS,  a  prosperous 
general  merchant  of  Marlow,  Cheshire 
County,  and  an  ex-member  of  the 
legislature,  was  born  in  this  town 
September  ri,  1853,  son  of  Dr.  Marshall  and 
Harriet  (Fiske)  Perkins.  James  Perkins,  his 
paternal  grandfather,  removed  from  Leomins- 
ter,    Mass.     to     Croydon,     Sullivan    County, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


405 


N.H.,  where  he  was  for  man}'  years  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and  the  carding 
of  wool.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Annie  French,  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
four  children. 

Marshall  Perkins,  M.D.,  was  born  in  Croy- 
don, N.H.,  in  May,  1823.  He  became  a  stu- 
dent at  Dartmouth  College;  and,  subsequently 
completing  a  medical  course  in  Boston,  he  lo- 
cated in  Marlow,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  has  been  quite  active  in  political  affairs, 
was  Superintendent  of  Schools  and  served  as 
Moderator  at  town  meetings  for  many  years. 
His  wife,  Harriet  Fiske  Perkins,  who  was 
born  in  1833,  daughter  of  Amos  Fiske,  of 
Marlow,  became  the  mother  of  nine  children, 
namely:  James  M,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Annie  E.  ;  Hattie  F.  ;  Waldo  H.  ; 
Mattie;  Daniel;  Kate;  Charles;  and  Jessie  — 
all  of  whom  were  born  in  Marlow.  Annie  E. 
married  Hiram  D.  Upton,  a  native  of  Jaffrey, 
this  county,  and  a  banker;  and  she  has  six 
children.  Hattie  F.  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Abram 
Mitchell,  f)f  Lempster,  N.H.,  and  has  three 
children.  Waldo  H.,  who  is  associated  with 
his  brother  James  M.  in  business,  married 
Marion  G.  Russell,  of  this  town,  and  has  one 
son  —  Marshall  C.  Mattie  died  at  the  age  of 
two  years,  and  Daniel  at  the  age  of  nine. 
Kate,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Manchester 
High  School,  and  taught  for  some  time,  is 
now  residing  at  home.  Charles  is  engaged  in 
business  in  Manchester,  and  Jessie  is  attend- 
ing school  at  Saxton's  River,  Vt. 

James  M.  Perkins  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Marlow,  and  for  several  years  after 
the  completion  of  his  studies  he  was  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  Some  five  years  ago 
he  became  associated  with  his  brother  Waldo 
in  mercantile  business  in  Marlow,  and  the 
concern  carries  on  a  large  general  store,  which 
is  well  stocked  with  merchandise.  Mr.  Per- 
kins has  served  as  a  Selectman  two  years, 
as  Town  Treasurer  for  a  similar  period,  has 
been  Town  Clerk  for  the  past  three  years, 
and  was  Representative  to  the  State  legislat- 
ure in  1895,  during  which  time  he  served 
upon  the  Committee  on  Insane  Asylums. 
He  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order 
of   Odd    Fellows,    Forest    Lodge,  of  which   he 


has  been  Noble  Grand;  anti  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry,  Excelsior  Grange,  No.  136,  of 
which  he  has  been  Master  for  two  years.  He 
attends  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr. 
Perkins  married  Gertrude  Friend,  who  was 
born  in  November,  1874,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Friend,  of  Washington,  N.H.  Mrs.  Per- 
kins is  the  mother  of  one  son — ^J.  l<'iskc 
Perkins,    born   February    i,    1896. 


EVI  FRANKLIN  LOWELL,  general 
manager  for  the  firm  of  Fessenden  & 
Lowell,  Merrimac,  was  born  Janu- 
ary 6,  1839,  in  Rindge,  N.H.,  son 
of  Nathaniel  and  Phidelia  (Fisher)  Lowell,  of 
that  town.  The  father  followed  the  trades  of 
carpenter  and  wheelwright  for  many  years. 
He  was  always  kept  busy,  and  was  noted  for 
his  industry  and  his  willingness  to  oblige. 

Levi  F.  Lowell  grew  to  manhood  in  Rindge 
and  in  Fitzwilliam,  N. H.,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  district  schools.  When  very  young 
he  became  self-supporting,  working  at  what- 
ever he  could  find  to  do.  Subsequently  he 
engaged  in  the  milling  business  at  ]?rookline, 
N.H.,  and  later  on  became  interested  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber.  In  1864  he  associ- 
ated himself  in  business  with  Mr.  Fessenden 
for  the  manufacture  of  barrels  and  lumber. 
The  business  was  brought  in  1873  to  Reed's 
Ferry,  where  it  has  become  very  prosperous. 
When  first  started  here  it  was  conducted  on  a 
small  scale,  employing  only  fifteen  men.  At 
the  present  time  about  seventy  hands  are  em- 
ployed, and  the  annual  output  of  manufactured 
products  amounts  to  over  three  million  feet. 
The  business  stands  to-day  as  a  leading  indus- 
try in  the  town  of  Merrimac.  The  factory  is 
supplied  with  the  most  improved  machinery. 
The  timber  used  is  taken  from  large  tracts  of 
timber  land  owned  by  the  firm.  Mr.  Lowell 
has  the  general  supervision  of  the  business. 

On  January  2,  1866,  Mr.  Lowell  married 
Miss  Hannah  B.  Hutchinson,  who  is  a 
native  of  Brookline,  N.H.  Her  children  are: 
Mabel  L.  and  Bertha  L.  Lowell.  In  religious 
belief  Mr.  Lowell  is  a  Congregationalist  and 
an  active  worker  in  the  church  of  which  he  is 
a  member.      In  politics  he  is  a  believer  in  the 


4o6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


principles  of  Republicanism  and  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  party.  His  interest  in  town 
affairs  has  been  active,  and  he  has  appreciated 
the  vital  importance  of  civic  responsibility. 
He  was  Selectman  of  the  town  for  three  years, 
and  in  1885-86  he  represented  the  commu- 
nity in  the  State  legislature.  He  is  a  member 
of  North  Star  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  at  Townsend,  Mass.,  and  of 
Thornton  Grange,  1'.  of  H.,  at  Merrimac. 


ARREN  ALDEN,  Selectman  of 
A 1  stead,  was  born  in  this  town 
January  25,  18 19,  son  of  Alvin  and 
Elizabeth  (Allen)  Alden.  He  is  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  John  and  Priscilla  Alden,  who 
came  in  the  "Mayflower."  Great-grandfather 
Alden  was  a  Colonel  in  the  P.evolutionary 
War  and  a  man  of  great  courage  and  ability. 
Moses  Alden,  the  grandfather,  born  in  Need- 
ham,  Mass.,  was  the  first  of  the  name  to  settle 
in  Alstead.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  had  the  following-named  childreni  Reu- 
ben, Alvin,  Moses,  Dexter,  William,  Maria, 
Elizabeth,  and  Sally.  Reuben  was  a  farmer 
at  Woburn,  Mass.,  and  the  father  of  six  chil- 
dren. Moses,  who  went  to  the  West  and  set- 
tled there  as  a  farmer,  married  and  had  a 
family.  Dexter  became  a  hotel  man  in  Low- 
ell, Mass.,  and  had  a  family  of  four  children. 
William,  who  was  a  shoemaker  and  resided  in 
Oneida,  N.Y.,  did  not  marry.  Maria  became 
Mrs.  John  Blanchard,  of  Boston.  Elizabeth 
married  the  Rev.  Warren  Wilbur,  of  Maine, 
a  clergyman  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  Sally  lived  at  Alstead  all  her  life, 
and  did  not  marry. 

Alvin  Alden,  the  father  of  Warren  Alden, 
born  at  Needham,  Mass.,  in  1791,  came  when 
quite  young  to  New  Hampshire  with  his  father. 
He  was  sent  to  school  at  Keene,  N.H.  After- 
wartl  he  was  engaged  for  some  time  in  farming 
for  his  father.  He  then  bought  a  farm  in  Al- 
stead and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  here. 
He  was  active  in  town  affairs  and  in  all  relig- 
ious matters,  being  a  Deacon  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  a  leader  in  that  society.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  nominated 
for    legislative    Representative,    but    was    de- 


feated. His  wife,  Elizabeth,  who  was  a  native 
of  Surry,  N.H.,  became  the  mother  of  five 
children  —  Warren,  William,  Mary,  Sarah, 
and  Louisa.  William  lived  at  home  and  was 
working  in  a  factory  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  his  twenty-third  year. 
Mary  married  Silas  K.  Vilas,  a  prominent 
druggist  of  this  town  and  an  influential  man. 
Mr.  Vilas's  son  is  the  proprietor  of  the  P"ifth 
Avenue  Hotel  in  New  York.  Sarah,  who 
lived  and  died  at  home,  never  married.  Lou- 
isa married  Elisha  Kempton,  of  Newport, 
N.  H.,  a  prominent  man,  now  Registrar  of 
Probate.  They  have  three  children — ^  Mary, 
Alvin,  and  William. 

Warren  Alden  began  his  working  life  as 
a  farmer,  first  on  his  father's  farm  and  then 
working  out  for  twelve  years.  He  then 
bought  a  farm.  Later  he  purchased  his 
father's  farm,  where  he  now  resides.  For 
the  past  two  years  he  has  been  Selectman, 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  grange  and  a  reg- 
ular attendant  of  the  Congregational  church. 

Mr.  Alden  married  Lucy  Slader,  a  daughter 
of  Colonel  Jesse  Slader,  of  Acwortli,  who  has 
served  in  the  State  legislature  both  as  Repre- 
sentative and  Senator.  Mrs.  Alden  is  a  de- 
scendant of  Samuel  Slader,  who  settled  in 
Hingham,  Mass.,  in  1725,  and  was  there  mar- 
ried, December  7,  1727,  to  Mary  Wilder, 
daughter  of  Jabez  Wilder.  He  subsequently 
removed  to  Connecticut  with  his  wife  and 
three  sons  —  Edward,  Samuel,  and  Thomas. 
The  sons  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Thomas  and  Samuel  serving  in  the  Third 
Connecticut  Regiment,  which  was  ado]5ted  as 
Continental,  and  during  the  siege  of  Boston 
was  stationed  in  General  Putnam's  centre 
division  at  Cambridge.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alden 
have  had  four  children  —  Mary  E.,  W.  Wal- 
ter, Willie  E.,  and  Elizabeth  E.  L.,  all  na- 
tives of  Alstead.  Mary  E.,  born  August  9, 
1853,  was  educated  in  the  town  schools,  and 
subsequently  taught  school  for  a  few  years 
previous  to  her  marriage.  On  December  7, 
1893,  she  was  married  to  Milan  F.  Green, 
of  Alstead,  son  of  Jonas  Green.  He  is  a 
farmer,  Selectman,  a  granger,  and  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order.  W.  Walter,  born  Au- 
gust 15,   1856,  died  in  1870.      Willie  E.,  twin 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


407 


brother  of  Walter,  died  at  the  age  of  seven. 
IClizaljctli,  born  January  19,  1858,  who  was 
educated  in  Alstead  and  in  the  high  school 
at  Newport,  N.H.,  had  taught  school  success- 
fully for  eighteen  years,  when  the  failure  of 
her  health  compelled  her  to  take  an  extended 
rest. 


jUARLES  HAGEN,  of  the  firm  Hagen 
&  Kuefer,  Peterboro,  makers  of  organs 
and  pianos,  was  born  in  Germany, 
February  14,  184S.  His  father, 
Conrad  Hagen,  who  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade, 
also  served  in  the  capacity  of  musical  director 
whenever  the  occasion  arose.  Conrad  died  in 
1863;  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Maria  Rief,  died  in  1890. 

Charles  Hagen  received  his  education  in 
Germany.  After  leaving  school  he  was  ap- 
jjrenticed  in  a  cabinet-manufacturing  concern, 
where  he  remained  nearly  three  years,  learning 
the  trade.  Then  he  served  an  apprenticeship 
in  an  organ  and  piano  factory,  after  which  in 
1864  he  came  to  America,  settling  in  New 
York  City.  Here  for  a  time  he  worked  at 
cabinet  and  pattern  making,  and  also  from 
i86g  to  1871  he  bottled  soda  waters.  Subse- 
quently he  got  into  the  business  of  piano- 
making,  working  for  such  well-known  firms  as 
Decker  Brothers,  Albert  Weber,  and  Steinway 
&  Son,  acquiring  in  various  departments  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  art,  and  sometimes 
serving  in  the  capacity  of  foreman.  In  1884 
Mr.  Hagen  entered  into  a  partnership  with 
John  and  .Sebastian  Ruefer  in  New  York  City, 
under  the  firm  name  of  the  New  York  Piano 
Key  Company,  for  the  purpose  of  manufactur- 
ing piano  keys.  In  1895  the  plant  was  mo\'ed 
to  Peterboro,  where  a  prosperous  business  has 
been  done  since.  In  1893  Mr.  Hagen  and 
John  Ruefer  formed  a  partnership  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  the  Hagen  &  Ruefer  pianos;  and 
they  are  still  interested  in  the  two  enterprises, 
both  of  which  are  carried  on  in  Peterboro. 
They  generally  employ  about  fifty  workmen, 
while  in  busy  seasons  from  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men  are  necessary. 

On  January  6,  1870,  Mr.  Hagen  married 
Miss  Emilie  Miller,  daughter  of  Carl   Miller, 


of  Germany.  Their  chiltlicn  are:  Charles, 
who  married  a  Peterboro  lady;  Henry,  who 
married  Lizzie  Jens,  of  Germany,  and  has  one 
child,  Pauline;  Margaret;  Herman;  and 
Annie.  Mr.  Hagen,  though  still  retaining 
his  love  for  Germany  and  for  German  institu- 
tions, has  become  thoroughly  Americanized, 
and  is  a  loyal  citizen  of  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion. In  politics  he  is  an  Independent.  He 
is  a  Mason  of  New  York  Lodge  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  of  New  York  City. 


(s>rLBERT     BRADSHAW      EATON,     a 
jjA       leading    business    man   of   Mason,  and 
yJjA  son     of     Amos   and    Hephzibah    L. 

— '  (Simons)  Eaton,  was  born  April 
10,  1852,  in  Eunenburg,  Mass.  His  grand- 
parents, Joseph  and  Betsy  (Sheldon)  Eaton, 
went  from  Reading,  Mass.,  to  Ashby  in  the 
same  State,  where  they  settled  upon  a  farm. 
Amos  was  the  fourth  of  their  six  children,  all 
of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Grandfather 
Eaton  was  sixty-seven  years  old  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  and  his  wife  attained  the  age  of 
sixty-four. 

Amos  Eaton,  who  was  born  in  Ashby, 
learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  at  which  he 
worked  for  many  years.  Later  he  did  a  large 
amount  of  stone  work  in  the  towns  of  Ashby 
and  P'itchburg.  The  latter  part  of  his  life 
was  spent  in  Lunenburg,  where  he  conducted 
a  farm.  Amos  Eaton  was  twice  married. 
By  his  first  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Abigail  Sherwin,  there  were  three  children, 
of  whom  Alonzo  is  now  living.  His  second 
wife,  Hephzibah,  bore  him  five  children,  of 
whom  three  survive.  These  are:  Albert  B., 
the  subject  of  this  biography;  Julius,  who 
married  Mary  Ann  Huntley:  and  Herbert  A., 
who  married  Annie  J.  Allen,  and  has  five 
children — Charles  A.,  Clarence  H.,  Arthur 
C,  Winnifred  C,  and  May  C.  Mrs.  Hephzi- 
bah Eaton,  who  is  a  native  of  Groton,  Mass., 
is  now  living  at  West  Townsend,  Mass. 

After  leaving  school  I\Ir.  Albert  Eaton 
taught  school  for  a  time.  Then  he  learned 
harness-making,  beginning  at  the  bottom  of 
the  ladder.  Since  then  he  has  worked  his 
way  upward  to   his   present  position  of  propri- 


4o8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


etor  of  a  harness  shop  in  Greenville.  Mr. 
Eaton  is  also  profitably  engaged  in  farming 
on  his  estate  in  Mason  containing  forty-five 
acres  of  land.  Here  he  makes  a  specialty  of 
poultry  and  butter,  and  has  always  a  large 
flock  of  poultry.  On  June  3,  1874,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Flora  J.  Whitney,  a  daughter 
of  Milo  L.  Whitney,  of  Hookset,  N.H.  Their 
children  are:  Tracy  A.  and  Orin  W. 

Mr.  Eaton  is  a  member,  trustee,  and  the 
clerk  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  takes  an 
earnest  interest  in  politics,  voting  the  Re- 
publican ticket.  On  the  School  Board  he 
served  for  six  years,  and  he  has  been  Justice 
of  the  Peace  for  some  time.  The  fraternities 
in  which  he  has  membership  include  the 
Greenville  Masonic  Lodge,  Commandery  No. 
499  of  the  United  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross, 
in  vk-hich  he  has  held  the  highest  offices,  and 
Lodge  No.  20,  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen. 


APTAIN  EDMUND  P.  HUTCHIN- 
SON, who  has  been  identified  with 
the  leading  interests  of  Milford  for 
more  than  half  a  century,  first  as  a 
merchant  and  later  as  an  agriculturist,  is  one 
of  the  oldest  native-born  residents  of  the  town. 
Born  November  i,  18 18,  son  of  Reuben 
Hutchinson,  he  is  descended  from  Nathan 
Hutchinson,  one  of  five  brothers  who  came 
to  New  Hampshire  in  Colonial  days.  Of  the 
latter,  two  located  in  the  town  of  Milton, 
Strafford  County.  Nathan  and  the  other  two 
came  to  Milford.  His  son,  Reuben,  who  was 
a  native  of  Milford,  lived  here  all  his  life- 
time, chiefly  occupied  in  clearing  and  culti- 
vating his  land.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Lucy  Hutchinson,  was  likewise  a 
native  of  this  town.  She  bore  him  eleven 
children,  of  whom  three  are  now  living, 
namely:  Captain  Hutchinson,  the  subject  of 
this  biography;  Rebecca  P.,  the  wife  of 
C.  C.  Shaw;  and  Janet,  the  widow  of  the  late 
John  Marvell,  of  Milford.  The  father  was  a 
Jacksonian  Democrat.  He  attended  the  Bap- 
tist church. 

After  receiving  his  elementary  education  in 
the   common   schools   of   Milford,    Edmund   P. 


Hutchinson  attended  a  denominational  school 
in  Hancock,  N.H.,  controlled  by  the  Baptists. 
He  assisted  on  the  homestead  farm  after  attain- 
ing his  majority.  When  about  twenty-two 
years  old  he  was  commissioned  a  Captain  in 
the  P'ifth  Regiment  of  the  New  Hampshire 
militia,  and  for  four  years  thereafter  was  en- 
gaged in  mustering  and  training  militia  men. 
In  1844  Captain  Hutchinson  embarked  in  the 
hotel  business  at  Wilton,  N.H.,  in  company 
with  S.  N.  and  T.  C.  Center,  and  followed 
it  for  three  years  under  the  firm  name  of 
S.  N.  Center  &  Co.  Returning  then  to 
Milford,  he  kept  a  grocery  store  for  a  time. 
In  185 1  the  Captain  purchased  his  father's 
farm,  the  latter  having  been  then  somewhat 
enfeebled  by  age,  although  he  enjoyed  many 
years  of  life  after  that  time,  having  lived 
until  after  the  close  of  the  Rebellion.  From 
that  time  until  the  present  Captain  Hutchin- 
son has  been  profitably  engaged  in  general 
farming  after  the  most  approved  methods. 
He  has  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land, 
which  in  point  of  improvements  and  appoint- 
ments compares  favorably  with  any  estate  in 
this  locality.  He  has  also  carried  on  an  ex- 
tensive auctioneer  business  for  forty-five  years. 
The  marriage  of  Captain  E.  P.  Hutchinson 
with  Miss  Maria  L.  Center  was  performed 
April  6,  1846.  Mrs.  Hutchinson  was  born 
in  Greenfield,  this  State,  daughter  of  Jonas 
and  Sarah  (Tay)  Center,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Woburn,  Mass.  When  she  was  a 
child  of  four  years,  her  parents  removed  to 
Wilton,  Hillsboro  County,  where  she  lived 
until  after  her  marriage.  Four  children  have 
been  born  to  Captain  and  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  of 
whom  Frank  E.  and  Francella  M.  are  living. 
The  Captain  is  quite  prominent  in  Masonic 
circles,  belonging  to  Clinton  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  Wilton,  and  to  King  Solomon's 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  of  Milford.  In  politics 
he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Democratic 
party. 


ILL    J.    MOWER,    one   of  the   most 
prosperous  farmers   of   East   faffrey. 
Cheshire   County,  was   born    in  this 
town,  June  23,   1855,  son  of  Liberty  and  Mary 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


409 


Ann  (l?Liss)  Mower.  His  grandfather,  Josiah 
Mower,  who  was  a  native  of  Topsfield,  Mass., 
came  to  Jaffrey  in  early  life,  and  followed 
general  farming  here  for  the  rest  of  his  active 
years.  Josiah  reared  a  family  of  six  children; 
namely.  Liberty,  Josiah,  Oilman,  Watson, 
Rebecca,  and  Sarah. 

Liberty  Mower,  father  of  Will  J.,  was  born 
in  Jaffrey,  January  27,  1803.  He  resided  in 
Massachusetts  a  few  years,  but  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  was  spent  upon  a  farm  in  his 
native  town;  and  he  died  in  1888.  He  was 
active  in  military  affairs,  being  known  as 
Captain  Mower;  and  he  was  a  Deacon  of  the 
Congregational  church.  He  married  for  his 
first  wife  Emily  Buss,  and  for  his  second, 
Mary  Ann  Buss,  both  of  whom  were  daughters 
of  Samuel  Buss,  of  Jaffrey,  the  second  wife 
being  born  in  18 17.  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Mower 
became  the  mother  of  three  children  —  Ellen 
E.,  Samuel  H.,  and  Will  J.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Ellen  E  who  married  VVilliam 
Moore,  resides  in  Peterboro,  N.H.,  and  has 
four  children.  Samuel  IL,  who  lives  in 
Jaffrey,  married  Vinnie  Carter,  and  has  had 
three  children,  one  of  whom,  a  daughter,  sur- 
vives. The  mother,  Mrs.  Mower,  died  in 
1889. 

Will  J.  Mower  acquired  his  education  in 
his  native  town,  and  since  early  manhood  has 
given  his  attention  to  farming.  He  is  en- 
gaged chiefly  in  dairying,  and  is  one  of  the 
largest  milk  dealers  in  this  section.  He  is 
also  a  leading  spirit  in  public  affairs,  having 
served  as  Selectman,  Town  Auditor,  and  in 
other  town  offices.  He  is  connected  with  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry.  In  religion  a  Con- 
gregational ist,  he  is  a  member  of  that  church. 

Mr.  Mower  married  Mary  A.  Sawyer,  who 
was  born  September  30,  1855,  a  daughter  of 
Alfred  Sawyer,  of  Jaffrey. 


REEMAN  W.  RUSSELL,  an  esteemed 
resident  of  Peering,  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington, N.H.,  October  26,  1829,  son 
of  Amos  and  Sarah  (Meades)  Russell.  His 
grandfather  was  Ephraim  Russell,  a  native  of 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  who  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and   kept  a  store  in  that  town.      Ephraim 


married  a  Miss  Erost,  of  Cambridge,  who  bore 
him  nine  children,  none  of  whom  are  living. 

Amos  Russell,  the  youngest  child  of  ]'"]ihraini, 
was  born  in  Cambridge,  August  18,  1791. 
When  a  young  man  he  went  to  Mason,  N.H. 
A  short  time  later  he  and  his  brother  Stejihen 
took  up  a  farm  in  Washington,  erected  a  saw 
and  grist  mill,  and  tilled  the  soil  for  the  rest 
of  his  active  period.  His  death  occurred  Oc- 
tober 30,  1883,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years 
and  two  months.  An  industrious  and  ener- 
getic man,  he  made  the  most  of  his  opportu- 
nities, and  acquired  a  good  estate.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Whig.  In  the  capacity  of  Selectman 
of  the  town  and  that  of  its  Representative  to 
the  legislature  he  labored  diligently  for  the 
general  welfare  of  the  community.  For  many 
years  he  was  Deacon  of  the  Christian  church. 
His  wife,  Sarah,  was  a  daughter  of  Stephen 
Meades,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Washing- 
ton, where  he  took  up  and  cleared  a  quarter- 
section  of  government  land.  She  became  the 
mother  of  si.x  children,  of  whom  Hiram,  Free- 
man W. ,  George,  and  Elvira  R.  are  living. 
Hiram  married  Lucy  Miller,  of  Washington, 
and  has  one  son,  Arthur  M.  George,  who  has 
been  three  times  married,  by  his  first  wife, 
Mary  Ann  Huntly  Russell,  has  two  children  — 
Georgina  and  Marrian.  His  second  and  third 
marriages  were  contracted,  respectively,  with 
Juliette  Chappell  and  Nancy  Farnsworth,  of 
Washington.  Elvira  R.  Russell  is  the  wife  of 
Stephen  M.  Farnsworth,  of  Washington;  and 
her  children  are:  Eldora  and  P2vis.  Mrs. 
Nancy  Russell  died  March  2,  1S75,  aged 
seventy-nine  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church. 

Freeman  W.  Russell  completed  his  educa- 
tion at  Tubbs  Academy  in  Washington. 
Then  he  went  to  Nashua,  N.H.,  where  he  was 
employed  in  a  grocery  store  for  four  years. 
From  Nashua  he  went  to  Boston ;  and,  after 
clerking  in  a  wholesale  grocery  store  there  for 
two  years,  he  spent  the  ne.xt  four  years  selling 
agricultural  implements  through  the  Western 
States.  After  his  marriage,  in  partnership 
with  Leander  Willey,  forming  the  firm  of 
Russell  &  Willey,  he  did  a  good  business  in 
fruit  for  twenty-eight  years.  Withdrawing 
from  that  concern,    he  was  for    several    years 


4IO 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


travelling  representative  for  Sawtelle  &  Pratt, 
of  Boston,  importers  anil  wholesale  dealers  in 
foreign  and  domestic  fruits.  Then  he  retired 
to  the  old  and  pleasant  homestead  of  his  wife, 
remodelled  and  fitted  the  buildings  to  their 
convenience  and  taste,  and  has  resided  there 
since.  His  other  improvements  have  made 
the  place  one  of  the  best  tilled  farms  in  the 
town.  On  April  20,  1858,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Lucinda  Q.  Mills,  of  Deering. 
In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  a 
firm  believer  in  the  tariff.  Roth  he  and  Mrs. 
Russell  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church. 


NUREW    J.    WALBRIDGE,    a   promi- 
nent  business    man    of    Peterboro  and 


a  member  of  the  firm  Wal bridge  & 
Taylor,  was  born  in  Randolph,  Vt., 
July  I,  1845,  son  of  Hiram  and  Lucy  M. 
(Fisk)  Walbridge.  The  first  of  the  name  in 
this  country  was  Henry  Walbridge,  of  Nor- 
wich, Conn.,  a  seventh  son.  The  town  records 
of  Preston,  Conn.,  show  that  on  the  25th 
of  December,  1688,  Henry  Walbridge  was 
married  to  Anna  Ames,  of  that  place.  Both 
he  and  his  brother  William,  of  Devonshire, 
England,  took  part  in  the  Monmouth  Rebellion 
against  King  James  II.,  and  on  its  failure 
{\ed  to  this  country.  Thirteen  of  the  family 
are  known  to  have  fought  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Prominent  among  these  was  General 
Ebenezer  Walbridge,  of  Bennington,  Vt.  Five 
of  the  family  served  in  the  War  of  1812,  while 
thirty-three  of  the  name  fought  for  the  Union 
in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Henry's  son, 
Ames,  was  the  father  of  Eliezer,  who,  born 
about  the  year  1743,  married  Abigail  Wash- 
burne,  and  in  1787  removed  to  Randolph,  Vt. , 
where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  Eliezer's 
son,  William  Walbridge,  the  grandfather  of 
Andrew  J.,  owned  and  cultivated  a  good  farm 
in  Brookfield,  Vt.,  and  lived  to  an  advanced 
age.  William  successively  married  Hannah 
and  Fanny  Parish,  who  were  sisters.  By  the 
first  marriage  he  had  three  children  —  Will- 
iam, Hiram,  and  Hannah.  His  second  wife 
bore  him  seven  children,  of  whom  three  died 
in   childhood.      Two  of    his  children  are  now 


living,  namely:  Tucinda,  who  is  the  widow  of 
Otis  VV.  Smith,  and  resides  in  Brookfield,  Vt.  ; 
and  Fanny,  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  William  S. 
Palmer,  D.  D.,  of  Norwich,  Conn. 

Hiram  Walbridge,  the  father  of  Andrew  J., 
was  born  in  Brookfield,  Vt.  When  a  young 
man  he  setted  in  Randolph,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1850.  Then  he  moved 
to  Ro.xbury,  Vt. ,  and  there  resided  for  the  rest 
of  his  life.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  for 
many  years  he  acted  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
He  was  an  estimable  and  worthy  man,  and  his 
prosperity  was  the  result  of  industry  and  toil. 
His  wife,  Lucy  M.,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Ezra  Fisk,  of  Killingly,  Conn.,  became  the 
mother  of  five  sons — Charles  D.,  the  Rev. 
William  Henry,  George  L.,  Andrew  J.,  and 
Albert  D.  Charles  D.  married  Vilora  M. 
Wiley,  of  Ro.xbury,  for  his  first  wife,  of  whose 
children  Charles  L.  is  living.  For  his  second 
wife  he  married  Mrs.  Carrie  Butler  Ward,  who 
bore  him  three  children,  namely — Winnifred, 
I-lthel,  and  Victor.  The  Rev.  William  Henry 
Walbridge,  who  served  in  the  Civil  War  with 
the  Si.xteenth  Massachusetts  Battery,  is  now  a 
Unitarian  minister  in  Rochester,  N.  H.  He 
married  Fanny  Burnham,  who  died  leaving 
three  children  —  Palmer  B. ,  Charles  V.,  and 
Lucy  M.  George  L.  married  Celia  A.  Pren- 
tiss, of  Waitsfield,  Vt. ,  and  has  two  children 
—  Edith  and  Mattie.  Albert  D.,  who  was 
born  in  June,  1849,  died  in  March,  1876.  He 
married  Jennie  S.  Smith,  of  Roxbury,  who  is 
now  the  wife  of  Judge  Zed  S.  Stanton,  of  that 
town.  Mrs.  Hiram  Walbridge  lived  to  be 
sixty-three  years  old. 

Andrew  J.  Walbridge  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Roxbury.  After  completing  his 
studies,  he  was  for  five  years  employed  in 
farming.  He  next  entered  the  service  of  the 
Vermont  Central  Railroad  Company  as  assist- 
ant station  agent  in  Roxbury,  and  continued 
in  that  capacity  for  two  years.  Beginning  in 
1872,  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  general  store  of  Rox- 
bury for  ten  years.  In  1882  he  came  to  Peter- 
boro, and  formed  a  partnership  with  his  present 
business  associate,  Mr.  E.  H.  Taylor,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Walbridge  &  Taylor.  They  carry 
a  large  stock  of  general  merchandise,  and  have 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


4' 


had  a  thriving  trade  since  starting  in  business. 
In  1888  they  bought  the  old  stone  grist-mill, 
which  they  have  improved  and  are  now  oper- 
ating. They  also  have  erected  and  carry  on 
a  shoe  factory. 

On  June  15,  1880,  Mr.  Walbridge  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Hattie  J.  Bimiham,  daughter 
of  Edwin  P.  Burnhani,  of  Ro.xbury,  by  whom 
he  has  become  the  father  of  two  children. 
These  are:  Carey  A.,  born  May  14,  1882;  and 
Robert  E.,  born  August  2,  1S88.  In  politics 
Mr.  Walbridge  acts  with  the  Republican  party, 
is  quite  prominent  in  public  affairs,  and  has 
been  a  Water  Commissioner  since  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Board  in  1S96.  He  is  a  trustee 
of  Peterboro  Lodge,  No.  15,  I.  O.  O.  F.  One 
of  the  progressive  men  of  Peterboro,  he  fully 
merits  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held.  Mr. 
Walbridge  attends  the  Unitarian  church. 


■OHN  O.  A.  CALDWELL,  a  farmer 
of  New  Boston,  was  born  here,  Novem- 
ber 9,  1824,  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah 
B.  (Sprague)  Caldwell.  His  grand- 
father, David  Caldwell,  with  his  brother 
Matthew,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
town,  in  the  eastern  part  of  which  they  took 
up  wild  land.  David  Caldwell,  who  was  a 
sturdy  man,  lived  to  a  fair  age.  His  son  Sam- 
uel was  born  in  New  Boston  in  1793,  where  he 
spent  his  life.  He  was  Captain  of  the  old 
artillery  company  there,  and  a  prominent 
man  in  the  town.  He  married  .Sarah  B. 
Sprague.  At  his  death  he  was  but  thirty  si. x 
years  old.  His  wife  lived  to  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-one  years,  si.x  months,  and  twenty- 
four  days.  They  had  four  children  —  Martha 
M.,  John  Q.  A.,  Sarah  E.,  and  Samuel  B. 
Martha  M.  married  a  Mr.  Butterfield,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  Sarah  E. 
married  George  Butterfield,  and  at  present  is 
residing  in  Bedford.  Samuel  B.  died  in  Cali- 
fornia about  the  year  1851. 

John  O.  A.  Caldwell  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  town.  He  has  since 
followed  general  farming  and  resided  on  the 
home  farm,  which  has  been  in  the  family  since 
the  early  settlement  of  the  town.  His  mother 
remained  there  with  him  until  her  death.      He 


has  remodelled  and  enlarged  the  buildings. 
The  farm,  now  containing  about  two  hundred 
and  si.xty  acres  of  land,  is  one  of  the  most  pict- 
uresque places  in  the  town.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat,  but  has  never  held  public  office. 
On  October  2,  1856,  Mr.  Caldwell  married 
Mercie  J.  Hall,  who  was  born  in  Chester, 
N.  H.,  February  6,  1829,  daughter  of  Moses 
and  Mary  (Cochran)  Hall.  Her  grandfather 
married  Lois  Atwood,  of  Haverhill,  who  was 
a  sister  of  Moses  Atwood,  of  whom  Harriett 
Newell,  one  of  the  first  missionaries  to  go  to 
India  from  this  country,  was  a  daughter.  Mrs. 
Caldwell's  mother  was  a  sister  of  the  Hon. 
Clark  B.  Cochran,  of  Albany,  N. Y. ,  who 
was  formerly  a  member  of  Congress.  She  was 
educated  at  Atkinson  Academy  and  Meredith 
Bridge.  They  have  four  children,  as  follows: 
George  O.,  born  June  29,  1857;  Lizzie  Re- 
becca, June  30,  1859;  Mary  A.,  July  24, 
1861  ;  and  Helen  M.,  June  16,  1S65.  The 
son  completed  his  education  at  McCollom 
Institute  at  Mont  Vernon,  and  the  daugh- 
ters at  Pinkerton  Academy  at  Derry,  N.  H. 
George  O.  married  Mary  A.  W^hittemore,  and 
is  the  father  of  four  children  —  Charles  B. , 
Ouincy  J.,  Mabel  A.,  and  William  B.  Lizzie 
Rebecca  is  the  wife  of  Fred  S.  Pillsbury,  of 
Derry,  N.  H.,  and  they  have  had  two  children 
—  Hobart  B.  and  Lillian  M.  The  latter  is 
now  deceased.  Mary  A.  married  George  Hall, 
of  Pittsfield,  N.  H.,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren—  Ouincy  R.,  Everett,  and  Ruth.  Helen 
married  Edward  Davis,  and  at  present  is  re- 
siding in  Raymond,  having  one  child,  Helen 
Beatrice.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Caldwell  both  attend 
the  Congregational  church.  A  Caldwell  fam- 
ily together  with  the  Campbells  and  Warrens 
were  among  the  very  first  settlers  of  New  Bos- 
ton. Mr.  Caldwell  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
spected citizens  of  the  town. 


01  ENRY  HOOKER,  who  lived  to  be 
^-1  past  ninety  years  of  age,  a  venerable 
j:^  I  and  much  respected  citizen  of  Hins- 

dale, N.  H.,  was  born  July  5,   I79r, 


in  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  son  of  Seth  and  Abi- 
gail (Gay)  Hooker.  His  father  was  a  son  of 
the  Rev.  John  Hooker,  who  was  born  in    1729, 


412 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


(Yale  College,  1751),  and  was  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  Northampton,  Mass., 
from  December,  1753,  till  his  death  from 
small-pox  in  February,  1777.  The  inscription 
on  his  monument  says,  "  In  him  an  excellent 
and  cultivated  genius,  engaging  manners,  and 
the  temper  of  the  gospel  combined  to  form  an 
able  and  faithful  minister,  and  to  render  him 
exemplary  and  beloved  in  all  the  relations  of 
life."  [See  Sprague's  "Annals  of  the  Amer- 
ican Pulpit,"  vol.  i.] 

The  Rev.  John  Hooker  was  a  grandson  of 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Hooker,  of  Farmington, 
Conn.,  and  great-grandson  of  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Hooker,  the  founder  of  the  Connecticut  Col- 
ony, and  pastor  of  the  First  Church  at  Hart- 
ford, 1636-47.  This  distinguished  divine, 
as  is  well  known  to  all  who  are  familiar  with 
the  early  history  of  New  England,  took  a 
prominent  part  in  affairs  of  Church  and  State. 
His  death  from  an  epidemic  in  July,  1647, 
was  much  lamented.  He  was  eulogized  as  the 
"incomparable  Hooker,"  a  "great  light,"  a 
"  man  in  whom  learning  and  wisdom  were 
tempered  with  zeal,  holiness,  and  watchful- 
ness."-[See  Sprague's  "Annals,"  vol.  i.,  also 
"Thomas  Hooker,"  in  "Makers  of  America" 
Series.]  As  a  pioneer  of  civil  and  religious 
freedom  his  memory  is  justly  honored. 

Seth  Hooker,  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Hooker, 
followed  the  life  of  a  farmer.  He  was  a 
worthy  citizen,  and  held  a  high  place  in  the 
esteem  of  his  fellow-townsmen.  His  wife, 
Abigail,  was  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Bunker 
Gay,  the  first  settled  minister  at  Hinsdale, 
N.  H.  Their  children  were:  Sally  Gay, 
Henry,  Abigail  P.,  George,  Delia,  and  Bunker 
G.  Henry  Hooker  worked  for  many  years  at 
the  wheelwright's  trade,  but  finally  gave  it  up 
for  farming.  He  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Congregational  church.  He  married  Octo- 
ber 23,  1S16,  I\Iary  Daggett,  of  Westmoreland, 
by  whom  he  had  the  following  children : 
Amelia  P.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Julia  W., 
who  married  Henry  M.  Jones;  George  Pren- 
tice; Charles  Gay;  Anson  Cary ;  Henry  Clay; 
Almira  A.  ;  and    Minnie   S. 

George  P.  Hooker,  a  farmer  and  a  repre- 
sentative citizen  of  Hinsdale,  has  held  many 
town   ofifices. 


SThoi 


HOMAS  A.  HASTINGS,  one  of  the 
*  I  representative  business  men  of  East 
Sullivan,  Cheshire  County,  was  born  in 
Sullivan,  this  county,  August  25,  1S50,  son  of 
William  and  Lestina  (Emerson)  Hastings. 
His  grandfather,  Benjamin  Hastings,  who 
came  from  Massachusetts,  settled  in  Sullivan, 
and  was  an  industrious  farmer. 

W'illiam  Hastings,  father  of  Thomas  A., 
was  born  in  Bolton,  Mass.,  and  reared  in  the 
town  of  Sullivan,  this  county,  where  he  subse- 
quently cultivated  a  farm.  His  family  con- 
sisted of  eleven  children;  namely,  Experience, 
Nancy,  Mary,  Lestina,  Almeda,  Arvilla, 
Benjamin,  Thomas,  Thomas  A.,  William,  and 
another  who  died  in  infancy. 

Thomas  A.  Hastings  received  his  elementary 
education  in  the  schools  of  Sullivan,  and  com- 
pleted his  studies  at  the  academy  in  Marlow. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lum- 
ber, including  building  material  and  chair 
stock,  which  business  he  still  follows,  besides 
operating  a  grist-mill.  Aside  from  his  manu- 
facturing enterprises  he  carries  on  a  large 
farm,  and  is  an  extensive  raiser  of  cattle.  He 
is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  the  Improved  Order  of  Red 
Men,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Patrons 
of  Husbandry.  In  his  religious  belief  he  is  a 
Congregationalist. 

Mr.  Hastings  married  Ida  P.  Hale,  who  was 
born  June  30,  1857,  at  Littleton,  Mass., 
daughter  of  Cummings  Hale,  of  Weston,  Vt. 
Mrs.  Hastings  is  the  mother  of  seven  children 
—  Benjamin  A.,  Lestina  P.,  William  A., 
Harry  C,  Nettie  A.,  Mary  A.,  and  Nellie  M. 


LIVER  H.  HIGGIXS  is  a  well-known 
business  man  and  town  officer  of  Hins- 
dale. Cheshire  County.  N.  H.  He  was 
born  in  Dummerston,  \'t.,  January  13, 
1828,  son  of  Alpheus,  Jr.,  and  Rebecca 
(Thomas)  Higgins.  His  grandfather,  Al- 
pheus, Sr. ,  formerly  lived  in  Hartland,  Vt. , 
whence  he  removed  to  Dummerston,  and  after- 
ward to  Londonderry,  in  the  same  State,  where 
he  died.  He  had  six  children — Alpheus, 
Harvey,  Horace,  Nancy,  Julia,  and  Phcebe. 
His    son    Alpheus    was    born    in    Hartland, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


413 


April  14,  iSoo.  He  was  a  stone  mason  by 
trade,  but  engaged  variously  in  farming,  lum- 
bering, and  jobbing  in  Dummerston,  where  he 
lived  for  twenty-eight  years.  He  was  an  old- 
line  Whig  and  afterward  a  Republican,  but 
never  sought  office.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  Hinsdale,  where  he 
lived  from  1833  until  1S52,  and  to  which  place 
he  returned  about  1862,  and  remained  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  August  10,   1S76. 

He  married  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Thomas, 
who  belonged  to  an  old  Hinsdale  family. 
They  had  si.\  children,  namely:  James,  born 
January  12,  1821,  who  married  first  January 
22,  1854,  Hannah  Berry,  and  second  October 
I,  1873,  Eunice  Thomas,  and  died  December 
22,  1892;  Henry,  born  January  8,  1824,  who 
married  November  26,  1851,  Typhena  D. 
Wood,  and  died  June  19,  1894;  Oliver  H.  ; 
Newman  L.,  born  January  5,  1833,  who  mar- 
ried November  i,  1855,  Ann  L.  Hunt;  Almira 
M.,  born  May  25,  1836,  who  married  Decem- 
ber 5,  1855,  William  W.  Perkins;  and  Ellen 
Frances,  who  was  born  September  29,  1839, 
and  died  June  5,  1878,  having  married  Sep- 
tember 22,  1864,  J.  S.  Adams,  who  had  been 
secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Education  of 
Vermont,  and  who  died  in  Florida.  It  is  a 
coincidence  that  the  four  boys  were  born  in 
the  month  of  Januar)',  their  birthdays  occur- 
ring between  the  fifth  and  thirteenth  days. 
The  mother  was  born  May  13,  1801.  She 
died  March  5,  1883. 

Oliver  H.,  the  third  son,  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  until  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
learning  from  him  much  of  the  stone  mason's 
work.  After  marriage  he  moved  with  his  wife 
to  Somerset,  Vt. ,  then  a  new  country,  where 
they  lived  for  two  years,  making  their  home  in 
a  log  house.  Mr.  Higgins  there  took  up  land 
to  the  e.xtent  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres, 
twenty  of  which  had  been  chopped  over  and 
burned.  Removing  thence  to  Mendon,  Vt. ,  he 
engaged  in  lumbering  in  the  woods  for  a  year's 
time.  He  subsequently  tried  life  in  Illinois, 
working  at  the  carpenter's  trade;  but  ague  at- 
tacked him,  and  he  returned  to  Vermont,  going 
into  the  tannery  in  Rutland,  and  spending  two 
years  there.  He  finally  settled  permanently 
in  Hinsdale,  and  has  since  given  his  attention 


to  various  kinds  of  busines.s,  including  general 
jobbing,  such  as  stone  work  and  moving  build- 
ings. As  a  contractor,  employing  from  eight 
to  twenty  men,  he  has  been  extensively  en- 
gaged on  work  requiring  the  skill  of  a  stone 
mason,  constructing  abutments  of  bridges  and 
laying  the  foundations  of  the  best  buildings  of 
the  place,  among  them  the  town  hall  and  some 
of  the  largest  mills,  similar  structures  in  other 
towns  also  bearing  witness  to  his  diligence 
and  capacity.  Mr.  Higgins  was  in  the  livery 
business  for  eighteen  years,  and  he  carried  on 
the  ice  business  formerly  owned  by  Mr.  N.  M. 
Worden  for  one  year,  and  in  company  with 
Mr.  Worden  he  bought  lots  extensively  for 
lumber;  in  fact,  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  in  the  winter  time  for  more 
than  twenty  years. 

He  married  April  9,  1850,  Harriet  A. 
Fisher,  born  in  Hinsdale,  April  25,  1831, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Rhoda  (Peck)  Fisher, 
of  Westminster,  Vt.  Her  father  was  born 
August  12,  1796.  He  had  three  children  — 
Harriet  A.,  John  R.,  and  Mira  P.  John  R., 
born  November  18,  1832,  married  first  Deney 
D.  Davis,  November  29,  1854,  married  second 
Abbie  L.  Nichols,  September  5,  1867,  and 
married  third  July  4,  1878,  Elizabeth  N. 
Lock.  Mira  P.  Fisher,  born  November  28, 
1839,  inarried  Clement  S.  Miner,  August  28, 
1858,  and  died  January  11,  1891. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higgins  have  had  four  chil- 
dren—  Alfred  H.,  Orson  S. ,  Hattie  C,  and 
Rest  A.  Alfred  H.  Higgins,  born  in  Somer- 
set, Vt.,  March  17,  1S51,  married  July  8, 
1874,  Cora  Noyes,  and  is  now  living  in  Den- 
ver, Col.  Orson  S. ,  born  in  Mendon,  Vt. ,  May 
28,  1854,  married  May  31,  1877,  Ida  M.  Sli- 
field,  and  is  now  farming  in  Hinsdale.  Hat- 
tie  C,,  born  in  Hinsdale,  March  23,  1S60, 
married  C.  Herbert  Bolton,  and  died  April  6, 
1890.  Rest  A.,  born  in  Hinsdale  April  6, 
1865,  married  May  i,  1889,  Ralph  E.  .Metcalf. 

Mr.  Higgins  has  been  highly  influential  in 
town  affairs,  having  held  the  office  of  Select- 
man for  some  years.  He  served  on  the  build- 
ing committee  for  the  town  hall,  and,  serving 
as  Highway  Surveyor  for  a  longer  period  than 
any  other  man  in  town,  has  done  much  work  in 
road  building  and  repairing.      He  takes  an  ac- 


414 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


tive  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  has  been  sexton  of  the 
Cemetery  Association  for  fifteen  years  past. 


ERLKY  W.  DODGE,*  a  well-lvnown 
citizen  of  Amherst,  N.H.^  was  born 
in  this  town  on  March  28,  1839. 
He  comes  of  good  stock  on  both  the 
paternal  and  maternal  sides,  being  descended 
from  two  of  Hillsboro  County's  honored  and 
respected  families. 

Mr.  Dodge's  father,  the  late  Perley  Dodge, 
was  born  May  17,  1799,  in  Francestown, 
N.  H.,  son  of  William  and  Rachel  (Poland) 
Dodge,  substantial  members  of  the  farming 
community  in  which  they  lived.  When  six- 
teen years  old  he  left  home  to  continue  his 
higher  education,  and  in  1824  was  graduated 
at  Union  College,  Schenectady,  N.Y.  He 
subsequently  studied  law  with  Titus  Brown, 
of  Francestown,  and  later  with  Nehemiah 
Eastman,  of  Farmington,  this  State.  Ad- 
mitted to  the  New  Hampshire  bar  in  October, 
1827,  he  immediately  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  with  his  former  instructor, 
Titus  Brown,  at  Francestown  and  New  Bos- 
ton, their  partnership  continuing  until  1832. 
In  that  year  he  removed  to  Amherst,  where  he 
resided  until  his  demise,  April  i,  1888,  build- 
ing up  an  excellent  practice,  and  establishing 
a  reputation  for  professional  skill  and  knowl- 
edge second  to  none  other  in  this  section  of 
the  State.  In  1839  he  was  appointed  Clerk 
of  Hillsboro  County,  a  position  which  he 
faithfully  and  ably  filled  until  March,  1857, 
during  that  long  term  of  service  taking  every 
verdict  from  the  jury  with  one  exception,  the 
omission  on  that  occasion  having  been  caused 
by  his  illness.  Resuming  his  private  practice 
in  1857,  he  continued  actively  engaged  during 
the  remainder  of  his  years,  his  record  from  his 
admission  to  the  bar  until  his  death  showing 
that  he  attended  every  court  of  record  in  the 
county  during  his  years  of  professional  labor. 
He  was  a  calm,  dignified,  plain-spoken  man, 
possessing  much  firmness  and  decision  of  char- 
acter, and  endowed  with  a  clear  judgment  and 
comprehensive  intelligence,  conservative  in 
his  views,  and  ever  in  hearty  sympathy  with 


whatever  tended  to  elevate  the  mental  and 
moral  tone  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lived  and  of  society  in  general.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  elected  from 
Amherst  as  a  Representative  to  the  General 
Court  in  1837  and  again  in  1853  and  1854, 
in  1853  serving  as  chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Banks  and  the  following  year  as  chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Railroads. 

Perley  Dodge  married  May  31,  1831,  Miss 
Harriet  Woodbury,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon. 
Peter  Woodbury,  of  Francestown,  N.H.,  and 
a  sister  of  the  late  Judge  Levi  Woodbury,  of 
Portsmouth.  Of  this  union  were  born  three 
children:  Martha  W.,  Perley  W.,  and  Charles 
W. ,  now  a  merchant  in  Nashua.  The  mother 
died  February  11,  1887.  Charles  W.  Dodge, 
an  enterprising  and  public-spirited  man,  was 
for  some  time  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of 
Amherst  and  for  many  years  a  member  of  the 
Society  for  Village  Improvement.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  pursuits  in  Amherst  and 
in  New  Boston  prior  to  his  removal  to  Nashua, 
and  in  both  places  served  as  Postmaster.  In 
politics,  like  his  father  and  brother,  he  afifili- 
ates  with  the  Democratic  party. 

Perley  W.  Dodge  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Amherst  until  twelve  years  old, 
when  he  was  sent  from  home  to  further  con- 
tinue his  studies,  first  at  the  academy  in 
Francestown,  then  in  New  Ipswich,  and  sub- 
sequently at  Comer's  Commercial  College  of 
Boston,  Mass.,  where  he  was  graduated. 
When  about  eighteen  years  old  he  became  a 
clerk  for  Mr.  C.  B.  Tuttle,  of  this  town,  re- 
maining with  him  for  a  time,  and  then  going 
to  Boston,  where  he  became  clerk  and  book- 
keeper for  a  mercantile  house.  Mr.  Dodge 
subsequently  returned  to  Amherst,  and  for  some 
fifteen  years  assisted  his  father  in  a  clerical 
capacity,  and  during  the  season  opened  his 
house  for  the  reception  of  summer  boarders. 

On  August  13,  1863,  Mr.  Dodge  married 
Miss  Sophia  E.  Phelps,  daughter  of  the  late 
Horace  Phelps,  of  Amherst,  N.  H.  They  have 
one  son,  Charles  P.  Dodge,  a  resident  of 
Chester,  Vt.  Mrs.  Dodge  is  a  woman  of  rare 
ability  and  influence,  antl  is  prominently 
identified  with  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps, 
having   been   president   of  the  C.    H.    Phelps 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


415 


W.  R.  C;  and  for  a  year  she  had  the  dis- 
tinction of  serving  as  president  of  the  New 
Hampshire  State  W.  R.  C.  She  is  also  a 
niemijer  of  the  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Amherst  Board  of  Education.  Mr. 
Dodge  is  a  member  of  the  Amherst  Grange. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  attend  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  Both  are  held  in  high  estima- 
tion throughout  the  community;  and  their 
pleasant  home  is  the  centre  of  social  activity, 
being  an  attractive  place  of  resort  for  their 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


'AMES  A.  CRAIG,  M.D.,  a  popular 
physician  of  Westmoreland,  was  born 
in  Hebron,  N.Y.,  March  19,  1859, 
son  of  James  and  Mary  (White)  Craig. 
The  father,  having  begun  on  a  small  scale, 
ultimately  acquired  what  is  claimed  to  have 
been  the  largest  commission  business  in  the 
place  and  considerable  real  estate.  A  leading 
Democrat,  he  was  quite  influential  in  politics. 
By  his  first  wife,  Mary  White  Craig,  he  be- 
came the  father  of  James  A.  His  second  wife 
bore  him  two  sons  —  John  P.  and  Robert 
Henry. 

After  graduating  from  the  Hebron  High 
School,  James  A.  Craig  prepared  for  college 
at  the  Fort  Edward  Institute.  He  entered 
the  University  of  Vermont  at  Burlington  in 
1876,  and  graduated  in  1880  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Entering  the  Medical 
School  connected  with  that  University  in  1881, 
he  graduated  with  honors  in  1885.  Then  he 
came  to  Westmoreland,  succeeding  to  the  prac- 
tice of  Dr.  George  Chamberlain,  who  removed 
to  Nebraska.  Since  then  he  has  much  in- 
creased the  already  large  practice  of  his  pred- 
ecessor. 

On  October  21,  1885,  Dr.  Craig  married 
Emma  L.  Di.xon,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Di.xon, 
of  Argyle,  N.Y.  ;  and  during  Mrs.  Craig's  life 
no  party  was  considered  complete  without  the 
Doctor  and  his  wife.  The  Doctor,  who  has 
shown  an  aptitude  for  the  mimic  stage,  has 
taken  the  lead  in  arranging  and  rehearsing 
dramatic  entertainments.  The  death  of  his 
wife  in  1896,  a  severe  blow  to  her  large  circle 


of  friends,  was  an  irretrievable  loss  to  him. 
By  him  she  had  two  children  —  Meeda  J.  and 
Lyle  Linwood.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Cheshire  County  Medical  Society,  of  the  New 
Hampshire  State  Medical  Society,  and  of  the 
Connecticut  River  Valley  Medical  Society. 
He  has  served  for  seven  years  on  the  School 
Board,  has  been  its  chairman  for  two  years, 
and  is  the  Master  of  Westmoreland  Grange, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry.  His  townspeople 
would  gladly  honor  him  with  any  office  in 
their  power,  were  he  not  so  valuable  to  them 
as  a  physician  and  as  a  member  of  the  School 
Board.  Feeling  a  deep  interest  in  the  schools 
of  the  town,  he  has  given  much  thought  to  the 
best  way  of  raising  their  standard. 


ATHANIEL  TAY  McINTIRE,  one  of 
the   best   known   and   most    highly  re- 

\S  V  spected     citizens     of     Lyndebnro, 

N.H.,  Deacon  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  sometime  Treasurer  of  the 
town,  was  born  here  November  26,  1822,  son 
of  Elias  and  Elizabeth  (Bu.xton)  Mclntire. 
His  parents  were  natives  of  North  Reading, 
Mass.,  where  Philip  Mclntire,  the  founiler  of 
this  branch  of  the  family,  was  an  early  settler. 

Philip  Mclntire  had  a  son  David,  who  in 
17 12  married  Martha  Graves.  Their  son, 
David,  Jr.,  married  Margaret  Bu.xton,  of  Mid- 
dleton,  Mass.,  and  was  the  father  of  Elias 
Mclntire,  Sr. ,  who  married  for  his  first  wife 
Bethiah,  daughter  of  Jabez  Hayward,  of  An- 
dover,  Mass.,  and  for  his  second  wife  a  Miss 
Underwood,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children. 
He  settled  in  Stoddard,  N.H. 

Elias,  Jr.,  only  son  of  Elias,  Sr.,  and  Be- 
thiah (Hayward)  Mclntire,  was  born  on  No- 
vember 24,  1782.  Being  very  young  when  his 
mother  died,  he  was  brought  up  in  the  family 
of  an  uncle,  Nathaniel  Tay.  He  was  mar- 
ried April  5,  1806,  to  Elizabeth  Bu.xton, 
daughter  of  Stephen,  Jr.,  and  Phebe  (Stearns) 
Buxton,  and  grand-daughter  of  Stephen,  Sr., 
and  Mary  (Damon)  Buxton,  all  of  North 
Reading. 

Stephen  Bu.xton  served  five  days  as  a  private 
in  Captain  John  Bachellor's  company,  which 
marched  from  Reading  at  the  time  of  the  Eex- 


4i6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ington  alarm,  and,  enlisting  directly  after, 
April  24,  1775,  in  the  same  company,  was 
in  service  as  a  Revolutionary  soldier  three 
months  and  fourteen  days. 

After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elias  Mclntire, 
Jr.,  went  to  live  in  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  whence 
they  removed  to  Amherst,  N.H.  ;  and  on  Jan- 
uary I,  1820,  they  settled  in  Lyndeboro, 
where  he  bought  the  Kidder  place,  and  for 
considerably  more  than  half  a  century  was  ac- 
tively engaged  in  farming.  During  the  first 
year  or  two,  until  the  stage  route  was  changed, 
he  also  kept  a  tavern.  After  a  season  of  re- 
tirement from  daily  toil  and  cares  he  departed 
this  life  August  3,  1879,  aged  ninety-si.x 
years.  His  wife,  who  was  born  June  8,  1786, 
died  April  22,  1866.  They  were  faithful 
members  of  the  Congregational  church.  A 
man  of  strong  religious  convictions  and  of 
high  moral  principles,  he  was  one  of  the  earli- 
est to  join  the  temperance  ranks  and  abstain 
from  the  use  of  spirituous  liquor.  Six  chil- 
dren were  reared  by  Elias  and  Elizabeth  Mc- 
lntire, Nathaniel  T.,  the  fifth-born,  being  the 
only  survivor.  His  brothers  and  sisters,  who 
all  married  and  had  children,  were:  E.  How- 
ard; Caroline,  Mrs.  Kittredge;  Jane,  Mrs. 
Wood;  Rachel,  Mrs.  Todd;  and  Harvey 
Graves  Mclntire,  M.D.,  late  a  practising  phy- 
sician in  Concord,  N.H. 

Nathaniel  T.  Mclntire,  who  is  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  has  passed  all  his  life  at  the 
old  homestead,  beautiful  for  situation,  on  the 
side  of  Lyndeboro  Mountain,  where  he  was 
born.  He  has  a  good  farm  of  about  two  hun- 
dred acres,  tillage,  woodland,  and  pasture 
land,  with  a  maple  orchard  and  an  apple  or- 
chard bearing  abundant  fruit  in  its  season. 
One  tree  has  become  locally  famous  as  yield- 
ing a  curious  duplex  or  double-flavored  apple, 
one  side  sour  and  the  other  side  sweet. 

Mr.  Mclntire  was  married  April  12,  1848, 
to  Elizabeth  Bruce,  daughter  of  James  Bruce, 
of  Mont  Vernon,  N.H.,  and  grand-daughter  of 
the  Rev.  John  Bruce,  a  native  of  Marlboro, 
Mass.  (Dartmouth  College,  1781),  the  first 
.  settled  minister  of  Mont  Vernon.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mclntire  have  three  children:  Mary  C, 
born  February  28,  1851;  Lois  E.,  born  Octo- 
ber   II,    1854;   and    Herbert    Bruce    Mclntire, 


M.D.,  born  July  3,  1857.  Mary  C.  is  the 
wife  of  Jay  M.  Gleason,  of  Mont  Vernon, 
N.H.,  and  the  mother  of  two  children:  Er- 
nest, now  a  Senior  at  Dartmouth  College; 
and  Marion  E.  Herbert  B.  Mclntire  was 
graduated  at  the  medical  department  of  the 
University  of  the  City  of  New  York  in  1882, 
and  is  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Cambridge,  Mass.  He  mar-  ' 
ried  Mary  Ida  Woodward,  of  Marlow,  N.H. 
They  have  one  child,  Ruth. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Mclntire  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  church,  of  which  he 
has  been  a  Deacon  since  i860.  LTpright  and 
honorable  in  his  dealings,  sagacious  and  pru- 
dent in  counsel,  he  is  a  man  of  influence 
in  town  and  church  affairs.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  as  his  father  was  after  the 
dissolution  of  the  Whig  party.  P'or  fifteen 
years  Deacon  Mclntire  held  the  office  of  Town 
Treasurer,  and  for  several  years  he  served  as 
Selectman.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
grange. 


RED  A.  WRIGHT,  a  prominent  resi- 
dent of  Alstead  Centre  and  a  dealer 
in  real  estate,  was  born  in  Keene,  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1857,  son  of  George  and  Helen  S. 
(Bundy)  Wright.  His  grandfather,  Caleb 
Wright,  who  was  born  in  Walpole,  N.  H., 
moved  to  Keene  early  in  life  and  died  there. 
Caleb  carried  on  a  saw  and  grist  mill,  did 
much  general  farming,  and  traded  quite  ex- 
tensively in  Canadian  horses,  buying  for  the 
Boston  markets.  By  his  enterprise  and  gen- 
eral business  capacity  he  acquired  considera-. 
ble  property.  He  successively  married  Sarah 
Reed  and  Betsey  Le^'ourbeau.  His  first  wife 
had  fifteen  children,  of  whom  two  daughters 
died  young.  The  others  were  :  Calvin,  Eliza, 
Lorena,  Caroline,  Emmeline,  Lucy,  Mary 
Ann,  Ellen,  Martha,  Charles,  George,  Dan- 
iel, and  Fanny.  Caroline  and  Emmeline 
were  twins.  Fanny  married  Willard  Gay,  of 
Swanzey;  and  Dr.  George  W.  Gay,  of  Boston, 
is  their  son.  The  thirteen  named  are  all  liv- 
ing, the  oldest  being  eighty  years  of  age,  and 
the  youngest  fifty.  There  has  been  no  death 
in  the  family  for  a  period  of  fifty-three  years. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


417 


George  Wright,  born  in  Kecne  in  1828, 
who  has  been  a  farmer  throughout  his  active 
period,  now  resides  at  Gilsum.  He  has  been 
more  or  less  closely  connected  with  town 
affairs,  and  has  been,  and  is  still,  a  very  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  man.  Like  his 
father,  he  has  done  some  trading  in  good 
stock.  He  is  a  member  and  a  regular  attend- 
ant of  the  Congregational  Church  of  Gilsum, 
and  belongs  to  the  local  grange.  His  first 
marriage  was  made  with  Helen,  a  daughter  of 
Allen  Bundy,  of  Keene,  and  the  second  with 
Jane  E. ,  a  daughter  of  William  Smith,  of 
Springfield,  Vt.  The  first  wife,  who  was 
born  in  1837,  and  died  in  i860,  had  two  chil- 
dren —  P>ed  A.  and  George  E.  The  second 
wife  has  had  two  sons — -James  W.  and  John 
L.  George  E.  Wright,  born  in  September, 
1859,  lives  in  Alstead  and  works  with  his 
brother,  Fred  A.  He  is  a  machinist  by  trade, 
and  was  for  some  time  employed  at  Lynn, 
Mass.  His  wife,  in  maidenhood  Lenna 
Carer,  has  one  daughter,  Delia  M.  James 
W.  Wright,  who  is  clwf  in  a  large  hotel  of 
Keene,  married  Minnie  Damon,  and  has  no 
children.  John  L. ,  who  lives  in  Chelsea, 
Mass.,  has  been  on  the  staff  of  the  Boston 
Globe  for  many  years,  and  is  also  the  editor  of 
the  Chelsea  Gazette. 

Fred  A.  Wright  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Keene  and  Gilsum.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  learned  the  trade  of  machinist 
at  Bellows  Falls,  where  he  stayed  for  si.x 
years.  He  then  went  to  Peterboro  and  from 
there  to  Surry,  this  State,  where  he  was  on  a 
farm,  taking  care  of  his  wife's  mother  for  a 
year.  Seven  years  ago  he  came  to  Alstead, 
and  has  since  been  associated  with  real  estate 
agents  of  Boston  and  New  York  in  selling 
and  renting  summer  residences.  He  is  inter- 
ested in  the  firm  of  P.  F.  Leland,  of  1 1 3  Dev- 
onshire Street,  Boston,  and  carries  on  a  suc- 
cessful business,  being  known  as  a  man  who 
represents  things  exactly  for  what  they  are, 
and  as  handling  the  best  real  estate  in  this 
section.  He  married  Hattie  A.  Streeter, 
who  was  born  July  3,  1851,  daughter  of  Wil- 
lard  and  Mary  (Carpenter)  Streeter,  of  Surry. 
Mr.  Streeter  was  born  April  4,  181 7,  and 
died  April  28,   1878.      His  wife,  born  January 


24,  18 1 3,  died  October  8,  1S88.  Their  two 
children  were:  Hermon  O.  and  Hattie  A. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright  attend  the  Congrega- 
tional  church. 


-AMES    O.    REED,  Jr.,*    a    highly    es- 
teemed   citizen    of   Mason,   N.H.,   was 
born  in  New  Ipswich,  March  11,   1858, 
and  is  the  son  of  James  O.  and  Caroline 
R.  (Hildreth)  Reed. 

Mr.  Reed's  great-grandfather,  Oliver  Reed, 
was  a  farmer  of  Westford,  Mass.,  and  lived 
and  died  in  that  place.  His  children  by  his 
wife,  Abigail,  daughter  of  Samuel  Reed, 
were  four  in  number,  the  eldest  and  the  only 
son  was  Oliver,  Jr.,  grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  Oliver  Reed,  Jr.,  was  a  tanner 
by  occupation  He  lived  at  Townsend  Harbor 
and  was  a  successful  man  in  his  day.  He 
died  when  fifty-seven  years  old;  and  his  wife, 
Letty  Wilson,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years.  They  had  five  children,  three  of  whom, 
a  son  and  two  daughters,  are  now  living. 

The  son,  James  O.  Reed,  Sr. ,  was  born  at 
Townsend  Harbor,  Mass.,  October  16,  1819. 
In  his  early  days  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  country 
store,  and  after  gaining  some  business  experi- 
ence in  that  way  he  went  to  Boston  and 
worked  in  the  fiour  and  grain  business  for  a 
year.  He  then  removed  to  Stoddard,  N.H., 
and  went  into  trade,  remaining  there  three 
or  four  years,  going  at  the  end  of  that  time 
to  New  Ipswich,  where  he  stayed  until  1872. 
In  that  year  he  came  to  Mason,  and  in  1879 
he  purchased  the  estate  upon  which  he  now  re- 
sides. Mr.  Reed  owns  a  farm  of  about  a  hun- 
dred acres  and  other  land  besides.  While 
living  in  New  Ipswich  he  was  Collector  of 
Taxes.  He  is  a  member  of  Bethel  Lodge, 
F  &  A.  M.,  of  New  Ipswich. 

James  O.  Reed,  Jr.,  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  at  Mason  and  the  academy 
at  New  Ipswich,  and  has  supplemented  his 
early  training  by  reading  and  observation. 
He  has  always  been  interested  in  agriculture, 
and  has  taken  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  town. 
In  1893-94  he  served  as  Representative  to 
the  State  legislature,  and  he  has  been  Select- 
man   since    1884    with    the    exception   of   two 


4i8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


years.  He  is  at  the  present  time  chairman 
of  that  body,  and  has  been  for  the  last  seven 
years.  In  1881  Mr.  Reed  planted  four  acres 
with  Concord  grape-vines,  and  now  raises 
grapes  for  marketing.  He  also  carries  on 
considerable  lumbering  business. 


|LARK  CAMPBELL,*  a  prominent 
,,  citizen  of  Mont  Vernon  and  the  pres- 
is  ^  ent  United  States  Marshal  for  New 
Hampshire,  is  a  native  of  New  Bos- 
ton, Hillsboro  County,  N.  H.,  where  his  birth 
occurred  March  17,  1836.  His  parents  were 
Daniel  and  Sabrina  (Moor)  Campbell. 

The  Campbell  family  are  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  Robert  Campbell,  the  great-grand- 
father of  Clark,  came  from  Townsend,  Mass., 
to  New  Boston,  where  he  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and,  while  near  Ticondercga,  was  taken 
and  held  prisoner  for  a  time.  Thomas,  son  of 
Robert,  was  born  in  New  Boston,  and  spent 
his  life  there.  He  married  Ann  Clark.  His 
son  Daniel  became  one  of  the  leading  farmers 
of  New  Boston.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politi- 
cal views.  He  held  a  larger  part  of  the  town 
offices,  representing  New  Boston  in  the  New 
Hampshire  legislature  a  number  of  years,  and 
serving  as  Selectman  for  quite  a  length  of 
time,  besides  offices  of  minor  importance. 
His  first  wife,  Sabrina  Moor  Campbell,  was, 
like  himself,  a  native  of  New  Boston. 

In  early  boyhood  Clark  Campbell  attended 
the  common  schools  of  New  Boston ;  and  the 
knowledge  thus  acquired  was  supplemented  by 
a  brief  course  at  Appleton  Academy,  or  Mc- 
Collom  Institute,  as  it  is  now  known,  in  Mont 
Vernon.  The  first  business  in  which  he  en- 
gaged was  the  manufacture  of  sash  and  blinds 
at  Goffstown,  and  later  on  he  conducted  a 
grocery  and  meat  business  at  Mont  Vernon  and 
Milford.  Since  1870  he  has  resided  in  Mont 
Vernon  altogether,  successfully  carrying  on  a 
variety  of  enterprises,  keeping  hotel,  and  doing 
lumbering  and  farming. 

In  his  twenty-seventh  year,  on  November  27, 
1862,  Mr.  Campbell  married  Miss  Ann  A. 
Perkins,  who  was  born  in  Mont  Vernon,  a 
daughter  of  Hiram  and   Sophia  (Lamson)  Per- 


kins. Both  her  parents  were  natives  of  this 
town.  Her  great-great-grandfather,  James 
Woodbury,  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  white 
settler  in  Mont  Vernon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell have  but  one  child  living,  namely  —  Alice 
P.,  a  graduate  of  Wellesley  College,  now  en- 
gaged as  a  teacher  in  the  high  school  at  Mil- 
ford. 

Mr.  Campell  has  served  as  Representative 
from  Mont  Vernon  to  the  New  Hampshire  leg- 
islature. For  twenty-two  successive  years  he 
has  been  Treasurer  of  the  town,  and  he  has 
also  served  for  several  years  as  Town  Clerk. 
In  1894  he  was  appointed  United  States  Mar- 
shal, and  is  still  serving  in  that  capacity.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Milford. 
Before  her  marriage  Mrs.  Campbell  was  a 
school  teacher,  and  taught  eleven  terms  in  suc- 
cession here  in  Mont  Vernon.  She  also  taught 
in  other  places,  including  Goffstown,  Bedford, 
and  Wilton,  N.  H.,  and  East  Boston,  Mass. 
Since  her  marriage  she  has  continued  her  in- 
terest in  educational  matters,  and  is  now  serv- 
ing her  third  term  as  a  member  of  the  School 
Board.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  and 
daughter  have  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and  are 
prominent  in  social  circles. 


AMES  E.  RUFFLE,  a  successful  farmer 
of  Nelson,  Cheshire  County,  was  born 
in  Keene,  N.H.,  November  16,  1849, 
son  of  William  and  Abigail  (Tufts) 
Rufl3e.  The  father,  who  was  born  in  England 
in  1805,  and  was  one  of  a  large  family  of 
children,  was  a  glass-maker  by  trade.  Upon 
his  arrival  in  America  he  settled  in  Keene, 
where  he  died  in  1855.  His  wife,  Abigail, 
daughter  of  Zachariah  Tufts,  of  Keene,  be- 
came the  mother  of  thirteen  children  ;  namely, 
William,  Isabelle,  Charles,  George,  Sarah, 
Mary,  Samuel,  Benjamin,  Isabelle  (second), 
Henrietta,  Josiah,  Harriet,  and  James  E. 

James  E.  Ruffle  was  educated  at  Keene. 
After  completing  his  studies,  he  worked  for 
a  time  as  a  mechanic  in  Stoddard  and  Harris- 
ville,  N.H.  He  then  purchased  his  present 
farm  in  Nelson,  where  he  has  since  resided, 
industriously    and    successfully    occupied    in 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


419 


farming.  He  is  active  in  public  affairs, 
has  been  Surveyor,  Supervisor,  a  member  of 
the  Prudential  Committee,  and  a  Selectman 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  attends  the  Con- 
gregational church. 

Mr.  Ruffle  married  Electa  M.  Farvvell, 
who  was  born  May  16,  1852,  daughter  of  Da- 
rius and  Mary  (Bryant)  Farwell,  of  Harris- 
ville.  Mrs.  Ruffle's  parents,  now  eighty-eight 
and  eighty-two  years  old  respectively,  cele- 
brated in  i8g6  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their 
marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ruffle  have  been  the 
parents  of  four  children,  as  follows:  Idella  G., 
born  September  28,  1876,  who  died  May  7, 
1894;  an  infant  son,  born  October  14,  1878, 
who  died  October  29,  1878;  Ada  B.,  born 
October  2,  1880,  who  resides  at  home;  and 
Emo,  born  September  17,   1S84. 


|AJOR  JAMES  C.  FARVVELL,  a 
prosperous  general  merchant  of 
Chesterfield,  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War,  and  a  member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  legislature,  was  born  in  this 
town  November  17,  1832,  son  of  Alfred  and 
Cordelia  (Scott)  Farvvell.  He  is  a  descendant 
of  Oliver  Farwell,  who  settled  in  Chesterfield 
between  the  years  1770  and  1776.  Oliver's 
son,  Benjamin  Farwell,  the  great-grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  located  here  about 
the  year  1780.  Preston  Farwell,  Major  Far- 
well's  grandfather,  followed  the  carpenter's 
trade  in  this  town  during  his  active  years. 

Alfred  Farwell,  born  January  7,  1800,  son 
of  Preston,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Chester- 
field. When  a  young  man  he  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade.  He  was  a  very  capable  me- 
chanic, and  also  possessed  good  business 
ability,  which  he  applied  to  wool-carding  and 
lumbering  with  profitable  results.  While  fol- 
lowing his  trade,  he  assisted  in  erecting  the 
Union  church.  He  was  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent Universalists  of  this  section.  Being 
an  excellent  musician,  he  took  an  active  part 
in  the  musical  portion  of  the  church  services. 
His  wife,  Cordelia,  whom  he  married  October 
I,  1828,  was  a  daughter  of  Rodolphus  Scott. 
She  became  the  mother  of  three  children,  as 
follows:  Alfred  A.,  who  died   March  4,   1862; 


James  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Cor- 
delia M.,  who  married  George  R.  Carpenter. 

James  C.  Farwell  attended  school  in  his  na- 
tive town.  At  the  age  of  si.xtcen  he  became 
a  clerk  for  R.  B.  Griswell,  of  Holyoke,  Mass. 
A  .short  time  later  he  went  to  Ohio,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  clothing  business  on  his  own 
account.  When  nineteen  years  old  he  was 
the  proprietor  of  two  stores  located  in  adjoin- 
ing towns.  He  sold  out  his  entire  business  in 
1853,  after  which  he  was  engaged  in  the  same 
way  in  Shakopee,  Minn.,  for  four  years.  In 
1857  he  moved  to  Henderson,  Minn.,  where 
he  conducted  business  until  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  War.  Mr.  Farwell  was  one  of 
the  first  to  volunteer  for  the  defence  of  the 
Union.  He  enlisted  for  three  years  as  a  jni- 
vate  in  the  First  Minnesota  Regiment,  which 
was  mustered  in  April  29,  1861,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run.  He  has 
a  record  of  having  been  present  at  one  hundred 
different  engagements,  including  some  of  the 
most  decisive  battles  of  the  war.  Although  he 
served  throughout  the  entire  conflict,  he  es- 
caped bodily  injury,  and  his  name  was  not 
once  entered  upon  the  sick  list.  His  rise  from 
the  ranks  to  the  command  of  his  company  wa.s 
rapid,  he  receiving  each  successive  promotion 
for  gallant  conduct  upon  the  field;  and  he 
earned  the  reputation  of  being  a  discreet  as 
well  as  a  brave  officer.  During  the  action  at 
Boydton  Plank  Road,  Va.,  October  28,  1864, 
the  battalion  he  was  commanding  was  through 
some  mistake  left  in  a  dangerous  position  un- 
supported ;  but  through  his  usual  presence  of 
mind  and  bravery  he  not  only  extricated  his 
command  from  its  perilous  position,  but  with 
it  at  the  same  time  captured  four  hundred 
prisoners,  a  force  greatly  outnumbering  his 
own.  For  this  display  of  gallantry  he  was 
summoned  to  the  tent  of  General  Hancock, 
who  complimented  him  highly;  and  as  a  re- 
sult Captain  Farwell  received  from  the  War 
Department  the  brevet  of  Major,  signed  by 
President  Lincoln,  with  the  advice  and  con- 
sent of  the  House  and  Senate,  and  dated  Octo- 
ber 28,  1864.  At  the  expiration  of  his  first 
.  term  of  service  there  were  but  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  the  original  quota  of  the  First 
Regiment  left.     Major  F'arwell  re-enlisted  with 


420 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


the  majority  of  the  survivors;  and,  reporting 
for  duty  at  Washington,  he  was  commissioned 
Senior  Captain  and  ordered  to  join  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  with  which  he  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  After  his  discharge  he  re- 
turned to  Chesterfield,  and  opened  a  general 
merchandise  store  at  Factory  Village,  which  he 
has  since  prosperously  conducted. 

Mr.  Farwell  married  Sarah  Gay,  a  daughter 
of  William  Gay.  They  have  had  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Addie  M.,  born  September  6, 
1858,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frederick  M.  Hamil- 
ton ;  James  F. ,  born  August  14,  i860,  who 
died  June  17,  1S63;  James  Frederick,  born 
December  14,  1865,  who  is  now  in  business 
with  his  father;  and  William  C. ,  born  October 
22,  1 868.  Mr.  Farwell  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  was  the  Postmaster  of  the  town 
for  twenty  consecutive  years.  Although  averse 
to  the  proposal  on  account  of  his  business,  he 
was  persuaded  in  1896  to  accept  the  nomina- 
tion for  Representative  to  the  legislature. 
This  was  equivalent  to  an  election.  During 
the  last  session  of  that  body  his  able  commit- 
tee work  did  much  to  promote  educational  in- 
terests. He  joined  the  association  that  erected 
Village  Hall  in  1869,  acted  as  its  secretary 
and  the  janitor  of  the  building  for  ten  years, 
and  was  a  leading  spirit  in  dramatic  entertain- 
ments given  for  the  purpose  of  clearing  the 
building  from  debt.  When  twenty-one  years 
old  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Ohio,  and  he 
is  now  a  life  member  of  the  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  in  Keene. 


ILISHA  A.  AND  NATHAN  MILLER 
WORDEN,  constituting  the  firm  of 
Worden  ]3rothers,  of  Hinsdale,  book- 
sellers,  stationers,  newsdealers,  and  jewellers, 
were  both  born  in  this  town,  the  former  P'eb- 
ruary  27,  1840,  and  the  latter  December  4, 
1844.  Sons  of  the  late  Kimball  C.  Worden, 
they  are  descended  from  Peter  Worden,  who 
came  from  Clayton,  Lancashire,  England,  and 
was  among  the  very  earliest  settlers  in  the 
section  of  Cape  Cod  lying  directly  north  from 
the  Island  of  Nantucket.  John  Worden,  of  the 
sixth  generation  from  Peter  in  direct  male 
line,    lived    in   Hopkinton,    Mass.,    in   Exeter, 


N.H.,  and  in  Richmond  and  Charlestown.  He 
married  Dorothy  Satterly.  Nathan,  their  son, 
born  in  1749,  in  Rhode  Island,  married  Amj' 
Waters,  and,  after  the  death  of  her  father,  re- 
moved about  1778  to  Westmoreland,  N.H., 
where  his  grandmother,  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  the  town,  owned  a  large  tract  of 
land.  From  1778  to  1786  he  farmed  for  her, 
and  worked  at  the  mason's  trade.  In  1786  he 
removed  to  Chesterfield,  and  began  farming  for 
himself.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  the  l^aptist 
minister  in  Chesterfield,  extending  his  labors 
into  Keene,  N.  H.,  and  Dummerston,  Vt.  He 
was  a  noted  man  of  prayer,  of  great  personal 
worth,  and  much  beloved.  He  died  October  i, 
1804,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five.  When  told  that 
his  death  was  near,  he  called  to  his  bedside 
members  of  his  church  and  personal  friends, 
sang  with  them  familiar  hymns,  named  a  text, 
preached  a  sermon  of  exhortation,  gave  a  part- 
ing clasp  of  the  hand,  and  quietly  passed  away. 
His  son  Henry,  born  May  25,  1782,  the  fourth 
of  ten  children,  married  Polly  Waldo,  who  was 
born  August  17,  1786,  and  died  November  18, 
1829.  Henry  Worden  died  December  7, 
1833.  His  twelve  children  were  as  follows: 
Kimball  C. ,  born  January  15,  1807;  Larkin, 
born  December  i,  1808,  who  died  May  9, 
1837;  Allen,  born  April  8,  1810;  Mary  M., 
born  July  8,  181 1  ;  Elisha,  born  June  4,  1813  ; 
Amanda,  born  March  2,  1815;  Diantha,  born 
September  20,  1816;  Charles,  born  June  I, 
1 818;  Salmon,  born  January  18,  1820;  Eliza, 
born  October  3,  1S21;  Martha,  born  May  9, 
1823;  and  Lucian,  born  September  5,  1826, 
who  died  in  September,   1827. 

Kimball  C.  Worden  came  to  Hinsdale  when 
a  young  man,  and  was  engaged  as  an  employee 
in  a  mill  and  as  a  river  captain.  His  first 
wife  was  Belinda  Thomas,  who  was  born  Janu- 
ary 22,  181 5,  and  died  May  17,  1864;  and  his 
second  wife  was  Mrs.  Maria  Plancbard.  The 
children  of  Kimball  C.  Worden  were:  Lucian, 
born  July  4,  1835;  Elisha  A.,  born  February 
27,  1840;  Diantha  B. ,  born  February  16, 
1842;  and  Nathan  M.,  born  in  December, 
1844. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  Elisha  A.  Wor- 
den secured  employment  in  Governor  Haile's 
mill,  where  he  worked  for  four  years,  receiving 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


421 


very  small  wages.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  a 
company  of  sharpshooters  and  went  to  the 
front;  but,  being  taken  seriously  ill,  he  was 
obliged  to  return  home,  and  suffered  a  long 
convalescence.  The  next  year  he  went  to  work 
in  the  factory  of  Bishop  &  Boyden,  and  later 
went  to  Franklin,  where  for  fifteen  months 
he  had  charge  of  the  finishing-room  in  the 
mills  of  Taylor  Brothers.  Becoming  known 
as  thoroughly  competent  and  trustworthy,  he 
was  offered  a  lucrative  position  in  Warsaw, 
111.  ;  and,  going  to  that  place,  he  took  charge 
of  the  finishing-room  of  a  large  mill,  and  re- 
mained for  some  years,  receiving  excellent 
wages.  He  felt  himself,  however,  capable  of 
doing  even  better.  While  in  Franklin  he  had 
turned  his  attention  to  soap-making,  and  he 
became  convinced  that  he  could  engage  in  the 
manufacture  of  that  article  with  entire  success. 
He  suggested  the  plan  to  his  brother,  Nathan 
M.,  and  invited  him  to  join  in  partnership. 
The  matter  was  carefully  considered  by  both 
men,  and  they  finally  decided  to  make  the  ex- 
periment. They  were  obliged  to  give  up  the 
positions  they  were  then  holding  and  to  start 
in  an  entirely  new  venture.  There  was  risk, 
but  both  brothers  were  ambitious  to  make  the 
business  succeed.  It  was  in  1870  that  they 
started  the  manufacture,  and  for  seventeen 
years  Mr.  Elisha  Worden  worked  early  and 
late  to  insure  its  success.  He  drove  a  team 
through  the  surrounding  country  and  towns, 
collecting  materials  and  selling  soap,  and 
making  it  his  one  idea  to  succeed.  In  1871 
the  Messrs.  Worden  purchased  the  River 
Tavern  property,  and  moved  the  plant  to  that 
place,  where  the  industry  has  been  continued 
to  the  present  time. 

Nathan  Miller  Worden  in  his  boyhood  at- 
tended the  district  school  on  Streeter  Hill 
for  a  few  terms,  and  partial  terms  in  the  village 
school-house,  which  stood  on  the  site  now  oc- 
cupied by  Masonic  Hall ;  and,  although  the 
educational  methods  and  appliances  of  those 
days  were  not  models,  his  mental  faculties 
were  trained,  and  he  acquired  sufficient  knowl- 
edge to  serve  as  an  equipment  for  the  begin- 
ning of  his  active  career.  He  started  in  life 
as  a  farmer's  boy,  working  for  the  late  Edward 
S.  Perham   for  very  small   wages.      About   the 


time  of  the  opening  of  the  Civil  War  he  found 
a  place  in  the  Haile  factory,  where  he  worked 
for  two  years  at  fifty  cents  a  day,  hoarding 
himself,  Fllisha  then  being  in  the  army.  At 
the  end  of  two  years  Nathan  went  into  the 
mill  of  Boyden  &  Amidon,  formerly  Bishop  & 
Boyden,  now  C.  J.  Amidon  &  Sons.  Here  he 
worked  for  eight  years,  spending  the  last  five 
as  overseer  in  the  finishing-room.  He  then 
went  into  business  with  his  father-in-law,  the 
late  N.  E.  Pratt,  learning  the  painter's  trade, 
at  which  he  worked  until  1870,  when  he  went 
into  the  soap  manufactory. 

Worden  Brothers  have  been  enjiafred  in 
many  enterprises  in  this  town,  and  have  been 
uniformly  successful  in  all  their  undertakings. 
They  were  the  first  to  introduce  the  ice  busi- 
ness in  this  town,  building  up  a  good  trade, 
and  then  selling  out  at  a  good  profit.  They 
have  bought  and  sold  some  real  estate.  Mr. 
Elisha  A.  Worden  now  owns  six  or  more 
houses,  which  he  rents.  When  some  years  ago 
the  question  of  disposing  of  the  old  town  hall 
was  before  the  town,  Worden  Brothers  bought 
the  Oliver  Adams  place  on  Main  Street,  where 
the  town  hall  now  stands,  moved  the  house  to 
its  present  site,  remodelled  it,  together  with 
the  livery  stable,  and  made  stores  and  shops. 
Here  they  resided  for  five  years,  moving  thither 
from  the  old  homestead  farm  on  the  river  road, 
and  for  two  years  conducting  a  restaurant  in  the 
block,  selling  it  later  to  M.  V.  Colton,  and  later 
disposing  of  the  entire  property.  In  1881  they 
built  two  commodious  houses  on  lower  Main 
Street,  and  one  of  these  has  since  been  the 
home  of  Mr.  N.  M.  Worden.  In  1885  Worden 
Brothers  bought  the  drug  store  founded  in 
1872  by  Dr.  L.  A.  Lamson.  Mr.  N.  M. 
Worden  represented  the  firm,  and  took  into 
company  F.  H.  Jones,  now  of  Jones  &  O'Brien. 
This  partnership  existed  for  about  four  and 
one-half  years,  when  Mr.  Jones  retired  ;  and  a 
little  later  the  plant  was  sold  to  Taylor, 
Stebbins  &  Co.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Tay- 
lor the  Wordens  bought  back  the  property, 
and  it  continues  to-day  under  their  manage- 
ment. They  had  previously  bought  out  the 
jewelry  and  news-room  business  conducted  by 
Will  Streeter,  and  had  carried  it  on  in  the 
Town   Hall  Block.      About  four  years  ago  Mr. 


422 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


N.  M.  Worden  purchased  this  of  his  brother; 
and  the  business,  which  has  since  been  carried 
on  by  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  C.  J.  Bronson,  is 
now  merged  into  the  spacious  store  in  Todd's 
Block.  This  establishment  is,  without  doubt, 
the  largest  of  its  kind  in  South-western  New 
Hampshire.  It  occupies  the  whole  lower  part 
of  the  recently  enlarged  Todd's  Block,  and 
embraces  under  one  roof  a  well-appointed 
drug  department,  an  extensive  hardware  store 
with  spacious  store-rooms,  a  section  for  books, 
periodicals,  and  newspapers,  and  a  large  line  of 
jewelry  and  fancy  goods.  Each  department  is 
in  charge  of  competent  persons,  there  being 
employed  on  the  floor  at  the  present  time  six- 
attendants,  besides  two  heads  of  the  firm. 
The  store  is  heated  by  steam  and  lighted  by 
gas  manufactured  on  the  premises. 

The  Messrs.  Worden  are  members  of  many 
fraternal  societies,  being  Masons,  Knight 
Templars,  Odd  Fellows,  and  Red  Men.  Mr. 
N.  M.  Worden  is  also  a  Granger.  He  has  oc- 
cupied all  the  chairs  in  the  Masonic  body  ex- 
cept the  Master's  chair,  and  was  for  a  year 
Senior  Deacon.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Maine 
Life  Insurance  Company,  of  the  New  York 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,  and  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Provident  Mutual  Relief  As- 
sociation, also  of  the  Masonic  Accident  Asso- 
ciation. Mr.  N.  M.  Worden  has  served  the 
town  seven  years  as  Selectman,  and  for  six 
years  was  chairman  of  the  Board.  The  first 
year  of  his  holding  this  position  he  brought 
out  a  new  system  of  keeping  the  reports,  the 
old  method  seeming  to  him  to  be  unsatisfac- 
tory and  imperfect.  The  method  that  he  has 
devised  makes  the  work  much  more  simple, 
and  the  accounts  can  be  readily  followed.  His 
reports  were  universally  conceded  to  be  the 
best  ever  given  out ;  and  Mr.  Worden  keeps 
the  accounts  now  for  his  own  satisfaction,  and 
is  thoroughly  informed  on  all  questions  per- 
taining to  the  finances  of  the  town.  He  also 
served  the  town  as  a  member  of  the  Building 
Committee  at  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the 
town  hall  previous  to  1880,  as  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  Savings  Bank,  and  as  a  pro- 
moter of  the  Hinsdale  Bridge. 

Mr.  Nathan  Miller  Worden  and   Helen   M., 
daughter  of    Mr.   and  Mrs.    Norton    E.    Pratt, 


were  married  on  March  7,  1S66.  They  have 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Jennie  E.,  who  married 
Clinton  J.  Bronson,  formerly  of  Ashfield, 
Mass.,  and  has  two  children  —  Carleton  A. 
and  Blanche  U.  Mr.  Elisha  Worden  married 
Mary  Stevenson  ;  and  after  her  death  he  mar- 
ried Nellie,  daughter  of  Elisha  Hunt,  who  was 
a  public-spirited  and  leading  citizen  in  this 
town  and  for  a  number  of  years  Sheriff  of 
the  county. 


fICTOR  L.  PARKER,*  foreman  of  the 
weaving  department  of  the  Columbia 
Manufacturing  Company,  of  Green- 
ville, N.H.,  was  born  in  the  old  Bay  State, 
'in  the  cityof  Lawrence,  September  21,  1855, 
the  son  of  Samuel  E.  and  Cordelia  (Mullin) 
Parker.  Mr.  Parker  comes  of  a  family  that 
helped  to  swell  the  numbers  of  the  Union 
Army  during  the  recent  struggle  between  the 
North  and  South,  four  of  his  father's  brothers 
having  fought  in  the  great  conflict  from  the 
beginning  until  the  close. 

His  father,  Samuel  E.  Parker,  is  a  well- 
known  engineer,  now  living  in  Leominster, 
Mass.  He  was  born  in  Chelmsford,  that  State, 
and  began  his  business  career  as  a  contrac- 
tor and  builder,  making  his  home  in  South- 
boro,  Mass.  Later  he  was  foreman  of  the 
card  room  in  the  woollen  factory  at  Cordaville, 
Mass.,  holding  this  position  for  many  years. 
Mr.  Samuel  E.  Parker  has  been  twice  married. 
His  first  wife,  Cordelia  Mullin,  lived  to  be 
thirty-seven  years  old.  She  was  the  mother 
of  five  children,  four  of  whom  survive  her. 
They  are:  Frederick  K.,  who  married  Sybil 
Bennett,  of  Biddeford,  Me.,  and  is  the  father 
of  George  and  Helen  Parker;  Victor  L.  ;  Clara 
N.,  wife  of  Roger  Hunt,  of  Southboro,  Mass.  ; 
and  Mary,  now  Mrs.  Del  Robinson,  of  West- 
boro,  Mass.,  who  is  the  mother  of  two  children 
—  Austin  E.  and  Hazel  A.  Mr.  Parker's 
second  wife,  formerly  Miss  Margaret  Boyle,  is 
the  mother  of  Walter  Parker,  who  is  married 
to  Ethel  Montgomery.  Mr.  Samuel  E.  Parker 
is  a  leading  Republican  in  Leominster.  He 
has  been  police  officer  for  a  number  of  years. 

Victor     L.     Parker     was     educated     in     the 
Southboro  schools,    and   then  went   to  Worces- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


4-'3 


ter,  Mass.,  where  he  learned  the  machinist's 
trade.  After  leaving  Worcester,  he  was  em- 
ployed for  thirteen  years  in  the  weaving  de- 
partment of  the  cloth  manufactory  in  VVal- 
tham,  and  in  1889  came  to  Greenville, 
N.  H.,  having  been  engaged  by  the  Columbia 
Manufacturing  Company  as  foreman  of  their 
weaving  department.  Since  his  residence  in 
this  town  Mr.  Parker  has  gained  universal  es- 
teem, and  has  secured  a  permanent  footing  in 
social  and  educational  circles  of  the  town. 
He  is  now  a  member  of  the  School  Board  of 
Greenville,  and  has  been  Chief  of  the  Fire 
Department  for  the  last  year. 

On  August  9,  1S78,  Ml'.  Parker  was  married 
to  Miss  Lois  I.  Cheney,  daughter  of  Henry  N. 
Cheney,  of  Holden,  Mass.  Three  children 
have  come  to  grace  their  home  —  Grosvenor 
H.,  Mary  E.  C,  and  Eva  I.  A.  In  politics 
Mr.  Parker  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  belongs  to 
Souhegan  Lodge  of  Greenville.  Mr.  Parker 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 


iHARLES  FREEMAN  HOLT,*  an 
enterprising  lumber  manufacturer  of 
Antrim,  Hillsboro  County,  and  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born 
in  this  town,  July  27,  1841,  son  of  Harvey  and 
Minda  (Gregg)  Holt.  He  now  occupies  the 
farm  on  which  his  father,  who  was  a  native  of 
Wilton,  settled  in  1828.  Harvey  Holt  erected 
a  saw-mill  on  his  land,  which  he  carried  on  in 
connection  with  farming  for  the  rest  of  his  ac- 
tive years;  and  he  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven.  He  was  an  industrious  man  and  a 
citizen  of  much  worth  to  the  community.  His 
wife,  Minda  Gregg,  was  a  daughter  of  David 
Gregg,  an  early  settler  in  Antrim.  She  be- 
came the  mother  of  five  children,  three  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  Mary  G.  ;  Charles 
F.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Margaret 
J.,  now  the  wife  of  Lorenzo  Grace,  of  Lowell, 
Mass.  Margaret  J.  has  been  twice  married. 
Her  first  husband,  Charles  V.  Storey,  died  in 
the  army,  leaving  her  with  one  son,  Charles  ¥. 
Mrs.  Minda  G.  Holt  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian church. 


Charles  Freeman  Holt  acquired  his  early 
education  in  the  schools  of  Antrim,  and  was 
for  a  time  thereafter  employed  in  a  wood- 
working shop.  In  i860  he  went  to  Boston, 
where  he  worked  in  a  store,  ami  while  there 
attended  an  evening  school.  In  1861  he  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  Company  G,  Second 
Regiment,  New  Hampshire  X'olunteers.  He 
participated  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
was  through  the  Peninsular  Campaign  under 
General  McClellan,  and  in  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run  was  seriously  wounded,  no  less 
than  five  bullets  having  struck  him.  His  face 
was  badly  lacerated,  and  he  lost  all  of  his 
front  teeth.  He  was  sent  to  the  hospital  in 
Washington,  where  he  remained  for  si.\  weeks, 
and  was  then  discharged  on  account  of  physical 
disability,  after  having  served  a  year  and  a 
half.  Coming  home  and  recovering  his 
strength,  he  was  for  a  time  employed  at  Foster 
&  Brook's  cradle  factory;  and  later,  going  to 
Boston,  he  worked  in  P'aneuil  Hall  Market 
four  years.  He  then  settled  permanently  at 
the  Antrim  homestead,  which  he  now  owns. 
He  carries  on  logging  operations,  manufactures 
lumber  in  his  saw-mill,  and  cultivates  a  small 
farm.  He  owns  besides  that  about  four  hun- 
dred acres,  and  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Lake 
House,  which  entertains  summer  boarders  dur- 
ing the  season. 

On  November  26,  1863,  Mr.  Holt  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Emeline  W.  Smith,  his  first 
wife,  who  was  a  native  of  Antrim.  She 
died  October  5,  1882,  leaving  seven  children; 
namely,  Charles  L. ,  Nellie  J.,  William  A., 
Carrie  M.,  Arthur  L.,  Alfred  G.,  and  Emeline 
S.  Charles  L.  married  Laura  Sawyer,  of  An- 
trim ;  Nellie  J.  is  the  wife  of  William  I-'rench, 
of  Milford,  N.H.  ;  and  Carrie  M.  married 
Willard  Merrill,  of  Lyndeboro,  N.H.,  and  has 
two  children.  On  April  12,  1892,  Mr.  Holt 
married  for  his  second  wife  Fanny  A.  Blunt, 
daughter  of  Alfred  Blunt,  of  Boston. 

Politically,  Mr.  Holt  is  a  Republican.  He 
served  as  a  Constable  for  several  years,  and 
was  Deputy  Sheriff  for  some  time.  He  is  a 
comrade  of  Ephraim  Weston  Post,  No.  87, 
G.  A.  R.,  of  this  town,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church,  in  which  he  takes 
an  active  interest. 


424 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ARTIN  L.  RICHARDSON,  a  lead- 
ing farmer  of  Alstead  and  a  native 
of  this  town,  was  born  October 
20,  1840,  son  of  William  and 
Ruth  (Hemmenway)  Richardson.  William 
Richardson,  Sr. ,  born  in  Sutton,  Mass.,  Octo- 
ber 9,  1758,  moved  to  Alstead  in  1765,  being 
the  first  of  the  family  to  settle  here.  He  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  farmer,  was  a  soldier 
jn  the  Revolution,  and  died  here  March  2, 
1833,  having  lived  for  about  three-quarters  of 
a  century.  In  1784  he  was  married  to  Lavina 
Taft,  who,  born  in  1763,  died  in  1841.  Their 
children  were:  Calvin,  born  April  16,  1785, 
who  died  October  23,  1852;  Betsey,  born 
November  8,  1789,  who  died  December  27, 
1857;  Luther,  born  January  28,  1792,  who 
lived  in  Ohio,  and  died  there  a  wealthy  man; 
Anne,  born  March  9,  1794;  William,  born 
F'ebruary  28,  1796,  who  died  March  17,  1877; 
Sarah,  born  March  20,  1799,  vvho  died  May  5, 
1862;  Philena,  born  May  9,  1801,  who  is  liv- 
ing in  Michigan;  Lois,  born  April  7,  1803, 
who  died  in  March,  1895;  and  Lemuel,  born 
July  25,  1807,  who  died  February  27,  1883. 
Luther  was  actively  interested  in  politics,  and 
has  two  sons  who  are  in  the  national  House  of 
Representatives  —  one  from  Tennessee  and  the 
other  from  Michigan. 

William  Richardson,  the  father  of  Mr.  Mar- 
tin L.  and  the  fifth  child  of  his  parents,  was 
born  and  educated  in  the  town  of  Alstead,  and 
lived  here  as  a  farmer  all  his  life.  He  was 
an  upright  and  honored  citizen  and  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Methodist  church.  His  wife, 
Ruth,  who  was  born  April  5,  1801,  daughter 
of  Ebenezer  Hemmenway,  of  Marlboro,  N.H., 
died  Ajiril  9,  1875.  Their  four  children  were  : 
Mary  M.,  Sarah  E.,  Martha  J.,  and  Martin  L. 
Mary  M.,  born  August  12,  1836,  resides  in 
Alstead.  Sarah  E. ,  born  June  7,  1838,  mar- 
ried Willard  Evans,  a  farmer,  now  of  West- 
moreland, and  had  a  family  of  three  children. 
Martha  J.,  born  May  26,  1843,  is  now  Mrs. 
Erastus  P.  Kidder,  of  Alstead,  and  the  mother 
of  two  children. 

Martin  L.  Richardson  was  educated  in  the 
town  schools.  He  began  to  work  for  wages  as 
an  employee  of  the  Cheshire  Railroad,  where 
he  remained  for  ten  years,  having  the  contract 


for  sawing  wood  before  coal  came  to  be  exclu- 
sively used  for  fuel.  He  then  went  to  farming 
in  Alstead,  and  has  been  in  that  business  ever 
since.  He  is  active  as  a  citizen,  and  has  held 
nearly  every  position  in  the  bestowal  of  the 
town.  He  has  been  Selectman  since  1887. 
He  has  served  in  the  State  legislature,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Roads,  Bridges, 
and  Canals.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 
While  liberal  in  religion  he  aids  in  the  sup- 
port of  the  various  churches.  He  belongs  to 
the  Masonic  society.  He  married  Bridget 
Conley,  of  Keene,  N.H.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rich- 
ardson have  no  children. 


B 


ANIEL  J.  BROWN,*  of  the  firm  of 
Brown  Brothers,  engaged  in  busi- 
v9  J  ness  at  Greenville,  N.  H.,  was  born 
in  this  town,  February  22,  1863. 
His  parents,  Robert  and  Hannah  (Gainey) 
Brown,  now  living  in  Greenville,  are  both  na- 
tives of  Ireland;  and  his  grandfather,  Robert 
Brown,  Sr. ,  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and  cattle 
dealer  of  that  country.  He  died  in  Ireland  at 
a  good  old  age.  He  was  twice  married;  and 
his  only  son,  Robert,  Daniel  J.  Brown's  father, 
was  the  child  of  his  second  wife. 

Robert  Brown,  the  second  of  the  name,  im- 
migrated to  the  LTnited  States  when  a  young 
man,  first  settling  in  Haverhill,  Mass.,  and 
later  moving  to  Greenville.  Some  time  after 
coming  here  he  went  to  California,  where  he 
remained  five  years;  and,  returning  then  to 
this  town,  he  has  since  been  engaged  here  in 
tilling  the  soil.  His  wife,  Hannah  Gainey, 
is  the  mother  of  four  children,  namely:  Rob- 
ert, third;  Nellie;  Annie;  and  Daniel  J.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Annie  is  the  wife  of 
Ralph  H.  Morrill,  a  nejjhew  of  Senator  Mor- 
rill, of  Vermont,  and  has  three  children  — 
Charles  H.,  Robert  H.,  and  Ulysses  S.  Rob- 
ert Brown,  second,  is  still  active  at  the  age  of 
si.xty  years,  and  his  wife  is  now  sixty-five. 
Her  mother,  who  lived  to  be  over  one  hundred 
years  old,  reared  a  family  of  fourteen  children, 
six  of  whom  emigrated  to  this  country.  One 
resides  in  California,  two  are  in  Milford,  N.  H., 
and  three  are  living  in  Greenville. 

Daniel  J.    Brown   finished   his  education  at 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


425 


Appleton  Academy,  New  Ipswich.  In  April, 
1S79,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother 
Kojjert,  under  the  firm  name  of  Brown  Hrothers, 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  retail  pro- 
vision business.  They  were  for  some  time 
quite  extensive  dealers  in  cattle,  but  of  late, 
have  given  their  whole  attention  to  the  store, 
and  are  doing  a  large  and  profitable  business. 
During  the  late  Presidential  campaign  Mr. 
Daniel  J.  Brown  supported  the  free  coinage  of 
silver.  He  is  active  in  local  political  affairs, 
and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Se- 
lectmen in  1896.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  Foresters,  being  connected 
with  the  Court  at  Milford,  N.H. 

Messrs.  Daniel  J.  and  Robert  ]5rown  are  ac- 
tive and  progressive  young  men.  By  close 
attention  to  business,  which  they  began  upon 
a  small  scale,  and  by  promptness  and  courtesy 
they  have  gained  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
their  many  patrons. 


LEXANDER  CUTHBERT,  of  the  Gil- 
sum  Woollen  Manufacturing  Company, 
is  a  native  of  Scotland.  Born  Oc- 
tober 20,  1838,  he  is  a  son  of 
Robert  and  Winifred  (Creighton)  Cuthbert. 
The  father,  who  in  early  life  was  a  woollen 
manufacturer  of  Scotland,  emigrated  to  the 
United  States.  He  was  first  employed  as  a 
wool  sorter  and  carder  at  Sutton's  Mills,  North 
Andover,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  a  number 
of  years.  Subsequently  for  some  time  he 
was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  woollens  in 
Vermont.  Finally  he  and  his  son,  Alexander, 
purchased  the  property  where  the  Gilsum 
Woollen  Company  is  now  located.  After  his 
son's  withdrawal  from  the  concern  some  time 
later  he  was  associated  with  F.  C.  Minor  and 
John  Gould.  In  1880  the  Gilsum  Woollen 
Manufacturing  Company,  comprising  F.  C. 
Minor,  Herbert  E.  Adams,  Robert  Polzer, 
Augustus  Polzer,  and  Alexander  Cuthbert, 
was  organized.  Robert  Cuthbert  continued  in 
active  business  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1889.  A  skilful  woollen  manufacturer,  he 
was  familiar  with  the  sorting  and  treatment  of 
the  raw  material  as  well  as  the  weaving  and 
finishing  of   the  various  kinds  of  goods.      He 


was  also.an  able  business  man.  While  taking 
a  keen  interest  in  political  affairs,  he  never 
aspired  to  [Hiblic  office.  In  his  religious  be- 
lief he  was  a  Congregational ist,  and  he  was  a 
member  of  the  local  society  and  a  liberal 
contributor  to  its  support.  His  first  marriage 
was  made  with  Winifred  Creighton,  who  was 
born  in  Scotland.  Her  children  by  him  were: 
Alexander,  John,  Ann,  James,  Robert,  Mar- 
garet, and  Betsey.  John,  who  was  a  spinner 
by  trade,  served  in  the  Civil  War,  and  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  Ann  mar- 
ried Samuel  W.  Dart,  of  Gilsum,  and  has  a 
family.  James,  who  is  married  and  has  a  family, 
is  a  machinist  in  the  United  States  Navy  Yard 
at  Washington,  D.  C.  Robert,  Jr.,  who  lives 
in  Keene,  N.H.,  also  has  a  family.  Margaret 
married  Horace  Coolidge,  of  I^rving,  Mass; 
and  Betsey  died  in  infancy.  The  father 
married  for  his  second  wife  Margaret  Hunter, 
also  a  native  of  Scotland,  who  became  the 
mother  of  two  children.  These  were:  George, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years;  and 
Christine,  who  married  Dr.  Johnson,  of 
Erving,  Mass.,  and  has  one  child. 

Alexander  Cuthbert  began  his  education  in 
Scotland,  and  completed  it  in  Lawrence,  Mass. 
Afterward  he  served  an  apprenticeship  under 
his  father  in  the  Sutton  Mills,  at  Andover, 
and  started  in  wool-carding  for  himself  in 
Gaysville,  Vt.,  and  subsequently  was  in  busi- 
ness in  Keene,  Marlboro,  and  Swanzey.  Then 
he  joined  with  his  father  in  Gilsum,  and  he  is 
now  a  member  of  the  Gilsum  Woollen  Manu- 
facturing Company.  He  is  connected  with  the 
United  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross  and  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  A  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  he  is  also  a  generous 
supporter  of  other  religious  societies. 

Mr.  Cuthbert  married  Alison  Lang,  who  was 
born  in  Scotland,  March  11,  1834.  She  has 
been  the  mother  of  eight  children,  as  follows: 
Mary  J.,  born  in  Woodstock,  Vt. ,  February  g, 
1861,  who  died  in  1865;  W'inford  B. ,  born  in 
Woodstock,  January  18,  1863;  Robert  W., 
born  in  Gaysville,  Vt. ,  January  26,  1865,  who 
died  in  the  same  year;  James  W. ,  born  in 
Keene,  N.  H.,  June  25,  1866;  George  H., 
born  in  Gilsum,  June  5,  1869;  Annie  L. ,  born 
in  Marlboro,  March  31,  1872;  Frank  W.,  born 


426 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


in  Marlboro,  March  12,  1874,  who  died  March 
9,  1895;  and  Charles  H.,  born  May  29,  18S2. 
Winford  B.  married  John  E.  Isham,  and  has 
two  children —  Hazel  and  Mildred.  James 
W. ,  who  married  Bertha  Nichols,  died  in 
1S92,  leaving  two  children  —  Dorothy  and 
James.  George  H.  married  Blanche  Gould, 
and  is  a  merchant  in  Salisbury,  Mass.  Annie 
L.  and  Charles  H.  reside  with  their  parents. 


-f^TKNRY  B.  NEEDHAM,*  an  enter- 
l-^J  prising  basket  manufacturer  of  Peter- 
J_U  I  boro,    N.  H.,   and   a  veteran   of    the 

^"^  Civil  War,  was  born  in  Whiting, 
Vt.,  November  22,  1841,  son  of  Daniel  K.  and 
Nancy  (Pierce)  Needham.  His  great-grand- 
father, Joseph  Needham,  who  went  from  Brim- 
field,  Mass.,  to  Whiting,  Vt.,  as  a  pioneer, 
cleared  the  farm  which  is  now  owned  by  his 
grandson,  Daniel  K.  Needham.  He  erected 
the  first  house  in  that  town,  and  it  is  still 
standing. 

Benjamin  Needham,  grandfather  of  Henry 
B. ,  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  and  occupied  the 
homestead  in  Whiting  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  when  he  was  si.\ty-nine  years  old. 
His  wife  lived  to  be  about  sixty-four.  Both 
were  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom 
Daniel  K.  is  the  youngest;  and  he  is  the  onl}' 
one  living. 

Daniel  K.  Needham,  Henry  B.  Needham's 
father,  was  bofn  in  April,  18 13,  at  the  home- 
stead in  Whiting,  Vt.,  which  he  now  owns  and 
occupies.  He  has  always  resided  in  Whiting, 
and  has  been  one  of  the  ablest  farmers  in  that 
vicinity.  He  is  now  eighty-four  years  old. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  is  lib- 
eral in  his  religious  views.  For  many  years 
he  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  His  wife,  who 
was  before  marriage  Nancy  Pierce,  died  in 
November,  1896,  aged  eighty-one  years.  She 
was  the  mother  of  ten  children,  two  of  whom 
are  living,  namely:  Henry  B.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  ;  and  P"rank  S. 

Henry  B.  Needham  in  his  boyhood  attended 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  town.  When 
a  young  man  he  worked  in  a  woollen-mill  in 
Warren,  Mass.,  for  six  months,  and  was  sub- 


sequently employed  the  same  length  of  time  in 
Leominster,  Mass.  In  1861  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  P"irst  New  Hampshire  Cavalry, 
and  served  in  the  Civil  War  until  honorably 
discharged  on  account  of  physical  disability. 
For  four  years  he  worked  on  a  milk  car  run- 
ning from  Greenville,  N.H.,  to  Boston.  At 
length,  coming  to  Peterboro  somewhat  more 
than  twenty  years  ago,  he  here  engaged  in 
basket-making,  working  for  other  parties  until 
1891,  at  which  time  he  began  business  on  his 
own  account.  Starting  upon  a  limited  scale, 
with  but  one  assistant,  he  gradually  increased 
his  facilities  as  trade  advanced;  and  in  1893 
he  built  his  present  factory,  which  is  equipped 
with  improved  machinery  and  appliances.  He 
now  employs  sixteen  hands,  and  manufactures 
baskets  of  every  description.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican,  and  has  been  Chief  of  the  Fire 
Department  for  the  past  four  years. 

Mr.  Needham's  first  wife,  Ann  M.  Johnson, 
whom  he  married  in  1867,  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-three  years.  His  present  wife  was  be- 
fore marriage  Sophia  A.  Taggart,  of  Peterboro. 
Mr.  Needham  is  a  member  of  Peterboro  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  comrade  of  A.  F.  Stevens 
Post,  G.  A.  R.  Mrs.  Needham  is  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  church. 


ELSON    WILLIAM    RICE,  the  owner 
of  a  well-cultivated  farm  in  Troy,  was 
is  V  born    in  Winchendon,  Mass.,  April 

•7.  ^^37i  son  of  Luke  and  Chloe 
(Alger)  Rice.  The  grandfather,  Benjamin 
Rice,  who  was  a  native  of  Spencer,  Mass., 
settled  in  Winchendon,  where  he  cleared  a 
farm,  built  a  log  house,  and  in  after  years 
erected  a  good  frame  dwelling.  He  was  a 
Lieutenant  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  par- 
ticipated  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  At 
his  death  he  was  ninety-six  years  old.  By  his 
wife,  Ruth  Budge  Rice,  there  were  five  chil- 
dren. His  son,  Luke,  who  inherited  the  farm 
and  lived  there  all  his  life,  erected  new  build- 
ings and  otherwise  improved  the  property. 
He  married  Chloe  Alger,  of  a  well-known 
Bridgewater  family,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six  years.  His  children  were:  Eliza 
Jane,  John,  Mary,  Lois,  Otis  G. ,  Nelson  W. , 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


427 


and  Edwin  W.  Eliza  Jane,  John,  Lois,  and 
Otis  G.  are  now  deceased.  Mary,  who  resides 
in  Gardner,  Mass.,  is  the  wife  of  Horace  Sib- 
ley and  the  mother  of  two  children  —  Mary 
Jane  and  Joel  H.  Sibley.  Edwin  W.,  who 
married  Sibyl  Whitney,  owns  and  conducts 
the  homestead  farm,  which  he  has  increased 
from  its  original  size  of  eighty  acres  to  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres. 

Nelson  W.  Rice  was  educated  at  Winchen- 
don.  Afterward  he  worked  in  a  mill  there 
until  the  Civil  War  began.  On  September 
16,  1S61,  he  enlisted  for  three  years  in  the 
Third  Vermont  Infantry,  Company  D,  under 
Captain  F.  C.  Harrington.  For  a  time,  while 
stationed  with  the  company  at  the  "Penin- 
sula," he  was  very  ill  in  the  hospital  there. 
After  serving  nine  months,  he  was  honorably 
discharged,  June  4,  1862.  Upon  returning  to 
civil  life  he  worked  in  a  wooden-mill  at  Roy- 
alston  for  a  time,  and  spent  a  short  period  at 
Winchendon.  In  1S6S  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Swanzey,  N.  H.,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  mills  for  twelve  years.  He  was 
also  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  on  his 
own  account  for  two  years.  He  came  to  Troy 
in  18S4,  bought  a  farm  on  West  Hill,  repaired 
the  house,  and  has  there  lived  for  the  past 
thirteen  years. 

Mr.  Rice  married  Jennie  N.  Brooks,  a 
daughter  of  Sewell  and  Eliza  (Forristall) 
Brooks,  of  Fitzwilliam  and  Princeton.  They 
have  had  two  children,  of  whom  Ella  Jane 
died  at  the  age  of  five  years.  Chloe  E.,  the 
surviving  child,  married  John  F.  Hale,  and 
has  five  children  —  Elmer  F.,  Jennie  E.,  Mel- 
vin  N.,  Retta  May,  and  Edwin  E.  Mr.  Rice 
has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  he  cast  his 
first  Presidential  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in 
i860. 


LBERT  F.  NIMS,  a  well-to-do  resident 
of  Walpole,  Cheshire  County,  was 
born  in  Sullivan,  N.  H.,  April  14, 
1838,  son  of  F"rederick  and  Harriet 
(Wardwell)  Nims.  The  early  ancestors  of 
the  family  were  residents  of  Deerfield,  Mass. 
David  Nims,  great-grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this   sketch,    settled   in    Keene,    N.H.,    in 


1737;  and  when  that  town  was  incorporated 
he  was  chosen  Scribe,  or  Town  Clerk.  He 
filled  the  ofifices  of  Clerk  and  Treasurer  for 
upward  of  twenty  years,  acted  as  Moderator 
at  town  meetings,  and  was  prominent  among 
the  early  settlers.  He  received  a  grant  of 
land,  upon  which  he  resided  for  the  rest  of  his 
life;  and  he  died  July  31,  1803.  He  reared 
several  children,  and  his  son  Asahel  was 
killed   in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

Philander  Nims,  Albert  F.  Nims's  grand- 
father, was  a  native  of  Sullivan,  and  resided 
there  for  many  years,  afterward  removing  to 
Ro.xbury,  N.H.,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death.  He  was  an  industrious  farmer.  He 
married  a  Miss  White,  daughter  of  Colonel 
White,  who  commanded  a  regiment  and  served 
seven  years  in  the  war  for  independence.  He 
and  his  wife  reared  a  large  family  of  children, 
all  of  whom  were  born  in  Sullivan.  One  of 
their  sons,  Ormond  F.  Nims,  was  the  organ- 
izer and  commander  of  Nims  IBattery,  of  Bos- 
ton, which  rendered  efficient  service  in  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion. 

Frederick  Nims,  father  of  Albert  F. ,  was 
reared  to  farm  life.  He  was  extensively  en- 
gaged in  agriculture  and  cattle  dealing  for 
many  years,  and  was  one  of  the  leading  citi- 
zens of  Sullivan  in  his  day.  He  served  as  a 
Selectman  for  a  number  of  years,  and  for 
over  six  years  was  a  Captain  in  the  State 
militia.  He  died  in  1871.  His  wife,  Har- 
riet Wardwell,  was  a  daughter  of  Ezra  Ward- 
well,  of  Nelson,  N.H.  She  became  the 
mother  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  as 
follows:  Juliette;  Albert,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  George;  Marshall;  Francis;  Octavia; 
Abbie;  and  Althea.  Juliette  married  Joseph 
Nims.  George  is  a  real  estate  dealer  in 
Keene.  Marshall  is  agent  for  the  Swift  Beef 
Company,  and  has  charge  of  their  business 
and  property  in  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  and 
Vermont.  Francis  is  in  the  lumber  business 
in  Keene,  and  holds  a  Lieutenant  Colonel's 
commission  in  the  State  militia.  Octavia 
became  the  wife  of  Charles  Brooks,  but  is  no 
longer  living.  Abbie  married  Flavel  Beal, 
and  resides  in  Keene.  Althea  died  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  years. 

Albert  F.  Nims  began  his  education  in  the 


42S 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


schools  of  Sullivan,  and  completed  his  studies 
at  Phillips  Andover  Academy.  For  a  time 
he  gave  his  attention  to  teaching  and  farming, 
but  was  later  engaged  in  lumbering  and  build- 
ing. He  bought  wild  land,  from  which  he  cut 
and  hauled  the  timber,  manufacturing  it  in 
his  own  mills,  owning  one  for  five  years  in 
Cavendish,  Vt.,  and  afterward  a  plant  at  Wal- 
pole,  N.H.  For  about  thirty  years  he  has 
lived  in  Walpole,  and  he  has  erected  upward  of 
forty  tenements.  He  owns  four  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  woodland  in  this  town  and  six 
hundred  acres  in  Cavendish.  When  he  moved 
to  Walpole,  he  purchased  a  part  of  the  Chapin 
farm,  one  of  the  best  pieces  of  agricultural 
property  in  this  section;  and  this,  together 
with  the  portion  inherited  by  his  wife,  gives 
him  a  large  estate  for  a  homestead. 

April  7,  1870,  Mr.  Nims  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Cynthia  M.  Chapin,  daughter 
of  Levi  Chapin,  Jr.,  of  Walpole.  Her  grand- 
father, Levi  Chapin,  first,  who  improved  the 
Chapin  farm,  was  engaged  in  the  shipping  of 
timber.  He  went  to  Virginia  in  the  interest 
of  an  improved  water-wheel,  which  was  his 
own  invention,  and  died  there.  He  was  the 
father  of  five  sons  and  one  daughter —  Nathan- 
iel, Levi,  Jr.,  Herman,  Jonathan,  Philip,  and 
Rhoda.  Levi  and  Jonathan  bought  the  home- 
stead, which  they  divided;  and  both  became 
prosperous  farmers  and  stock-raisers.  They 
resided  here  all  their  lives.  Levi  Chapin 
(second)  married  Cynthia  Smith,  daughter  of 
Ebenezer  Smith,  of  Langdon,  and  had  a  family 
of  three  children,  namely:  Philip,  who  died 
February  22,  1841,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years; 
Thomas,  who  died  in  Florida,  March  7,  1855, 
aged  twenty-five;  and  Cynthia  M.,  who  is  now 
Mrs.  Nims.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nims  have  one 
daughter,  Mary  Chapin,  born  October  23, 
1871.  She  married  June  17,  1897,  Almon  L 
Bolles,  of  Bellows  Falls,  Vt. 

Politically,  Mr.  Nims  is  a  Democrat.  He 
has  rendered  able  services  to  the  town  of  Wal- 
pole as  a  Selectman  and  as  a  member  of  the 
School  Board,  and  he  was  his  party's  candi- 
date for  the  State  Senate  in  1897.  As  a  busi- 
ness man  he  is  enterprising,  energetic,  and 
progressive,  and  his  ability  is  appreciated  by 
his  fellow-townsmen. 


TT^HARLES  HP:NRY  MERRH.L,  the 
I  Nt-^  superintendent  of  the  Stoddard  Lum- 
^^%)  ber    Company's    plant    and    a  mem- 

ber of  the  New  Hampshire  legislat- 
ure, was  born  in  the  town  of  Baltimore,  Vt., 
October  24,  1861,  son  of  Richard  and  Eliza- 
beth (Hall)  Merrill.  His  grandfather,  Isaac 
Merrill,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  followed 
general  farming  in  that  State  during  his  ac- 
tive period.  Isaac  reared  four  children  — 
Richard,  Samuel,  Electa,  and  Elizabeth. 
Samuel  was  a  prosperous  farmer  in  Massa- 
chusetts; Electa  married  Thomas  Eustis,  of 
Nashua,  N.H.,  and  had  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren; and  Elizabeth  died  young. 

Richard  Merrill,  Charles  H.  Merrill's 
father,  was  born  in  Effingham,  Mass.,  Novem- 
ber 23,  1828.  He  was  an  engineer,  and  in 
early  life  settled  in  Windsor,  Vt.,  where  he 
died  in  1877.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  who  was 
born  in  Massachusetts  in  May,  1829,  daughter 
of  Frederick  Hall,  died  in  1876.  She  became 
the  mother  of  four  children  —  Samuel  E., 
Charles  H.,  Fanny  A.,  and  Bessie  A.  Sam- 
uel E.  Merrill  was  formerly  a  station  agent 
on  the  Fitchburg  railroad  and  afterward  as- 
sistant superintendent  of  the  Eastern  Division 
of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Sante  P'e  railroad. 
Fanny  A.  married  Alexander  Dunn,  a  railroad 
man  of  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  and  has  four  children. 
Bessie  A.  married  Frank  Smith,  of  Charles- 
town,  N. H.,  and  has  one  child. 

Charles  Henry  Merrill  was  educated  in 
Windsor,  Vt.  For  some  time  after  complet- 
ing his  studies  he  drove  a  team  in  Springfield, 
Mass.  He  later  studied  mechanical  engineer- 
ing, was  for  two  years  employed  upon  the  rail- 
way between  Springfield  and  Hartford,  and, 
after  passing  a  successful  examination  in  Chi- 
cago, received  the  certificate  of  a  locomotive 
and  marine  engineer.  In  1S86  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Stoddard  Lumber  Company, 
and  was  later  advanced  to  the  responsible 
position  of  superintendent  of  the  plant.  This 
firm  ships  lumber  in  large  quantities.  Mr. 
Merrill  has  served  as  Road  Agent.  In  the 
last  session  of  the  legislature,  of  which  he 
was  a  member,  he  was  assigned  to  the  Com- 
mittee on  Roads.  He  has  held  important 
chairs   in  the  local   grange,    Patrons  of   Hus- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


429 


bandry,    and    is    a    liberal    contributor    to    the 
Congregational  church. 

Mr.  Merrill  married  for  his  first  wife  Myrtie 
B.  Green,  of  Windsor,  Vt.  His  present* wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Myra  L.  Robb,  is  a 
native  of  Richmond,  N.  II.  She  was  born 
January  16,  1859,  daughter  of  Christopher 
Robb,  a  successful  business  man  and  a  promi- 
nent resident  of  Stoddard.  Mr.  Merrill  has 
one  daughter  by  his  first  union — -Lillian  E. 
Merrill,  born  in  April,  1884,  who  is  now  at- 
tending St.  Mary's  Academy,  Manchester. 


m 


ARSHALL  H.  NUTTING,*  son 
of  Luther  and  Ruth  (Adams)  Nut- 
ting, and  a  prominent  farmer  of 
the  town  of  Mason,  Hillsboro 
County,  N.H.,  is  the  third  of  his  line  to  live 
in  Mason.  He  was  born  April  21,  1832. 
His  grandfather,  Oliver  Nutting,  was  one  of 
the  sturdy,  hard-working,  and  progressive  pio- 
neers, and  was  very  successful  for  his  times. 
He  cleared  a  large  tract  of  land,  established  a 
home,  and  made  an  honorable  name  for  him- 
self and  his  descendants.  He  died  in  1844 
at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  His  wife, 
Naomi  Blood,  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-eight  years.  She  was  a  well-known 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.  They  reared 
eight  children. 

Luther  Nutting,  the  eldest  of  the  family, 
was  born  in  Mason.  He  was  a  stone  cutter 
by  trade,  and  also  owned  a  farm  of  many 
acres,  and  was  very  industrious  throughout  his 
life.  He  made  good  profits  in  his  business, 
and  was  a  very  prominent  citizen  of  the  town. 
He  lived  to  be  seventy-nine  years  old,  and 
his  wife  lived  to  an  advanced  age.  They  had 
ten  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living, 
and  are  as  follows:  Edwin  L. ;  May  E.,  now 
Mrs.  Elbridge  Stanley,  of  Fitchburg,  Mass.  ; 
Marshall  H.;  Leander;  and  Romanzo  L.,  who 
married  Mattie  Welch,  of  Clinton,  Mass. 

After  leaving  school,  Marshall  Nutting 
began  to  work  in  the  cotton-mill  at  Mason 
Village,  now  Greenville,  and  remained  there 
a  number  of  years.  Later  he  bought  the  farm 
where  he  now  resides,  and  since  that  time  he 
has   engaged  exclusively  in  agricultural  pur- 


suits. On  November  30,  1854,  he  married 
Theresa  Merrill,  daughter  of  Calvin  Merrill, 
of  Turner,  Me.  Four  chiklren  were  born  to 
them.  One  has  died,  the  surviving  are  as 
follows:  Ida,  wife  of  Edward  Gray,  of  Lowell, 
Mass.,  and  mother  of  one  daughter.  Belle; 
Howard  J.,  of  Greenville,  N.II.,  who  mar- 
ried Abbie  Bennett,  anil  has  three  children 
—  Evelyn  M.,  Harold,  and  Edna;  and  Her- 
man S. ,  of  Melrose,  Mass.,  who  married  Ada 
Harrison,  and  has  one  daughter,  Ella.  Mr. 
Marshall  H.  Nutting  and  his  wife  are  both 
members  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  Mr. 
Nutting  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  A  man 
of  integrity,  diligent  in  business,  he  is  well 
known  and  highly  respected. 


HARLES  WHITMAN  WHITNEY, 
the  proprietor  of  the  largest  wholesale 
dry-goods  establishment  in  Troy, 
was  born  here,  November  26,  1S27, 
son  of  Dr.  Charles  W.  and  Mary  (Grififin) 
Whitney.  The  grandfather.  Dr.  Isaiah  Whit- 
ney, was  an  early  settler  of  Rindge,  N.  H., 
and  practised  medicine  there  all  his  life,  liv- 
ing to  a  great  age.  His  wife's  maiden  name 
was  Whitman.  His  son,  Charles  W.  Whit- 
ney, also  followed  the  medical  profession,  vis- 
iting his  patients  sometimes  on  snow-shoes 
and  sometimes  on  horseback.  Dr.  Charles 
was  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  Medical 
Society.  His  wife,  Mary,  was  a  daughter  of 
Deacon  Griffin,  of  Fitzwilliam.  They  had 
three  children  —  Samuel  G. ,  Charles  Whit- 
man, and  Mary  J.  Samuel  is  a  farmer  of 
Sylvania,  Ohio.  Mary,  the  only  daughter, 
married  Dr.  Richardson,  of  Marlboro,  who  is 
now  deceased.      She  resides  in  Troy. 

Charles  Whitman  Whitney  was  sent  to 
Francestown,  N.H.,  to  complete  his  educa- 
tion. He  began  business  in  the  store  of  his 
brother  Samuel  in  Troy.  Subsequently  he 
was  with  John  Whittemore  at  I'^itzwilliam  for 
three  years,  and  during  half  that  time  was 
a  partner  in  the  concern.  He  then  went  to 
Boston  as  clerk  in  the  wholesale  dry-goods 
store  of  McGilvary,  Wyman  &  Co.  Three 
years  later,  returning  to  Troy,  he  clerked  for 
D.  W.  Farrar,  and  during  war  times  he  was 


43° 


BIOGRAPHICAL   KEVIEW 


commissary  clerk  on  tlie  James  River.  After 
the  war  he  bought  out  Mr.  Farrar,  and  has 
since  resided  here,  carrying  on  the  largest 
retail  business  in  the  vicinity.  He  was  Post- 
master of  Troy  for  nearly  twenty-five  years. 

Mr.  Whitney  married  Sarah  Frances  Tay- 
lor, and  has  three  children  —  Ella  F.,  Cora 
M.,  and  Charles  W.  Whitney,  Jr.  Cora  M. 
married  Dr.  Stone,  of  this  town,  and  has  one 
daughter,  Mildred.  Charles,  who  is  an  elec- 
trician in  Arlington,  married  Lizzie  Hay  ward, 
and  has  a  daughter,  Doris.  Ella  F.  married 
George  Fred  Kimball,  of  Troy,  who  is  now 
deceased.  Mr.  Whitney,  Sr.,  is  a  Republican, 
has  been  Moderator  of  the  town,  and  served  in 
the  legislature  for  two  terms.  He  was  Master 
of  Monadnock  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  for  five 
years;  a  member  of  the  Cheshire  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  and  a  Knight  Templar;  and  the  dis- 
trict Deputy  Grand  Lecturer  of  the  Order  of 
the  Golden  Cross. 


'jClLOISE  M.  PIERCE,  who  has  been  for 
Pi  many  years  a  devoted  worker  in  the 
"^"^  ''  educational  field,  and  who  is  now  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  of  Jaffrey,  was 
born  here,  February  2,  1839,  daughter  of 
Reuben  and  Cordelia  (Jewell)  Pierce.  Her 
grandfather,  Zebadiah  Pierce,  who,  born  in 
1785,  died  March  12,  1828,  lived  at  Jaffrey 
for  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  occupied  in 
farming.  Zebadiah  married  Phoebe  Tyler, 
who  was  born  in  1786  and  died  in  1869. 
They  had  three  children  —  Reuben,  Rebecca, 
and  Almira. 

Reuben  Pierce  was  born  at  Leominster, 
Mass.,  on  December  9,  1808,  and  died  on 
May  2,  1888.  He  came  from  Leominster  to 
Jaffrey  when  a  child,  and  was  educated  in  the 
town  schools  here.  After  having  engaged  in 
farming  for  a  few  years,  he  took  up  the 
butcher's  trade,  and  followed  that  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  he  took  an  active  part  in  local 
affairs.  A  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  and  a  quiet,  unassuming  man,  he  was 
widely,  respected  for  his  sincerity  of  character. 
His  wife,  Cordelia,  who  was  born  on  August 
20,  1808,  daughter  of  Jacob  Jewell,  of  Jaffrey, 


died  on  July  20,  1890.  Their  children  are  — 
Eloise  M.  and  Delia  Jewell  Pierce.  Delia, 
born  on  February  20,  1850,  who  was  educated 
in  the  town  schools,  and  resided  with  her  par- 
ents until  they  died,  lives  with  her  sister. 

After  receiving  her  education  at  Jaffrey  and 
Rindge,  Plloise  M.  Pierce  engaged  in  school- 
teaching  at  Rindge.  Afterward  she  taught 
for  five  terms  at  Jaffrey,  which  she  then  left 
for  Pepperell,  Mass.  Upon  her  return  to  Jaf- 
frey she  took  charge  of  a  select  school,  and 
conducted  it  for  some  time.  She  subsequently 
taught  at  Rindge,  Jaffrey,  Townsend,  Win- 
chendon,  Mass.,  and  in  the  grammar  school  at 
West  Boylston,  Mass.  From  West  Boylston 
she  returned  to  Winchendon,  Mass.,  and  taught 
in  the  grammar  schools  of  that  place  for  sixty- 
two  terms,  an  unusually  long  period  of  service 
in  one  school.  Upon  the  death  of  her  parents 
she  returned  to  Jaffrey,  in  order  to  be  with  her 
sister.  Here  she  has  taught  the  grammar 
school  for  sixteen  terms,  has  been  for  six 
years  on  the  School  Board,  and  has  served  as 
its  chairman.  Always  mindful  of  the  larger 
motives  of  education,  she  has  sought  to  develop 
the  individuality  of  her  pupils  and  to  train 
each  one  for  what  he  seemed  best  fitted.  Her 
long  experience  in  the  school-room  has  quali- 
fied her  to  give  practical  and  wise  advice  as  a 
member  of  the  administrative  board,  as  well 
as  counsel  and  sympathetic  support  to  the 
teachers,  whose  difficulties  and  trials  she  fully 
understands. 


AMES  DAVIS,  the  well-known  mana- 
ger of  the  mica  mines  in  Alsteadj^  was 
born  in  Springfield,  Vt. ,  on  February 
28,  1850,  son  of  Franklin  and  Caroline 
(Coburn)  Davis.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
who  was  a  resident  of  West  Townsend,  Mass., 
and  a  cooper  by  trade,  was  twice  married,  and 
had  a  large  family  of  children.  Franklin 
Davis  was  born  in  West  Townsend  in  181 5, 
and  died  in  1883.  He  was  educated  in  Town- 
send,  and  after  leaving  school  began  his 
working  life  as  a  teamster,  being  employed  on 
the  route  from  Townsend  to  Boston.  After 
he  became  of  age,  he  also  kept  a  livery  stable, 
and    owned   a   stage    route.      He  subsequently 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


431 


removed  to  Springfield,  Vt.,  and  followed  bis 
vocation  between  that  place  and  Boston  before 
the  railroad  was  built.  He  also  did  a  large 
amount  of  teaming  and  contract  work  for  the 
Cheshire  Railroad  Company  during  the  con- 
struction of  the  road.  He  was  interested  in 
politics  and  active  in  local  affairs.  For  many 
years  he  was  captain  of  a  fire  company.  He 
was  a  very  generous  man,  and  was  noted  for  his 
liberal  charities;  and  he  attended  and  sup- 
ported the  Universalist  church.  His  wife, 
Caroline,  was  born  in  West  Townsend,  in 
1813,  and  died  in  1878.  Their  seven  chil- 
dren were:  Caroline,  Frank  B.,  Anna  M., 
Nellie  C,  Gertrude,  James,  and  Luty.  Caro- 
line, who  lives  in  Brookline,  Mass.,  married 
Alvin  C.  Mason,  who  has  been  in  the  foundry 
business  at  Chicago  for  the  past  twenty-five 
years.  They  have  two  children.  Frank  B. 
lives  in  Chicago,  where  he  is  interested  in  the 
foundry  business.  He  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, and  has  four  children  by  his  present  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Georgiana  Taunt. 
Anna  M.  married  D.  A.  Brown,  of  Brookline, 
Mass.,  manager  of  the  Eastern  Branch  of 
H.  W.  John's  Asbestos  Company,  of  New 
York,  and  also  manager  of  Bell's  Asbestos 
Mining  Company,  of  Canada.  They  have 
three  children.  Nellie  C.  has  been  twice 
married,  her  present  husband  being  Judge 
Frank  Ives,  of  Crookston,  Minn.  She  has  no 
children.  Gertrude  became  the  wife  of  Lean- 
der  M.  Haskins,  of  Rockport,  Mass.,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  wholesale  fish  business.  Luty 
died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years. 

James  Davis  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Springfield,  Vt.,  and  in  the  high 
school  of  Roxbury,  Mass.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  machinist  at  Springfield,  Vt.,  serv- 
ing an  apprenticeship  of  two  years  and  a  half, 
and  then  went  to  Chicago,  111.,  where  he  was 
foreman  and  superintendent  in  his  brother-in- 
law's  machine  shop  and  foundry.  He  re- 
mained in  this  position  about  thirteen  years, 
and  was  then  engaged  for  some  two  years  in 
the  livery  business  in  South  Boston.  In  18S4 
he  came  to  Alstead,  and  bought  a  farm  for  the 
purpose  of  prospecting  for  mica.  He  was  suc- 
cessful in  his  search,  and  now  has  a  large  and 
productive  mine,  and   exxellent   business  pros- 


]5ects  ahead.  Mr.  Davis  has  been  active  in 
town  affairs  since  coming  here.  He  was  Se- 
lectman in  1889,  Census  JCnumerator  in  1890, 
and  Representative  to  (jcneral  Court  in  1892- 
93,  being  on  the  Committee  on  Division  of 
Towns.  He  is  a  Republican,  politically. 
He  is  much  interested  in  the  grange,  and  was 
Master  of  the  Gilsum  Grange.  Mr.  Davis  mar- 
ried Rosalie  P.  Guillow,  who  was  born  Decem- 
ber 9,  1850,  daughter  of  John  Guillow,  of  Gil- 
sum,  N.H.  He  has  two  children:  John  F., 
who  was  born  at  Chicago,  111.,  in  1873,  and  is 
interested  with  his  father  in  the  mine;  and 
Gertrude  F.,  who  was  born  in  South  Boston 
in  1876  and   resides  with  her  parents. 


IRAM  P.  CLARK,*  of  Franccstown, 
N.H.,  a  cooper  by  trade,  was  born  in 
this  town,  March  11,  i8i8,  and  is 
now  in  his  eightieth  year.  His 
father,  Daniel  Clark,  was  also  born  in  P'rances- 
town,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
He  carried  on  general  farming,  also  working 
at  the  soapstone  quarry  for  some  time.  He 
was  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  he  was  a 
Captain  in  the  old  State  militia.  He  married 
Irene  Fisher,  of  P'rancestown,  N.H.  They 
had  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  living, 
as  follows:  Aaron  P".  ;  Pliram  P.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  Irene;  Pacific  L.  ;  and  Orrisa. 
Captain  Daniel  Clark  died  at  the  age  of  si.xty- 
two  years. 

Hiram  P.  Clark,  after  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  his  native  town,  went  to 
work  in  a  saw-mill.  He  also  learned  the 
cooper's  trade,  and  was  engaged  in  making 
small  kits,  pails,  and  similar  ware  for  many 
years;  and  besides  this  he  worked  on  soap- 
stone  for  some  time.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  has  been  Selectman  for  about 
ten  years.  He  has  also  been  prominent  in 
military  affairs,  having  been  Captain  of  the 
Francestown  Light  Infantry  and  later  Colonel 
of  the  Twenty-sixth  New  Hampshire  Regiment 
for  many  years.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  Francestown  Grange,  in  which  he  has  held 
high  ofifice. 

Mr.  Clark    has    been    married    three    times. 


432 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


By  his  first  wife,  Susan  Jane  Mcllrain,  he  had 
one  child,  Charles  H.,  who  married  Fanny 
Woods,  of  New  Boston,  N.H.,  they  having 
one  child,  Delia.  By  his  second  wife,  Orrisa 
A.  Manning,  of  Francestown,  Mr.  Clark  had 
one  child,  Annie  S.  By  his  third  wife,  for- 
merly Laura  J.  Dean,  he  has  no  children. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  are  both  members  of  the 
Congregational  church.  Mr.  Clark  has  been 
successful  in  his  business,  and  is  a  much  re- 
spected citizen  of  the  town. 


HOMAS  ANNETT,  an  enterprising 
business  man  of  East  Jaffrcy  and  an 
ex-member  of  the  New  Hampshire  leg- 
islature, was  born  in  Fredericton,  N.  B. ,  De- 
cember I,  1831.  His  parents  were  John  and 
Eleanor  (Spencer)  Annett,  natives  of  New 
Brunswick,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in 
1795  and  died  in  1S43,  and  the  latter  was  born 
in  1805  and  died  in  1848.  John  Annett  was 
the  father  of  seven  children,  Thomas,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  being  the  eldest.  He  was 
in  his  twelfth  year  when  his  father  died,  and 
from  that  time  he  earned  his  own  living.  In 
1849  he  went  to  Massachusetts,  where  he  found 
employment  by  means  of  which  he  earned 
enough  to  pay  his  expenses  at  Westminster 
Academy  for  a  time.  Subsequently  he  found 
employment  in  a  woodenware  factory  at 
Rindge,  N.  H.  In  1S58  he  established  him- 
self in  business  at  East  Jaffrey,  where  he  is 
still  conducting  a  flourishing  enterprise,  and 
his  sons  are  associated  with  him.  He  was 
elected  to  the  House  of  Representatives  in 
1879,  was  re-elected  in  1881  ;  and,  aside  from 
carefully  guarding  the  interests  of  this  section, 
he  rendered  efficient  services  as  a  member  of 
the  Committees  on  National  Affairs,  Finance, 
Manufactures,  and  the  State  Library.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  he 
attends  theCongregational  church. 

Mr.  Annett  married  for  his  first  wife  Sarah 
M.  Raymond,  who  was  born  in  Rindge,  N.  H., 
in  March,  1834,  daughter  of  Joel  Raymond. 
She  died  in  1867;  and  he  married  for  his  sec- 
ond wife  Mary  Helen  Bancroft,  daughter  of 
James  Bancroft,  of  Rindge.  By  his  first  union 
he  had  five  children,  namely:  Maria,  born  Jan- 


uary 6,  i860,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Edwin 
C.  Fletcher,  of  Jaffrey,  and  has  three  children  ; 
Albert,  born  August  3,  1861,  now  associated 
with  his  father  in  business;  Anna  S. ,  born  in 
1862,  who  married  William  H.  Pratt,  foreman 
in  Hayward's  chair  factory,  Gardner,  Mass.  ; 
Asahel  S.,  born  November  27,  1864,  now  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  business;  and  Arthur, 
born  March  10,  1867,  who  is  also  in  partner- 
ship with  his  father.  Mr.  Annett's  children 
by  his  second  union  are:  Sarah  E.,  born  July 
20,  1S70,  now  residing  in  Portsmouth,  Ohio; 
Elsie  C,  born  August  3,  1873;  Marietta,  born 
July  10,  1875;  Markwell,  born  in  1877,  who 
died  in  infancy  rand  Cecil,  born  August  6, 
1879.  Albert  Annett  is  a  trustee  of  the 
Conant  High  School,  and  was  Representative 
to  the  legislature  in  1891.  He  is  a  prominent 
Mason,  being  a  Past  Master  of  the  Blue 
Lodge  and  a  member  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
New  Hampshire. 


ON.  HENRY  ABBOTT,  a  well- 
known  citizen  of  Cheshire  County, 
residing  in  W^inchester,  was  born  in 
Keene,  this  State,  on  October  5, 
1832,  son  of  Daniel  and  Polly  (Brown) 
Abbott.  His  descent  from  George  Abbot, 
who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Andover, 
Mass.,  in  1643,  is  thus  given  in  the  genealogi- 
cal register  of  his  descendants:  George', 
Thomas',  George^,  Daniel^  Daniel',  Daniel'', 
Henry  Abbotts  Some  branches  of  the  family 
spell  the  name  with  one  and  some  with  two 
t's.  Besides  George,  of  Andover,  there  were 
other  early  emigrants  named  Abbot. 

Mr.  Henry  Abbott's  grandfather,  Daniel 
Abbott,  of  the  fifth  generation  in  this  line,  was 
a  tailor  by  trade  and  lived  at  Surry,  having 
removed  thither  from  Concord.  His  wife, 
Lucy  Harvey,  daughter  of  Captain  Thomas 
Harvey,  bore  him  four  children  —  Betsey, 
Lucy,  Daniel,  and  Lyna.  The  family  were 
Methodists.  Lyna  Abbott  married  Joseph 
Allen,  and  was  the  mother  of  the  late  Judge 
Alien,  of  Claremont,  N.  H.  Daniel  Abbott, 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  one  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  Surry.  He  was  Select- 
man for  many  years,  and  represented  the  town 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


433 


twice  in  the  legislature.  Pie  was  also  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  and  acted  as  guardian  and  admin- 
istrator in  the  settlement  of  many  estates.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Whig  arid  later  a  Rejnibli- 
can.  He  died  in  1870.  PI  is  children  were 
as  follows:  John^  who  died  when  sixteen  years 
old  ;  Mary,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six ;  Charles, 
who  resides  in  Keene;  G_eorg;e,  who  is  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Joliet,  111.  ;  Thonias  PI.,  who 
died  in  his  fifty-eighth  year;  Henjy,  now  of 
Winchester;  Joseph  B.,  who  died  in  1891; 
Milton,  who  livecr"onTy  two  years;  and  Mary 
Ann,  who  resides  in  Keene.  Joseph  B.  Ab- 
bott was  a  very  prominent  man  in  public  life. 
Pie  was  largely  engaged  in  legal  work,  princi- 
pally in  the  settlement  of  estates.  During  the 
Civil  War  he  was  Special  Relief  Agent  of  the 
United  States  Sanitary  Commission,  stationed 
at  Washington,  D.C.  His  wife  is  deceased, 
but  two  children  survive  him,  namely:  Leon 
M.  Abbott,  a  well-known  lawyer  of  Boston; 
and  a  daughter,  who  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Edwin 
E.  Davis,  of  Quincy,  Mass. 

Henry  Abbott  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  in  the  academies 
at  Marlow,  Westminster,  and  Saxton's  River. 
At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  was  for  a  short 
time  engaged  in  travelling  in  Virginia  for  a 
publishing  house.  He  then  taught  school  for 
a  time  at  Warsaw,  Pa.,  and  subsequently  be- 
came clerk  for  a  lumber  company  at  Ridgway, 
Pa.  After  being  there  for  two  years,  he  re- 
turned to  Keene,  and  became  clerk  in  the  store 
of  Charles  Bridgeman,  later  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Nims,  Gates  &  Abbott, 
dealers  in  general  merchandise.  At  the  end 
of  a  year  Mr.  Abbott  sold  his  interest  in  the 
firm,  and,  going  to  Washington,  D.C,  entered 
the  service  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  re- 
maining there  during  the  winter.  In  the 
spring  he  joined  the  Ninth  Army  Corps,  under 
General  Grant,  in  the  "  Burnside  troops,"  and 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Sanitary  Corps  as 
distribution  war  agent  of  the  United  States 
Sanitary  Commission.  At  the  end  of  nine 
months,  being  in  poor  health,  he  returned 
home,  expecting  to  go  back  as  soon  as  he 
should  be  able  to  assume  his  duties  again ; 
but  during  his  convalescence  he  accepted  the 
position  of  cashier  in  the  Winchester  National 


Bank,  which  he  has  ever  since  retained.  He 
is  now  trustee  and  cashier,  and  is  looked 
upon  as  a  financier  whose  judgment  is  to  be 
respected.  His  services  to  the  bank  have  won 
for  him  warm  encomiums  for  ability,  and  the 
confidence  of  the  public  in  his  entire  trust- 
worthiness is  evidenced  by  the  many  responsi- 
ble positions  he  is  called  upon  to  fill. 

Ever  since  he  first  came  to  Winchester,  Mr. 
Abbott  has  taken  as  keen  an  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  town  as  if  he  had  been  born  and 
reared  here.  He  has  served  as  Town  Treasurer 
for  over  thirty  years  and  as  Moderator  for  eleven 
years,  successively,  a  longer  period  of  service 
in  that  position  than  can  be  shown  by  any 
other  citizen  of  the  town.  A  zealous  Republi- 
can, he  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  Execu- 
tive Committee,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1890.  He  has 
attended  other  conventions,  both  county  and 
State,  without  number.  In  these  his  influence 
is  always  powerful.  Mr.  Abbott  was  chair- 
man of  the  High  School  Board  for  the  first 
three  years  after  its  organization.  He  has 
been  Notary  Public  for  over  thirty  years.  In 
1869  and  in  1870  he  represented  Winchester 
in  the  legislature.  During  his  first  term  he 
was  chairman  of  a  special  committee  to  ex- 
amine State  prison,  and  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Committee  on  Railroads. 
During  the  second  year  he  was  chairman  of 
the  Insurance  Committee,  this  being  the  first 
insurance  committee  formed  in  the  House. 
In  1873  and  in  1874  Mr.  Abbott  was  in  the 
State  Senate,  and  while  a  member  of'  that 
body  he  served  on  the  Committees  on  lianking 
and  Finance  and  on  the  Judiciary.  He  was  an 
indefatigable  worker,  and  by  his  able  efforts 
helped  to  secure  the  passage  of  several  impor- 
tant bills.  Among  these  were,  while  he  was 
a  member  of  the  House,  a  bill  to  tax  foreign 
insurance  companies  and  a  bill  to  secure  the 
appointment  of  one  insurance  commissioner; 
and  while  he  was  in  the  Senate,  a  bill  to  com- 
pel all  banks  to  lay  aside  five  per  cent,  of 
their  deposits.  Mr.  Abbott  is  representative 
of  a  number  of  well-known  insurance  com- 
panies, and  has  an  office  at  the  bank  for  the 
transaction  of  insurance  business. 

In    extemporaneous     speech-making    he    is 


434 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


original  and  ready,  and  as  a  stump  speaker 
has  taken  part  in  every  Presidential  campaign 
from  Lincoln's  first  to  McKinley's.  He  has 
also  delivered  a  number  of  memorial  addresses, 
some  of  which  have  been  printed.  Among  them 
may  be  named  a  very  able  address  delivered  at 
the  dedication  of  a  monument  in  the  Surry 
^  burying-ground  to  Captain  Thomas  Harvey,  a 
-•  Revolutionary  patriot  and  an  ancestor  of  Mr. 
Abbott,  and  the  one  made  upon  the  occasion  of 
the  presentation  of  a  library  to  the  town  of 
Uxbridge,  Mass.,  erected  in  memory  of  the 
father  and  mother  of  President  Thayer. 
When  memorial  services  were  held  in  Win- 
chester in  honor  of  Lincoln,  and  also  when  the 
Grant  memorial  services  were  held,  Mr.  Abbott 
presided. 

Mr.  Abbott  married  Harriet  M.  Crane,  who 
died  in  August,  1888.  His  two  children  are: 
a  daughter  married  to  A.  J.  ]3arber,  a  lawyer 
of  (5shkosh,  Wis.  ;  and  Kate,  the  wife  of  Ned 
C.  Wardwell,  of  HartfordT'Conn. 

Mr.  Abbott  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Business  Men's  Club,  which 
meets  in  Boston,  and  which  was  founded  for 
the  purpose  of  bringing  about  a  closer  acquaint- 
ance among  the  business  men  of  the  State. 
He  was  for  a  time  the  only  member  from 
Cheshire  County.  The  town  library,  built  at 
a  cost  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  was  erected 
largely  through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Abbott  and 
a  few  other  interested  persons.  Mr.  Conant 
in  his  will  left  a  bequest  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars  to  maintain  the  same.  Its  erection 
was  at  first  opposed  by  some  of  the  towns- 
people; but,  as  the  work  progressed,  and  es- 
pecially since  the  structure  is  completed,  these 
objections  have  been  overcome,  and  the  origi- 
nal promoters  have  reason  to  be  gratified  that 
they  worked  so  earnestly,  even  in  the  face  of 
opposition.  Mr.  Abbott  is  an  active  Mason. 
He  is  a  member  of  Philesian  Lodge,  and  was 
its  Master  many  years ;  also  a  member  of  the 
chapter  and  commandery  at  Keene. 


|LI    S.  CLEVELAND,*  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative men   of    Brookline,    Hillsboro 
County,     N.H.,    was     born    in    this 
town,  December  22,  1827.      His  parents  were 


John  and  Susannah  (Torrance)  Cleveland, 
well-known  residents  of  Brookline  in  their 
day;  and  his  father  was  a  native  of  Franklin, 
Mass. 

John  Cleveland  settled  upon  a  farm  in  this 
town  when  a  young  man,  and  engaged  in  cul- 
tivating the  soil  and  in  other  rural  occupa- 
tions, managing  his  property  with  such  energy 
and  good  judgment  as  to  realize  excellent 
financial  results.  He  and  his  wife  reared  a 
family  of  five  children,  the  only  one  of  whom 
now  living  is  Eli  S.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  John  Cleveland  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two;  and  his  wife,  surviving  him,  lived 
to  be  eighty-two  years  old.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  church,  and  were  much  re- 
spected in  the  community  where  they  dwelt. 

Their  son,  Eli  S.,  in  his  boyhood  years  at- 
tended the  common  school,  and  at  an  early  age 
began  to  assist  in  carrying  on  the  farm.  He 
inherited  the  homestead,  and  tilled  the  soil 
as  a  general  farmer  until  1890,  when  he  sold 
his  farm  and  retired  from  active  labor.  He 
is  now  residing  in  the  village  and  enjoying  a 
well-earned  rest. 

On  July  3,  1875,  Mr.  Cleveland  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Ada  Elkins,  born 
Kline,  who  was  a  native  of  Jay,  N.Y.  Cora 
F.  Elkins,  a  daughter  by  her  first  husband, 
was  Mrs.  Cleveland's  only  child. 

Mr.  Cleveland  is  well  preserved  and  has 
the  activity  of  a  much  younger  man.  Al- 
though he  takes  no  part  in  public  affairs,  he 
is  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the 
town,  and  fully  merits  the  esteem  in  which 
he  is  held  by  his  fellow-townsmen. 


and 


OSEPH  H.  TARBELL,*  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Mont  Vernon,  Hillsboro 
County,  N.H.,  was  born  in  Exeter, 
Rockingham  County,  August  25,  1822, 
is  now  in  his  seventy -sixth  year.  His 
parents  were  William  and  Lydia  (Spaulding) 
Tarbell. 

When  but  four  years  old  Joseph  H.  Tarbell 
was  bereft  of  his  father.  He  was  then  taken 
into  the  family  of  Colonel  Benjamin  Hutchin- 
son, of  Milford,  with  whom  he  remained  until 
his  eighteenth  year.      He  received  a  good  dis- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


435 


trict-school  education,  Ijut  was  unable  to  pur- 
sue his  studies  further.  Natural  business 
tact,  observation,  and  experience  have,  how- 
ever, largely  compensated  for  his  want  of  book 
knowledge;  and  his  career  has  been  a  success- 
ful one.  He  remained  in  Milford  until  about 
twenty-five  years  old,  then  came  to  Mont 
Vernon,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
He  had  previously  worked  three  seasons  in 
Milford  as  a  farm  hand  at  fifteen  dollars  per 
month  and  board.  His  farm  in  Mont  Vernon 
contains  about  two  hundred  acres,  and  he  here 
carries  on  general  farming  with  profit. 

Mr.  Tarbell  was  married  August  23,  1844, 
to  Miss  Harriet  N.  Hopkins.  She  was  born 
in  Mont  Vernon,  and  is  a  daughter  of  James 
Hopkins.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tarbell  have  two 
children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  namely: 
George  F. ,  who  lives  in  Mont  Vernon;  and 
Emma  J.,  wife  of  Charles  L.  Perham,  of 
Lyndeboro,  N. H.  In  politics  Mr.  Tarbell  is 
a  Republican.  He  has  served  one  term  as 
Selectman  of  Mont  Vernon. 


ENRY  W.  WELLINGTON,  a  suc- 
cessful lumberman  and  manufacturer 
of  Rindge^  was  born  in  this  town, 
November  6,  1850,  son  of  Gilman 
P.  and  Mary  A.  (Jones)  Wellington.  Gilman 
P.  Wellington  was  a  son  of  Captain  Leonard 
Wellington  by  his  third  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Lucinda  Page.  For  an  account  of 
the  early  ancestry  of  the  family,  the  reader 
is  referred  to  a  sketch  of  Joel  Wellington, 
which  appears  elsewhere  in  the  Review. 

Gilman  P.  Wellington,  father  of  Henry  W. , 
was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Rindge,  and  fol- 
lowed brick-making  in  connection  with  farm- 
ing. He  married  Mary  A.  Jones,  daughter  of 
Asa  and  Rachel  (Saunders)  Jones.  Her 
grandfather,  Asa  Jones,  first,  who  was  a  native 
of  Concord,  Mass.,  participated  in  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill.  He  served  three  years  in  a 
Massachusetts  regiment  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  and  dying  at  an  advanced  age, 
August  17,  1846,  was  buried  with  military 
honors.  Gilman  P.  Wellington  and  his  wife 
became  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely: 
Henry   W.,  the   subject  of  this  sketch;   Frank 


E.  ;  and  Addie  I".  Frank  E.  Wellington, 
who  resides  in  Leominster,  Mass.,  married 
Nellie    Weston,    and    has    one   ciiild — Curtis 

F.  Wellington.      Addie  K.  resides  in  Rindge. 
Henry   W.  Wellington   was  educated  in  the 

common  schools  and  at  Appleton  Academy. 
He  was  for  a  time  emjiloyed  in  farming,  but 
later  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  and 
finally  engaged  in  lumbering  and  manufactur- 
ing. He  cuts  a  considerable  amount  of  s]3ruce 
and  pine  lumber  annually,  and  operates  a 
steam  mill.  His  business  enterprise  is  of 
much  benefit  to  the  town,  as  he  furnishes  em- 
ployment to  a  large  number  of  men ;  and  he 
takes  a  lively  interest  in  the  general  welfare 
of  the  community.  He  cast  his  first  l^resi- 
dential  vote  for  Horace  Greeley  in  1872,  is  a 
Democrat  with  independent  proclivities,  and 
at  the  last  election  he  supported  the  Prohibi- 
tion candidate.  He  has  been  a  Selectman, 
and  in  that  capacity  rendered  excellent  ser- 
vice to  the  town. 

Mr.  Wellington  married  Augusta  L.  Love- 
joy,  daughter  of  James  Lovejoy,  of  Rose, 
N.Y.,  and  has  two  children — Meda  A.  and 
Clifton  G.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wellington  are 
members  of  the  Congregational  church. 


;ATHAN  F.  LANGDELL,  an  esteemed 
general  farmer  of  New  Boston,  was 
born  in  this  town,  November  22, 
1822,  son  of  Livermore  and  P^anny 
(P^isher)  Langdell.  Something  of  the  early 
history  of  the  Langdell  family,  which  is  one 
of  the  oldest  in  New  Boston,  ajjpears  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work  in  the  sketch  of 
George  Langdell.  Livermore  Langdell  was 
born  and  grew  to  manhood  in  New  Boston, 
which  was  also  the  scene  of  his  active  business 
career.  In  1833  he  bought  the  farm  now  oc- 
cupied by  his  son,  and  resided  there  through- 
out the  remainder  of  his  life.  A  member  of 
the  Baptist  church  society,  he  served  in  the 
capacity  of  Deacon.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat.  He  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-si.x  years  and  six  months.  His  wife, 
Fanny,  who  was  born  in  I'rancestown,  lived  to 
be  sixty-seven  years  old.  They  had  seven 
children,   of  whom    Amos   A.   and    Niles  have 


43 '^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


passed  away.       The    others    are:    Nathan    F. , 
Horace,  Fannie,  Jane,  and  Henry  F. 

Nathan  F.  Langdell,  the  eldest  of  his  par- 
ents' children  now  living,  has  resided  fifty-five 
years  in  New  Boston,  twenty  years  of  his  life 
having  been  spent  in  Lyndeboro  and  Frances- 
town.  He  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools.  Since  then  he  has  devoted  his  life 
to  general  farming  on  the  old  home  farm. 
The  estate,  containing  about  eighty  acres,  has 
a  good  residence  and  out-buildings.  He  was  a 
Lieutenant  in  the  old  State  militia,  of  which 
organization  he  is  one  of  the  few  officers  now 
living.  Mr.  Langdell  has  twice  married,  first 
on  December  14,  1854,  to  Annie  F.  Smith, 
a  native  of  New  Boston,  who  died  August  15, 
1856.  He  was  again  married  May  14,  1857, 
to  Hannah  A.  Loveren,  who  was  born  in  Deer- 
ing,  N.H.,  May  5,  1831,  daughter  of  Hilliard 
and  Hannah  (Goodale)  Loveren.  Born  of  this 
marriage  are  a  son  and  two  daughters.  The 
son,  Hilliard  L. ,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years.  Ann  F.  and  Julia  L. ,  the  daughters, 
arc  both  immarried.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Langdell 
are  liberal  in  their  religious  views,  while  in 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 


(s^OHN  \V.  PRENTISS,  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  Walpole,  N.H.,  was 
born  here,  November  20,  1857,  son  of 
John  Williard  Prentiss.  His  grand- 
father, Samuel  Prentiss,  who  came  from  New 
Boston,  N.  H.,  to  Walpole  about  the  year 
18 19,  took  up  a  good  farm,  afterward  called 
the  Prentiss  place,  and  died  there  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four.  Samuel  was  a  Democrat  and 
a  church  member.  He  married  Lydia  Clark, 
by  whom  he  became  the  father  of  four  sons 
and  two  daughters.  These  were:  Polly,  who 
married  Gardner  Watkins,  of  Walpole;  Nancy, 
the  youngest,  who  married  Mark  Chase,  of 
Boston,  a  policeman  there;  John  Williard, 
who  married  Emeline  Slade,  daughter  of  Allen 
Slade,  of  Alstead,  N.  H.  ;  Ephraim,  who  mar- 
ried Olive  Hi.xon;  Theron,  who  married  Maria 
Seavy,  and  settled  in  Biddeford,  Me;  Samuel, 
who  married  Cornelia  Ruggles,  removed  to 
Reading,  Mass.,  and  served  in  the  army  during 
the  late  war,  with  his  son  Harley,  who  enlisted 


at  the  age  of  sixteen.  John  Williard  Prentiss 
was  born  in  Alstead,  October  20,  1810.  As 
soon  as  he  had  attained  his  majority,  he  went 
to  Boston,  and  there  learned  to  stain  wall- 
paper and  the  trade  of  paper-hanging,  follow- 
ing his  trade  for  fifteen  years.  After  this  he 
returned  to  Walpole,  where  he  married,  and 
in  1866  again  went  to  Boston  for  five  years. 
In  1 87 1  he  settled  upon  the  farm  that  he  after- 
ward cultivated  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  October,  1887.  Of  his  si.\  children 
Nancy  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  Ella 
and  Emma  died  in  infancy,  Walter  died 
young,  Fred  is  a  blacksmith  in  Walpole,  and 
John  W.   is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

John  W.  Prentiss,  Jr.,  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Boston, 
Mass.  Later  on  he  attended  the  Walpole 
Academy,  and  at  the  same  time  assisted  his 
father  on  the  farm.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
years  he  began  to  teach  school  at  Alstead, 
continuing  for  about  seven  years  in  the  towns 
of  Alstead  and  Waljwle.  Afterward  he  bought 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in  the 
valley,  called  the  Walpole  town  farm,  later 
adding  thereto  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 
On  this  property  he  has  since  carried  on  the 
dairy  business,  also  dealing  extensively  in 
live  stock,  and  spending  a  large  part  of  the 
year  in  lumbering.  In  his  lumber  business  he 
buys  for  the  local  and  outside  markets,  em- 
ploying at  times  a  force  of  thirty  men.  In 
1894  his  establishment  was  burned;  but  his 
house  and  other  buildings  were  soon  rebuilt, 
and  he  is  again  prosperous.  Popular  with  both 
political  parties,  he  has  been  frequently  elected 
to  office  without  a  contest.  He  has  been  Se- 
lectman for  ten  years,  and  the  chairman  of  the 
Board  for  nine  years.  He  was  for  three  years 
Tax  Collector.  He  was  elected  Road  Agent 
in  1896;  and  in  that  capacity,  as  in  the  others, 
he  gave  entire  satisfaction.  Road-scrapers 
were  introduced  during  his  term  in  office,  and 
several  bridges  of  iron  and  stone  were  erected. 
He  has  recently  been  elected  to  the  legislat- 
ure for  two  years,  and  now  fills  the  office  of 
County  Auditor.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that, 
while  Mr.  Prentiss  has  never  canvassed  for 
votes  or  in  any  way  solicited  office,  he  has 
never  been  defeated  in  an  election. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


437 


Mr.  Prentiss  married  Miss  Katie  Fisher, 
whose  great-grandfather,  Moses  Fisher,  was 
an  early  settler  of  Walpole.  The  estate  of 
Moses  was  left  to  his  son,  Isaac,  who  left  it  to 
his  son,  Andrew,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Prentiss. 
Andrew  P'isher  married  Clarissa  Mellish,  and 
had  seven  children  —  Willie,  Ada,  Irvin,  Ed- 
ward, Katie,  Carrie,  and  Albert  L.  Of  these 
Ada,  Albert  L.,  and  Mrs.  Prentiss  are  the  only 
survivors.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Prentiss  have  had 
three  children,  namely:  Flora  M.,  born  March 
26,  1884;  John  W. ,  born  July  17,  1889;  and 
Ethel  M.,  born  September  6,  1890. 


(ff]YO^^S  DAMON,  a  prominent  wooden- 
ware  manufacturer  of  P^itzwilliam,  was 
bnrn  in  Gardner,  Mass.,  January  21, 
1830.  A  son  of  John  and  Ruth  (Sawin)^ 
Damon,  he  is  a  descendent  of  an  old  New  Eng- 
land family  whose  founder  was  an  Englishman. 
His  grandfather,  also  named  John  Damon,  a 
farmer  of  Westminster,  Mass.,  lived  for  some 
years  in  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  and  died  in  the 
home  of  his  son  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 

John  Damon,  the  father  of  Jonas,  was  a  lum- 
berman engaged  in  supplying  stock  to  chair 
factories.  He  came  to  this  town  from  Gard- 
ner, bought  two  large  wood  lots,  and  built  here 
the  house  which  his  son  Jonas  now  occupies 
and  an  old-fashioned  saw-mill,  such  as  served 
before  the  days  of  circular  saws.  It  is  claimed 
that  his  business  was  the  most  extensive  of  the 
kind  in  the  vicinity.  At  his  death  he  was 
fifty  years  old.  He  was  one  of  the  early  stock- 
holders who  built  the  Cheshire  Branch  Rail- 
road, which  supplanted  the  old  stage  line  that 
used  to  run  by  his  home.  He  first  married 
Ruth  Sawin,  who  became  the  mother  of  his 
three  children  —  Catherine,  George,  and  Jonas. 
Catherine  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years. 
A  second  marriage  united  him  to  Selina  Par- 
ker, a  sister  of  Scjuire  Parker,  of  Fitzwilliam. 
His  son,  George,  who  resides  in  Fitchburg, 
married  Rosanna  Proctor,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren—  Frank,  Elizabeth,  Adeline,  and  John. 
Jonas  Damon,  the  youngest  child  of  his 
parents,  after  a  short  period  spent  in  the  dis- 
trict school,  worked  for  his  father  in  the  saw- 
mill until  the  death  of  the  latter.      Jonas  and 


George  Damon  then  took  the  business,  buying 
that  part  of  it  left  to  their  step-mother,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  butter  tubs,  pails, 
and  other  kinds  of  wood  work,  obtaining  their 
timber  from  a  large  acreage  of  wooded  land, 
purchased  by  them  for  that  purjjose.  Mr. 
Jonas  Damon  repaired  the  old  house,  and  has 
now  a  fine  residence  near  the  Massachu.setts 
State  line. 

Mr.  Damon  married  Ellen  Parks,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Phineas  Parks,  of  Winchendon,  Mas.s. , 
and  now  has  eight  children  —  Walter,  Fred, 
Elmer,  Isaac,  Clarence,  Lillian,  Justin,  and 
Harry.  Six  of  the  children  still  reside  at 
home.  Walter,  the  first-born,  married  Irene 
Goodrich,  of  Troy,  and  has  two  boys  —  Jonas 
and  Elmer.  He  is  in  business  and  resides  in 
Rindge.  F'red  is  in  Walter's  employ.  I^lmer 
married  Mary  Shley,  and  is  book-keeper  for  a 
provision  dealer  in  Phillipsburg,  N.J.  Mrs. 
Damon  died  in  1885.  Mr.  Damon  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Unitarian  church.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  has  represented  the  town 
in  the  legislature;  has  served  for  two  years  on 
the  School  Board ;  is  the  present  Town  Sur- 
veyor; and  he  has  been  chosen  Selectman,  hut 
has  declined  to  serve. 


JIIN]>:AS  AIKEN  READ,*  a  pros- 
perous farmer  and  an  extensive  real 
estate  owner  of  Litchfield,  N.  IF, 
was  born  in  this  town.  May  i,  18 16, 
son  of  William  and  Mary  (Aiken)  Read.  His 
grandfather  Read,  who  also  was  named  Will- 
iam, and  was  a  native  of  Westford,  Mass., 
settled  in  Litchfield  when  a  young  man.  He 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  town,  and 
cleared  a  farm,  which  is  still  known  as  the 
Read  homestead.  He  was  one  of  the  enter- 
prising men  and  representative  citizens  of  his 
day,  and  for  some  time  served  as  Deputy 
Sheriff.  He  established  Read's  I'erry,  which 
he  operated  for  many  years;  and  in  other  ways 
he  displayed  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  and 
progress  of  the  town.  He  reared  a  family  of 
three  sons  and  three  daughters. 

William  Read,  second,  father  of  Phineas  A., 
was  born  at  the  homestead  .in  Litchfield,  and 
grew  to   manhood   as  a   farmer.      He   ran    the 


438 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ferry  during  his  active  years,  and  carried  on 
general  farming  with  energy  and  success.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  Deacon  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  as  an  upright,  conscien- 
tious man  he  always  enjoyed  the  good-will  of 
his  neighbors  and  fellow-townsmen.  His  po- 
litical views  were  originally  those  which 
formed  the  basis  of  the  Whig  party,  and  in  his 
later  years  he  was  a  Republican.  Deacon 
Read  lived  to  be  seventy  years  old.  He  was 
twice  married,  and  by  his  union  with  Lillian 
Norris,  his  first  wife,  there  were  eight  chil- 
dren; namely,  Nathaniel,  William,  Robert, 
Francis,  Henry,  Polly,  Louisa,  and  Lillian, 
none  of  whom  are  living.  For  his  second 
wife  he  wedded  Mary  Aiken,  a  native  of  Bed- 
ford, N.H.,  and  the  only  child  of  that  union 
is  Phineas  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Mrs.  Mary  Aiken  Read  lived  to  be  seventy- 
seven  years  old. 

Phineas  Aiken  Read  was  educated,  in  the 
district  school,  and  at  an  early  age  began  to 
assist  his  father  in  tilling  the  soil.  The  farm 
he  now  occupies  is  not  the  Read  homestead, 
but  was  owned  by  his  father;  and  he  has  re- 
sided here  since  he  was  thirteen  years  old. 
After  the  death  of  his  mother  he  succeeded  to 
its  possession,  and  the  active  period  of  his  life 
has  been  devoted  to  its  cultivation.  As  a  gen- 
eral farmer  he  has  been  industrious  and 
thrifty;  and,  having  invested  his  surplus  capi- 
tal in  real  estate,  he  is  at  the  present  time 
one  of  the  largest  land-owners  in  Litchfield. 

Mr.  Read  married  Selina  D.  Burnham,  who 
was  born  in  Amherst,  N.  H.,  November  9, 
1 8 10.  Mrs.  Read  became  the  mother  of  seven 
children,  as  follows:  Mary  J.,  born  December 
'27,  1837;  William  T.,  born  February  9,  1840; 
Walter  IL,  who  was  born  May  29,  1842,  and 
died  January  5,  1892;  George  M.,  born  Au- 
gust 5,  1844;  Rachel  B. ,  born  September  2, 
1847;  Nellie  M.,  born  March  22,  1850;  and 
Phineas  A.,  Jr.,  born  August  8,  1853.  Mary 
J.  Read  resides  in  Manchester,  N.  H.,  Will- 
iam T.  is  in  California,  Phineas  A.,  Jr.,  lives 
in  Londonderry,  N.  H.,  and  the  others  are 
residing  at  home.  Mrs.  Read  died  February 
19,   1888. 

Mr.  Read  followed  the  majority  of  the  old 
Whig  element  into  the  ranks  of  the  Republi- 


can party,  and  has  since  been  a  firm  supporter 
of  its  principles.  He  has  always  taken  a 
lively  interest  in  local  public  affairs,  and  has 
served  with  ability  as  a  member  of  the  lioard 
of  Selectmen.  He  is  widely  known  as  a 
worthy,  upright  man  and  a  useful  citizen. 
His  sons,  who  are  residing  at  home,  assist  in 
carrying  on  the  farm  ;  and  they  also  are  owners 
of  valuable  real  estate  in  this  town. 


RTHUR  MANNING  DOOLITTLE, 
an  enterprising  druggist  of  Marlboro, 
Cheshire  County,  was  born  in  Man- 
chester, N.H.,  November  22,  1868, 
son  of  Joseph  S.  and  Amanda  H.  (Beebe) 
Doolittle.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Hiram 
Doolittle,  was  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Win- 
chester, N.H.  Hiram  Doolittle  married 
Lucy  Hazelton,  daughter  of  Dr.  John  Hazel- 
ton,  a  Vermont  surgeon,  who  served  in  his 
professional  capacity  in  the  Revolutionaiy 
War. 

Joseph  S.  Doolittle,  father  of  Arthur  M., 
was  born  in  Winchester,  N.H.;  and  his  first 
stipendiary  employment,  after  leaving  school, 
was  as  a  sash,  blind,  and  door  maker.  This 
he  relinquished,  however,  to  join  the  nation's 
defenders  in  the  great  Civil  War,  serving  three 
years  as  a  private  in  Company  G,  Fourteenth 
New  Hampshire  Regiment,  and  being  wounded 
at  the  battle  of  Winchester.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Man- 
chester &  Lawrence  Railway  Company  as  a 
conductor,  which  position  he  held  for  fifteen 
years.  Subsequently  he  was  engaged  for  some 
time  in  the  hotel  business  at  the  Weirs.  He 
is  now  engaged  in  business  in  Harrisville, 
this  county,  but  is  a  resident  of  Marlboro. 
His  wife,  Amanda,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Hora- 
tio K.  Beebe,  reared  three  sons — Irving  W., 
Joseph  Warren,  and  Arthur  M.  Irving  W. 
is  manager  of  the  Hotel  Throop  at  Topeka, 
Kan.  Joseph  is  in  the  brokerage  and  real 
estate  business  in  New  York  City,  and  re- 
sides  in   Montclair,    N.J. 

Arthur  Manning  Doolittle  received  his  ele- 
mentary education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Manchester,  and  subsequently  completed  his 
studies  with  a  two  years'  course  at  an  academy 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


439 


ill  Tilton,  N.II.  After  spending  a  year  in  a 
wholesale  dry-goods  store  in  Boston,  he  in 
1890  purchased  his  present  store,  to  which 
he  has  since  given  his  close  attention.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  Republican,  and  cast  his  first 
vote  for  Benjamin  Harrison  in  1892.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  church  of 
this  village,  of  which  also  he  is  the  organist. 
On  March  10,  1890,  Mr.  Doolittle  married 
Miss  Emma  M.  Aldrich,  daughter  of  George 
H.  Aldrich,  of  Keene,  N.  H.,  by  whom  he 
has  two  children — Herman  A.  and  Dorothy 
A.  Mr.  Doolittle  is  eligible  to  merubership 
in  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution,  as  his  ancestors,  on  both  the 
paternal  and  maternal  sides,  fought  for  Amer- 
ican independence. 


EORGE  E.  COLBY,*  a  farmer  of 
Antrim,  N.  H.,  was  born  in  Benning- 
ton, N.H.,  September  30,  1S38. 
He  received  his  early  education  at  Benning- 
ton, and  after  his  school  followed  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.  He  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age 
when  his  father  died;  and  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-one years  he  went  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  where 
he  worked  at  his  trade,  being  employed  in 
wood-work  and  repairing  in  the  Middlesex 
Mills  of  that  city.  He  remained  in  Lowell 
for  five  years,  and  in  the  last  part  of  the  time 
he  did  general  work  as  carpenter  in  the  Chase 
Mills.  He  then  removed  to  Bennington,  and 
engaged  in  general  farming,  having  land  in 
Bennington  and  Antrim  to  the  amount  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres.  He  has  been  very 
successful  in  his  farming,  which  he  carries 
on  at  the  present  time,  being  energetic  and 
progressive. 

He  is  a  member  of  Obi  in  Lodge,  No.  28, 
I.  O.  O.  F. ,  of  Lowell,  Mass.  In  politics  he 
is  an  Independent.  He  has  been  Ta.x  Col- 
lector of  Bennington  for  two  years.  Mr. 
Colby  married  Almira  Harriman,  of  Conway, 
N.  H.,  and  they  have  three  children — -Fred- 
erick H.,  Anna,  and  Alma.  Frederick  H. 
married  Bertha  Weeks,  of  Peterboro,  N.H., 
by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Paul.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Colby  are  both  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist church.      Mr.   Colby    and   his   wife  have 


adopted  a  child,  William.  Mr.  Colby  is  an 
industrious,  self-made  man  and  a  highly  re- 
spected citizen  of  the  town. 


RANK  LESLIE  BRAGDON,*  a  well- 
known  boot  and  shoe  manufacturer  of 
Peterboro,  llillsboro  County,  N.IL, 
was  born  in  East  Corinth,  Me.,  on  May  27, 
1857,  son  of  Edwin  and  Susan  P.  (French) 
Bragdon.  His  great-grandfather  was  Aaron 
Bragdon,  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
His  grandfather,  Stephen  Bragdon,  born  at 
Kennebeck,  Me.,  was  a  farmer  in  East  Cor- 
inth, and  carried  on  also  a  considerable  lum- 
bering business.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Free  Will  Baptist  church  and  a  Deacon  of 
that  society  for  many  years.  In  politics  a 
Democrat,  he  was  sent  as  Representative  to 
the  State  legislature;  and  he  also  served  sev- 
eral terms  as  Selectman,  being  an  eminently 
useful  and  highly  esteemed  citizen.  He  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Butterfield,  and  she  became  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  two  of  whom  are 
now  living,  namely:  Joseph,  who  married 
Mary  Huse,  and  is  the  father  of  si.x  children 
—  Joshua,  Jason,  Adrian,  Lucy,  Abiiie,  and 
Minnie;  and  Edwin  Bragdon,  the  father  of 
Mr.    Frank   Bragdon. 

Edwin  Bragdon  was  born  in  Kennebeck, 
Me.,  August  25,  1825,  and  became  a  farmer 
and  a  lumberman  in  East  Corinth.  About 
twenty-three  years  ago  he  removed  to  Lynn 
and  engaged  in  the  carriage  business,  which 
he  has  continued  down  to  the  present  time. 
He  has  been  a  successful  business  man,  and  is 
an  honored  citizen.  Three  of  his  children 
are  living:  De  Witt  C,  who  is  married  to 
Bessie  J.  Wallace;  Delia,  wife  of  Solomon 
B.   Lewis;  and  Frank  L. ,  of  Peterboro. 

After  receiving  his  school  training  in  his 
native  town  and  in  Lynn,  Frank  L.  Bragdon 
learned  the  shoe  cutter's  trade  at  Lynn.  This 
he  followed  for  twelve  years,  and  in  1S84  he 
came  to  Peterboro,  where  he  worked  for  G.  S. 
Stockwell  for  nine  years,  and  in  1893  began 
the  manufacture  of  misses',  children's,  and 
infants'  shoes.  The  business  has  increased 
yearly,  and  about  seventy  workmen  are  now 
employed.     Mr.    Bragdon's  wife   is  a  partner 


440 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


in  the  business,  which  is  carried  on  under  the 
name  of  Frank  L.  13ragdon  &  Co. 

Mr.  Bragdon's  first  marriage  took  place 
May  29,  187S.  His  first  wife  was  Lynda  E. 
Magee,  of  Lynn,  and  she  bore  him  five  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  living:  Henry  C. , 
born  May  i,  1879;  Bessie  A.,  born  August  i, 
1884;  and  Charles  H.,  born  July  24,  1888. 
The  present  Mrs.  Bragdon,  whom  he  married 
November  25,  1891,  was  formerly  Miss  Emma 
J.  Nahor,  of  Peterboro. 

Mr.  Bragdon  is  a  member  of  Monodock 
Lodge,  I.  O.  U.  A.,  of  Peterboro,  and  in  poli- 
tics is  a  Republican.  He  attends  the  Congre- 
gational church,  and  is  always  ready  to  give 
both  moral  and  financial  support  to  any  worthy 
object.  Energetic  and  enterprising,  he  is  one 
of  the  leading  business  men  of  Peterboro. 


"ON.    DANIEL    VVILLARD    RUGG, 
one  of  the  largest  farmers  and  stock- 
\(c>  I  raisers  in  East   Sullivan  and  an  ex- 

member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Senate,  was  born  in  this  town,  July  18,  1836, 
son  of  Harrison  and  Sophia  (Beverstock) 
Rugg.  The  grandfather,  Elijah  Rugg,  who 
was  a  native  of  Lancaster,  Mass.,  came  to 
Sullivan  when  a  young  man,  and  was  there 
for  several  years  engaged  in  farming.  He 
finally  returned  to  Massachusetts,  where  he 
resided  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  His  children 
were:  Elijah,  Harrison,  Martin,  Lucy,  and 
Mira. 

Harrison  Rugg,  born  June  27,  1791,  in 
Lancaster,  Mass.,  was  educated  in  Sullivan, 
and  was  employed  as  a  farm  assistant  until  he 
acquired  the  property  his  son  now  owns.  A 
stirring  farmer  and  a  highly  respected  citizen, 
he  took  an  active  part  in  both  civil  and  mili- 
tary affairs,  and  was  Captain  in  the  State 
militia.  In  religion  he  was  a  Congregational- 
ist,  and  he  frequently  contributed  to  chari- 
table and  other  worthy  objects.  He  died  May 
25,  1859.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  Al- 
stead,  N.H.,  April  30,  1808,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  Beverstock,  resides  with  her  son 
at  the  homestead.  Although  now  in  her  nine- 
tieth year,  she  is  still  active  both  physically 
and  mentally,  and  employs  the  principal  part 


of  her  time  in  reading.  She  has  been  the 
mother  of  six  children;  namely,  Emily  S., 
Horace  K.,  Gardner  H.,  Daniel  W.,  Edward 
E.,  and  Edna  A.  L.  Emily  S  .  married  Dan- 
iel Towne,  of  Sullivan,  and  is  no  longer  liv- 
ing. Horace  K.  served  in  the  Sixteenth  New 
Hampshire  Regiment  during  the  Civil  War, 
and  is  now  a  well-to-do  farmer  in  Acworth, 
N.H.  He  successively  married  Clarissa 
Keith  and  Mary  Chatterton,  the  latter  of 
Acworth,  both  now  deceased.  There  was  one 
child  by  each  union.  Gardner  H.  went  to 
Illinois,  where  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the 
Civil  War,  and  subsequently  died  at  his  home 
from  disease  contracted  in  the  army.  He 
married  Lizzie  Turner,  and  left  two  children. 
Edward  E.  is  a  prosperous  resident  of  Keene, 
N.H.,  where  he  follows  the  occupations  of 
carpenter,  blacksmith,  engineering,  and 
farmer.  He  first  married  Sabrina  Barrett. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  second  wife  was  Ella 
Foster.  Edna  A.  L.  Rugg,  born  December 
19,   1857,  died  January  i,   1870. 

Daniel  Willard  Rugg  began  his  education 
in  Sullivan,  advanced  by  attending  the  high 
school  in  Nelson,  and  completed  his  studies 
at  the  Marlow  Academy.  He  assisted  in  car- 
rying on  the  home  farm  until  the  death  of  the 
elder  Rugg,  since  which  time  he  has  managed 
it,  and  is  also  engaged  in  the  lumbering  busi- 
ness. His  property,  which  contains  four  hun- 
dred acres,  comprising  tillage,  pasture,  and 
woodland,  is  desirably  located  and  very  pro- 
ductive. He  has  a  large  dairy,  is  noted  as  a 
breeder  of  fancy  stock,  and  his  oxen  are  fa- 
mous throughout  this  entire  section  of  the 
country.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen.  He  has 
served  as  Moderator  at  town  meetings  for 
many  consecutive  years,  has  ably  performed 
the  duties  of  Road  Agent,  and  he  was  elected 
to  the  House  of  Representatives  in  1885  and 
to  the  State  Senate  in  1889.  He  is  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry, having  been  Master  of  the  Cheshire 
County  Grange  and  a  member  of  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  of  the  State  grange;  and  he 
is  connected  with  the  United  Order  of  the 
Golden  Cross.  While  a  stanch  Unitarian  in 
religious  belief,  he  attends  the  Congregational 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


441 


church.  Mr.  Rugg  married  for  his  first  wife 
I'Hvira  Davis,  a  daughter  of  Marcus  Davis,  of 
Stoddard,  N.H.  His  second  wife  was  before 
marriage  Rosabelle  S.,  daughter  of  Asa  Davis, 
of  the  same  town.  Arthur  H.  Rugg,  his  son 
by  his  first  union,  born  September  26,  1863, 
attended  the  Marlow  and  Hancoclc  Academies. 
With  the  exception  of  a  year  spent  in  the 
grain  business  at  Keene,  Arthur  has  assisted 
his  father  upon  the  farm  since  completing  his 
education.  He  has  served  several  terms  as 
Selectman,  and  is  now  Town  Clerk,  and  is  one 
of  the  progressive  young  men  of  Sullivan. 
He  is  Master  of  Honor  Bright  Grange,  Patrons 
of  Husbandry,  and  a  member  of  the  United 
Order  of  the  Golden  Cross.  He  married 
Alice  M.  Tarbo.x,  daughter  of  Charles  A. 
Tarbox,  of  Nelson,  and  has  one  daughter, 
Helen  T. ,  born  October  22,  1895.      ' 


"ON.  BENJAMIN  F.  CUTTER,  a 
resident  of  J_amaica  Plain,  Boston, 
Mass.,  who  spends  his  summers  in 
Jaffrey,  N.  H.,  was  born  in  this 
town  on  March  17,  1827,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Grata  (Hunt)  Cutter.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, John  Cutter,  born  in  Woburn,  Mass., 
in  1765,  settled  in  Jaffrey  about  the  year 
1789,  having  previously  married  in  Rindge, 
N.H.,  Abigail  Demary,  of  that  town,  daughter 
of  John  Demary,  who  was  born  in  Boston  of 
French  parentage.  John  Cutter  was  engaged 
in  the  business  of  tanner  and  currier  through- 
out his  active  life.  He  and  his  wife,  Abigail, 
had  a  family  of  twelve  children,  namely: 
John,  born  in  1788;  Jonas;  Benjamin;  Ethan; 
Ermina;  Nathaniel;  Hepsy;  Emeline;  Cyrus; 
Esther;    Paulina;  and  Abigail. 

Benjamin,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  Jaffrey,  January  8,  1793. 
After  his  school  days  were  ended  he  became, 
like  his  father,  a  tanner  and  currier,  and  fol- 
lowed this  line  of  work  until  he  retired  from 
active  toils  and  cares.  He  was  a  very  suc- 
cessful business  man,  and  was  interested  in 
town  affairs,  holding  the  office  of  Town  Clerk 
for  thirty  years.  He  was  also  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace  and  president  of  the  Monadnock 
National    Bank.      He    married    Grata    Hunt, 


daughter  of  Nathan  Hunt,  a  Revolutionary 
pensioner  of  this  town,  by  occupation  a  farmer 
and  tavern  keeper.  Five  children  blessed 
this  marriage,  their  names  being  as  follows: 
Sarah  A.,  Ermina,  Adaliza,  Julius,  ami  Ben- 
jamin F.  Mr.  Benjamin  Cutter  was  a  Ma.son, 
having  joined  that  order  in  1827.  His  relig- 
ion, it  is  said,  was  the  Golden  Rule;  and  he 
was  a  man  who  was  highly  respected  by  all 
who  knew  him  for  his  integrity  and  upright 
life.  He  died  in  August,  1S85.  Mrs.  Cutter 
was  born  on  June  26,  1793,  and  died  in  No- 
vember, 1 87 1. 

Benjamin  F.  Cutter,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  at  Melville  Academy  in  Jaffrey.  After 
leaving  school  he  went  to  New  York  City, 
where  at  seventeen  years  of  age  he  was  a 
clerk  in  a  trimming  and  small-wares  store. 
This  position  he  occupied  for  two  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  Boston  and 
entered  the  employ  of  a  wholesale  house,  im- 
porters of  fancy  goods  and  toys,  remaining  in 
their  service  until  1849,  when  he  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  which  was  known  as  Hol- 
man,  Holden  &  Cutter,  and  subsequently 
Holden  &  Cutter.  Under  the  latter  name  the 
firm  had  continued  in  business  for  fourteen 
years  when  it  was  changed  to  Cutter  &  Aus- 
tin. Five  years  later  the  book-keeper  was 
admitted  to  partnership,  the  firm  then  being 
Cutter,  Austin  &  Co.,  afterward  becoming 
Cutter,  Hyde  &  Co.,  which  continued  until 
1874,  when  Mr.  Cutter  retired  from  the 
business.  Actively  interested  in  municipal 
affairs  and  in  the  welfare  and  progress  of 
the  community,  Mr.  Cutter  was  trustee  of  the 
Jamaica  Plain  Savings  Bank,  and  served  on 
the  School  Committee  for  several  years.  In 
1863  he  served  in  the  Massachusetts  legislat- 
ure as  a  Representative;  in  1S83  he  was  in 
the  Senate,  representing  the  Eighth  Suffolk 
District;  and  in  1885  he  was  one  of  the  Al- 
dermen of  Boston. 

Mr.  Cutter  married  Mary  E.  Capen,  who 
was  born  December  28,  1833,  daughter  of 
Josiah  Capen,  of  Boston,  a  carriage  manu- 
facturer. They  have  three  children  living; 
namely,  Annie  O.,  Harry  H.,  and  Mabelle  E. 
Annie  O.   Cutter,  born   in  Boston  on  January 


442 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


~3'  iSS5>  married  Edward  L.  Hersey,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  rubber  business  in  New  York 
City.  Of  the  six  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hersey  four  are  living,  as  follows:  E. 
Langdon,  Winthrop  O.,  Marguerite,  and  Mil- 
dred; and  two,  Marion  and  Edith,  are  de- 
ceased. Marion  married  Walter  L.  VVither- 
bee,  who  was  engaged  in  the  fruit  business, 
and  lived  in  California.  There  were  no  chil- 
dren by  this  marriage.  Harry  H.  Cutter,  born 
in  i860,  is  an  electrician  at  Foxboro,  Mass. 
He  is  married  and  has  one  child,  Raymond. 
Mabelle  E.  Cutter,  born  December  2,  1871, 
is  at  home  with  her  parents.  Mr.  Cutter  is 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church  of 
Jamaica  Plain.  As  a  Mason  he  is  a  member 
of  St.  John's  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  St.  Paul's 
Royal  Arch  Chapter,  and  Boston  Comman- 
dery,  K.  T.,  Boston.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Bostonian  Society  and  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Club. 


LBERT  B.  LAWRENCE,*  superin- 
tendent of  the  Goodell  Cutlery  Works 
at  Bennington,  N.  H.,  was  born  in 
Newburyport,  Mass.,  December  31, 
1845.  His  parents  were  Edwin  and  Mary  S. 
(Ranney)  Lawrence.  His  father,  a  printer 
by  trade,  resided  for  a  number  of  years  in 
Salem,  Mass.,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a 
printer  on  the  Salem  Evening-  Jo// ma/.  He 
married  Mary  S.  Ranney,  and  they  had  one 
child  —  Albert  B. ,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Mr.  Edwin  Lawrence  died  in  Salem.  His 
wife  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years. 

Albert  B.  Lawrence  attended  school  in  his 
native  town;  and  after  completing  his  educa- 
tion he  went  to  Marlboro,  N.H.,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  machinist,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  about  one  and  one-half  years.  He 
then  went  to  Boston,  Mass.,  where  he  was 
engaged  for  one  year  in  the  picture-frame  and 
photograph  business.  In  April,  1864,  he 
enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Massachusetts  Cavalry, 
Company  K;  and,  serving  as  a  private  for 
twenty-two  months,  he  was  in  many  notable 
engagements,  going  through  the  Petersburg 
campaign  under  General  B.  F.  Butler.      After 


returning  from  the  war,  he  went  to  Antrim, 
N.  H.,  where  he  was  employed  in  the  cutlery 
shop  of  Samuel  Baldwin,  remaining  there  for 
one  year  and  a  half.  Later  he  was  employed 
by  VV.  D.  &  E.  F.  Woods  in  the  same  town 
for  eight  years.  In  1875,  ^^  the  time  of  the 
formation  of  the  Goodell  Company,  he  went 
to  work  for  them,  and  some  time  later  was 
appointed  superintendent  of  the  factory  at 
Bennington,  which  position  he  holds  at  the 
present  time. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views, 
has  been  Tax  Collector  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  at  the  present  time  is  a  member  of  the 
School  Board.  He  is  a  member  of  Allamont 
Lodge,  No.  26,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Peterboro; 
and  of  Waverley  Lodge,  No.  59,  I.  O.  O.  V., 
of  Antrim ;  is  also  connected  with  Ephraim 
Weston  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Antrim.  In  1864 
he  married  Frances  S.  Holmes,  of  Stoddard, 
N. H.  Of  the  two  children  born  to  them,  but 
one,  a  daughter,  Edith  L. ,  is  now  living. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  are  both  members  of 
the  Congregational  church.  Mr.  Lawrence 
is  a  hard-working  man,  and  by  his  efficiency 
has  attained  the  responsible  position  which  he 
now  holds,  having  full  charge  of  the  cutlery 
department  at  Bennington  of  the  Goodell  Com- 
pany. 


LFRED  G.  TWISS,*  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Hollis  and  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  War,  was  born  in  this 
town,  April  26,  1822,  son  of  John 
and  Lucy  (Green)  Twiss.  His  great-grand- 
father was  an  early  settler  here;  and  his  grand- 
father, Asahel  Twiss,  was  a  native  of  Hollis. 
Asahel  Twiss  was  an  industrious  farmer 
through  life,  and  died  at  a  good  old  age. 

John  Twiss,  father  of  Alfred  G.,  was  born 
in  Hollis,  and  was  reared  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  became  the  owner  of  a  large  farm, 
which  he  carried  on  energetically  and  with 
good  results,  and  he  was  one  of  the  progres- 
sive residents  of  Hollis  in  his  day.  He  was 
a  Universalist  in  his  religious  views,  and  in 
politics  he  went  from  the  Whig  party  to  the 
Republican  ranks.  His  wife,  Lucy  Green, 
was     born     in     Groton,     Mass.     Her    father, 


IJKKiRAl'illC.VL    RKVIEW 


443 


MlcazLir  Green,  a  Revolutionary  patriot,  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Iknikcr  Hill.  She 
became  the  mother  of  ten  chiUlren,  of  whom 
four  are  living,  namely:  Benjamin  A.,  of 
Nashua,  N.  H.;  Alfred  G.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Mrs.  Herman  Williams,  of  I'epperell; 
and  Charles  K.,  who  resides  in  Dunstable. 
John  Twiss  lived  to  be  seventy-six  years  old, 
but   his   wife   died   at   the  age   of   sixty-three. 

Alfred  G.  Twiss  in  his  childhood  attended 
school  in  the  l^rimstone  district,  as  it  was 
called,  of  his  native  town;  and  at  an  early 
age  he  began  to  make  himself  useful  upon  the 
farm.  When  a  young  man  he  went  to  Cape 
Cod,  Massachusetts,  where  for  sixteen  years  he 
was  engaged  in  the  culture  of  cranberries, 
planting  many  bogs.  In  1862  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  I,  Thirty-third  Regiment, 
Massachusetts  Volunteers,  for  service  in  the 
Civil  War,  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Chan- 
cellorsville  and  the  seven  days'  fight.  Sus- 
taining a  serious  bodily  injury  while  in  the 
army,  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  1865. 
He  then  went  back  to  Orleans,  Barnstable 
County,  Mass.,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
until  1866  or  1867,  when  he  returned  to  Hollis. 
Here  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  general 
farming.  He  owns  a  good  farm  of  about 
thirty-five  acres,  and  his  crops  are  always 
large  and  of  a  superior  quality. 

Mr.  Twiss  married  Priscilla  Gould,  a  native 
of  Orleans,  and  has  three  children  living, 
namely:  Emma,  wife  of  Frank  N.  Morse,  of 
Penacook,  N.  H.;  Franklin  F.,  who  resides 
in  Hollis;  and  Sarah  Nichols,  who  <iives  in 
Penacook.  Mr.  Twiss  is  a  liberal  in  religion, 
and  in  politics  a  Democrat. 

Franklin  F.  Twiss  was  born  in  Barnstable 
County,  Massachusetts,  January  5,  1856.  He 
began  his  education  in  Brewster,  Mass,  and 
his  studies  were  completed  in  the  schools  of 
Hollis.  While  yet  a  boy  he  began  to  earn 
wages,  which  he  gave  to  his  father,  and  con- 
tinued to  do  so  until  he  arrived  at  his  major- 
ity. Being  naturally  industrious  and  frugal 
in  his  habits  and  of  a  saving  turn,  he  was  not 
long  in  accumulating  a  sum  sufificient  to  buy 
a  farm  of  forty  acres;  and  he  is  now  actively 
engaged  in  tilling  the  soil.  He  married  in 
December,    1882,  Eliza  Freeman,  a  native  of 


Orleans,  Mass.,  and  has  one  daughter —  Bertha 
May.  Politically,  he  acts  with  the  Democratic 
party. 


HARLI'lS  !•:.  SLATh:,  hirst  .Select- 
man of  \\'inchester  ant!  an  ex-member 
of  the  New  Hampshire  legislature, 
was  born  in  'I'honulike,  Mass.,  May 
14,  1847,  son  of  Obed  Slate,  Jr.,  and  Sarah 
(Colton)  Slate.  His  grandfather.  Colonel 
Obed  Slate,  who  was  born  April  6,  1778, 
resided  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Hins- 
dale, where  for  years  he  was  the  only  person 
qualified  to  do  legal  business.  Colonel  .Slate 
served  as  a  Selectman  for  a  number  of  terms, 
was  Representative  to  the  legislature  for  thir- 
teen years,  and  acted  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
His  title  of  Colonel  was  acquired  by  long  ser- 
vice in  the  old  State  militia.  He  married 
Susan  Doolittle,  who,  born  April  15,  17S4, 
daughter  of  Captain  Otis  Doolittle,  became  the 
mother  of  eleven  children.  These  were: 
Hoit,  born  October  21,  1804,  who  died  No- 
vember 12,  1838;  Sarah,  born  June  15,  i8o8, 
who  married  Flrastus  Cooper,  and  died  March 
3,  1887;  Elvira,  born  Se|itember  28,  18 10, 
who  wedded  Moses  Morse,  of  Jk'lchertown, 
Mass.,  and  died  PY-bruary  19,  18S9;  Obed, 
born  June  30,  1812;  George,  born  August  15, 
1814,  who  now  resides  in  Bellows  Falls,  Vt.  ; 
John  B.,  born  July  16,  1816,  who  died  De- 
cember 10,  1S90;  Miranda,  born  June  17, 
181 8,  who  became  Mrs.  Hastings,  and  died 
June  12,  1840;  Susan,  born  April  17,  1820, 
who  died  May  22,  1846;  Orrin,  born  August 
24,  1822,  who  now  resides  in  Belchertown ; 
Willard,  born  December  3,  1825,  who  died 
August  31,  1866;  and  Charles,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  seven  years.  Colonel  Slate  died 
March   28,   1862,  and  his  wife  on  P'ebruary  25, 

1853- 

Obed  .Slate,  Jr.,  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Hinsdale.  When  a  young  man  he  learned  a 
trade  in  Ithaca,  N.  Y. ,  where  he  resided  for  a 
time.  He  also  kept  a  hotel  in  Thorndike, 
Mass.,  for  about  four  years.  Afterward  he 
settled  at  the  homestead  in  Hinsdale,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  general  farming  until  his 
death,    which    occurred    July    27,     1869.       He 


444 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


acted  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and,  like  his 
father,  attended  to  much  legal  business,  in- 
cluding the  settlement  of  estates.  In  politics 
he  supported  the  Republican  party.  He  was 
elected  a  Selectman  several  times,  he  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  legislature  for  two 
terms,  and  he  was  at  one  time  Collector  of 
Internal  Revenue  .for  this  district.  His  wife, 
vSarah,  who  was  a  native  of  Wilbraham,  Mass., 
and  a  daughter  of  Edward  Colton,  became  the 
mother  of  four  children  —  Charles  E.,  Annie 
Augu.sta,  George  M.,  £tnd  Susan,  all  born  in 
Hinsdale.  Annie  Augusta  married  Augustus 
B.  Ross,  and  resides  in  Miller's  Falls,  Mass. 
George  M.  Slate,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Philadelphia  Dental  School,  having  practised 
dentistry  for  some  time  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ,  is 
now  following  his  profession  in  Sydney,  Aus- 
tralia, where  he  has  also  quite  a  reputation  as  a 
horseman.  At  one  time  he  was  American 
Vice-Consul  in  Sydney.  He  married  Hattie 
Denning,  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  has  a 
family.  Mrs.  Obed  Slate  married  for  her  sec- 
ond husband  Elisha  Hutchins,  of  Winchester, 
N.H. 

Charles  E.  Slate  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Hinsdale  and  at  Powers  Institute,  Bernards- 
ton,  Mass.  He  assisted  in  carrying  on  the 
homestead  farm  until  after  the  death  of  his 
father.  For  the  succeeding  four  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  tobacco.  After 
the  estate  was  settled,  he  came  to  Winchester, 
and  has  since  followed  general  farming.  He 
is  widely  known  throughout  this  section  as  an 
efficient  musician  and  instructor  of  brass 
bands,  having  been  connected  with  upward  of 
twenty-four  different  organizations,  and  the 
leader  of  the  Winchester  Brass  Band  since  its 
establishment.  The  latter,  which  has  the 
reputation  of  being  a  first-class  country  band, 
during  political  campaigns  is  frequently  en- 
gaged for  torchlight  processions  in  Keene  and 
adjoining  towns.  Mr.  .Slate  is  a  skilful  cornet 
player,  as  well  as  a  leader  of  bands  and  orches- 
tras. The  members  of  his  family  are  also 
capable  musicians,  each  playing  a  different 
instrument,  constituting  a  home  orchestra, 
which  is  a  source  of  much  pleasure  to  the 
entire  neighborhood.  During  the  seasons  of 
1882,   1883,    1884,   and   1885   he  managed  the 


Mount  Monadnock  Hotel  for  Batchclder 
Brothers;  and  his  efforts  in  [jroviding  for  the 
comfort  and  enjoyment  of  its  patrons  were 
highly  appreciated. 

Mr.  Slate  married  Jennie  M.  Putnam,  a 
daughter  of  Amos  A.  Putnam,  who  was  for 
many  years  a  prominent  business  man  of  Win- 
chester. Mr.  Slate's  children  are:  I""red  C, 
Daisy  P.,  and  John  O.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  figures  prominently  as  a 
leader  in  the  local  party  organization.  He 
was  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy  on  the  Board 
of  Selectmen  and  Assessors  in  1894,  has  been 
re-elected  several  times  to  the  same  position, 
and  is  now  serving  his  fourth  term  as  chair- 
man. He  has  served  on  the  Board  of  Over- 
seers of  the  Poor  for  five  terms;  and  he  was  in 
the  legislature  in  1881,  and  served  on  the 
Committee  on  Finance.  He  filled  the  office  of 
Postmaster  with  marked  ability  for  nearly  four 
years  under  the  Harrison  administration,  and 
he  has  recently  been  appointed  to  the  same 
office  by  the  McKinley  administration.  A 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  he  saves  the  town  consid- 
erable expense  in  the  taking  of  depositions  of 
paupers,  and  his  town  reports  are  remarkably 
clear  and  accurate.  He  has  been  chosen  a 
delegate  to  various  district,  county,  and  State 
conventions,  and  he  assisted  in  nominating 
Governor  "Haile.  He  is  a  member  of  Cheshire 
Lodge,  No.  82,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  local  grange,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry. 


AMES  L.  HARDY,*  of  Wilton,  Hills- 
boro  County,  a  well-known  builder,  an 
ex-member  of  the  New  Hampshire  leg- 
islature, and  a  pensioned  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War,  was  born  in  Hollis,  N.H.,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1825,  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Smith) 
Hardy.  His  grandfather  Hardy  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  The 
greater  part  of  his  life  was  passed  upon  a  farm 
in  Hollis,  and  he  lived  to  be  over  ninety  years 
old.  In  his  religious  views  he  was  a  Congre- 
gationalist.  He  was  the  father  of  nine  chil- 
dren, none  of  whom  are  living. 

James  Hardy,  father  of  James  L.,  was  born 


BIOGRAl'lllCAL    REVIEW 


445 


in  Hollis,  and  when  ii  yonny  man  he  learned 
the  stone-cutter's  trade,  lie  was  employed 
at  the  United  States  Navy  Yard  in  Charles- 
town,  Mass.,  for  a  time,  and  also  worked  at 
his  trade  in  Nashua,  N.H.  His  last  days 
were  spent  in  Mollis,  and  he  died  at  the  age 
of  forty-two  years.  In  politics  he  was  origi- 
nally a  Whig  and  later  a  Democrat.  In  mili- 
tary affairs  he  was  actively  interested,  and 
held  a  Captain's  -commission  in  the  State 
militia.  He  attended  the  Congregational 
church.  His  wife,  Mary,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Daniel  Smith,  of  Hollis,  became  the  mother 
of  nine  children,  of  whom  the  only  survivor 
is  James  L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs. 
Mary  Smith  Hardy  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
nine  years. 

James  L.  Hardy  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Nashua  when  he  was  ten  years  old,  and  his 
education  was  completed  in  that  town.  After 
the  death  of  his  parents  he  began  work  as  an 
apprentice  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  serving 
three  years  in  Amherst  and  Manchester, 
N.H.;  and  later  he  was  employed  as  a  jour- 
neyman in  Lawrence,  Mass.,  by  one  man  for 
eight  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  period 
he  bought  a  small  farm  in  Amherst,  N.  H., 
and  for  some  time  thereafter  he  was  engaged 
in  tilling  the  soil  in  connection  with  follow- 
ing his  trade.  On  October  20,  1861,  he 
walked  to  Manchester,  a  distance  of  twenty- 
five  miles,  for  the  purpose  of  enlisting  for  ser- 
vice in  the  defence  of  the  Union,  and  enrolled 
his  name  in  Company  E,  Eighth  Regiment, 
New  Hampshire  Volunteers.  He  was  shortly 
made  Sergeant  of  his  company;  and  on  April 
14,  1862,  he  was  commissioned  Second  Lieu- 
tenant, being  the  first  to  receive  a  commission 
from  the  ranks.  He  was  transferred  to  Com- 
pany A,  and  saw  considerable  active  service 
at  the  front,  being  in  the  battle  of  Georgia 
Landing,  La.,  in  October.  He  resigned  his 
commission  in  December,  1862.  After  the 
war  he  settled  in  Wilton,  where  he  resumed 
his  trade,  and  engaged  as  a  contractor  and 
builder.  He  erected  the  Unitarian  church 
and  the  town  house,  besides  several  residences, 
and  is  considered  one  of  the  most  able  and 
trustworthy  builders  in  this  section  of  the 
county. 


In  politics  Mr.  Ilanly  is  a  firm  supporter 
of  the  Democratic  party.  He  was  for  several 
years  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Wilton  Eire  De- 
partment; and  he  represented  this  district  in 
the  legislature  for  the  years  1871,  1885,  and 
1 89 1.  He  has  been  an  exceedingly  active 
man;  but  his  constitution  was  considerably 
affected  by  exposure  during  the  war,  and  he 
now  draws  a  pension  from  the  government. 

On  March  30,  1863,  Mr.  Hardy  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Elvira  S.  Noyes,  of  Amherst, 
daughter  of  Arnet  Noyes.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Noyes  attend  the  Unitarian  church. 


MOS  ADAMS  PUTNAM,  now  of 
Warwick,  Mass.,  was  for  many  years 
a  prominent  figure  in  the  public 
affairs  of  Winchester,  N.  H.  ]5orn 
in  Winchester,  April  11,  1824,  he  is  a  son  of 
Amos  and  Susan  Rebecca  (Wheeler)  Putnam. 
His  maternal  grandfather,  who  was  of  good 
fighting  stock,  served  with  honor  in  the 
struggle  for  American  independence.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Amos  Putnam  (first), 
who  was  a  native  of  Danvers,  Mass.,  in  his 
younger  days  moved  to  Eitchburg,  Mass.,  and 
there  worked  for  some  time  at  his  trade,  that 
of  a  carpenter.  He  came  to  Winchester  in 
1818,  settling  upon  land  in  the  south-western 
part  of  the  town,  and  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  also  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolution,  and  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Bennington.  In  his  religious 
views  he  was  a  Universalist,  and  he  was  ac- 
tively connected  with  the  church  in  Eitchburg. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Lydia 
Hovey,  and  his  children  were:  Amos,  Lydia, 
Polly,  Samuel,  .Sarah,  Elizabeth,  and  Susan. 
Lydia  became  the  wife  of  Captain  George 
Tufts.  Polly  successively  married  a  Mr. 
Reed  and  a  Mr.  Garfield.  Amos,  who  suc- 
ceeded to  the  homestead,  made  a  specialty  of 
fattening  cattle  and  hogs  for  market.  He 
married  Susan  Rebecca  Wheeler,  of  Ashby, 
Mass.,  and  they  had  seven  children,  namely: 
Albert,  who  married  Emeline  Smith,  and  re- 
sides in  Winchester;  Amos  A.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Harriet,  the  wife  of  Smyrna  Han- 
croft;   James,    who    married    Jane    Whijiple; 


446 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Mary  Ann  (now  deceased),  who  married 
Nathan  B.  Hammond  ;  Eri,  who  married  Lucy 
Holton,  and  is  now  deceased ;  and  Susan,  who 
married  Isaac  Smith,  and  is  now  also  deceased. 
Amos  Adams  Putnan)  and  his  brother  James, 
who  both  remained  upon  the  homestead  to  care 
for  their  parents,  after  the  death  of  their  father 
purchased  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  to 
the  property.  In  1865  Amos  A.  sold  his 
interest  in  the  property  to  James,  and  bought 
of  William  and  Lucius  Ri.xford  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  ten  acres,  situated  upon  the  road 
to  Chesterfield  factory.  On  this  estate,  to 
which  he  added  seventy  acres  of  adjoining 
land,  he  carried  on  general  farming  and  cattle- 
raising  until  1887,  when  he  engaged  in  the 
milk  business.  In  May,  1893,  he  moved  to 
Warwick,  Mass.,  on  account  of  failing  health, 
where  he  now  occupies  a  small  farm  of  thir- 
teen acres  near  Warwick  village,  leaving  his 
Winchester  property  in  charge  of  his  son.  In 
politics  Mr.  Putnam  is  a  Democrat.  Although 
that  party  did  not  predominate  in  Winchester 
at  the  time,  he  was  chosen  Selectman  for  nine 
years,  and  for  three  years  of  that  period  was 
chairman  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  and  an 
Overseer  of  the  Poor.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  legislature  in  the  last  annual  session,  was 
in  the  first  biennial  session  in  1879,  and  was 
again  a  member  in  1885-86.  While  in  the 
legislature  he  served  on  the  Finance  and  Re- 
trenchment and  Reform  Conmiittees,  and  was 
the  clerk  of  the  latter  committee.  He  was  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  from  1870  to  1885,  dur- 
ing which  time,  being  conversant  with  legal 
formalities  and  the  modes  of  procedure,  he 
settled  several  estates. 

On  February  17,  1845,  Mr.  Putnam  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Nancy  B.  Robbins, 
who  was  born  in  Hinsdale,  N.  PI.,  October  25, 
1823,  daughter  of  John  Robbins.  Of  their 
nine  children  five  are  living,  namely:  Jennie 
M.,  born  March  19,  1847,  who  is  now  the  wife 
of  Charles  E.  Slate;  N.  Maria,  born  May  23, 
1S50,  who  is  now  the  widow  of  Willard  H. 
Snow,  having  one  son  ;  Addie  C. ,  born  May  9, 
1856,  who  married  C.  A.  Williams,  and  has 
had  seven  children;  Jesse  R.,  born  March  30, 
1862,  who  married  Nellie  Ri.xford,  and  has  one 
son;    and    George    Henry,    born    January    14, 


1864,  who  married  Harriet  J.  Freeman,  and 
has  two  children.  The  others  were:  John  A., 
born  April  29,  1848,  who  died  June  22,  1873; 
Sarah  E.,  born  April  7,1852,  who  died  Janu- 
ary II,  1861  ;  George  A.,  born  June  24,  1854, 
who  died  May  25,  1857;  and  Henry  S.,  born 
April  10,  1858,  who  died  July  i,  i860.  Mrs. 
Putnam  died  June  13,  1896.  Mr.  Putnam's 
interest  in  anything  ancient  and  historical, 
especially  if  connected  with  his  own  family 
history,  has  led  him  to  preserve  a  note,  of 
which  the  following  is  a  copy,  given  by  his 
grandfather,  Amos  Putnam  (first),  to  the  Se- 
lectmen of  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  for  the  purpose 
designated  :  — 

"  Fitchburg,  August  ye  2'',  1777. 

"Received  of  the  Selectmen  of  Fitchburg, 
the  towns  property,  one  Gun,  valued  at  six 
pounds,  which  I  promise  to  Return  to  the  se- 
lectmen of  ye  town  when  I  return  from  the 
Draft  which  I  am  now  Drafted,  in  order  to  go 
to  Bennington  to  the  assistance  of  Col.  Seth 
Warner,  or  pay  the  above  said  sum  upon  my 
return,  unless  lost  in  action  with  the  Enemy. 
"Witness  my  Hand, 

Amos  Putnam." 

Mr.  Putnam,  without  any  solicitation  on  his 
part,  was  given  a  commission  as  Adjutant  of 
the  Si.xth  Regiment  of  the  militia  of  the  State 
of  New  Hampshire,  with  the  rank  of  Captain, 
the  commission  bearing  date  of  June  7,  1854, 
and  being  signed  by  Governor  Noah  Martin. 
Mr.  Putnam  held  this  commission  until  the 
old  militia  law  was  repealed,  some  three  or 
four  years  later. 


iATHAN  A.  BROWN,*  a  prosperous 
agriculturist  residing  in  the  town  of 
Temple,  Hillsboro  CountYj_was  born 
m  Antrim,  N. H.,  May  25,  1833, 
son  of  Isaac  and  Sarah  (Flagg)  Brown.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Stephen  Brown,  was  a 
native  of  Sudbury,  Mass.,  born  August  11, 
1769.  In  1808  he  removed  his  family  to 
Temple,  and  for  the  rest  of  his  life  he  was 
there  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil.  He  was 
industrious  and  successful,  and  one  of  the 
highly    respected    citizens    of     his    day.      On 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


447 


October  15,  1793,  he  married  Eunice  Proctor, 
who  was  born  February  16,  1772.  Stephen 
Brown  died  December  14,  1851,  aged  eighty- 
two  years;  and  iiis  wife,  who  lived  to  be  over 
ninety-one  years  old,  died  August  11,  1863. 
They  were  members  of  the  Congregational 
church.  None  of  their  twelve  children  are 
now  living. 

Isaac  Brown,  Nathan  A.  Brown's  father, 
was  born  in  Sudbur)',  July  10,  1794.  He  was 
one  of  twins,  but  his  brother  died  young. 
Isaac  accompanied  his  parents  to  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  when  a  young  man  settled  in  An- 
trim, where  he  carried  on  general  farming 
energetically  and  with  good  results.  About 
the  year  1849  he  removed  to  Temple,  where 
he  continued  to  till  the  soil  for  the  rest  of  his 
active  period  ;  and  he  died  April  13,  1879.  In 
politics  he  was  originally  a  Whig  and  later  a 
Republican.  His  wife,  Sarah  Flagg,  whom 
he  married  December  30,  181 8,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Josiah  F'lagg,  of  Mason,  N.  H.  She 
became  the  mother  of  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  and  four 
are  living,  namely:  Harriet;  Mary  Ann; 
Adna ;  and  Nathan  A.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Harriet  is  the  widow  of  the  Rev. 
Joseph  B.  Hill,  late  of  Mason,  and  has  three 
children  —  Charles  E.,  Wilton  B. ,  and  Joseph 
A.  Mary  Ann  is  the  wife  of  James  H.  Wal- 
ton, of  Temple,  and  has  one  daughter,  Sarah 
E.  Adna  married  for  his  first  wife  Mary 
Newton,  of  Antrim,  and  for  his  second  wife 
Fanny  Wilson,  of  Littleton,  N.H.,  and  he  has 
two  children  —  Walter  W.  and  Belle.  Mrs. 
Sarah  F.  Brown  died  in  1883.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church. 

Nathan  A.  Brown  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  at  the  age  of  si.xteen  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  Temple.  Since  leaving 
school  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming,  and 
in  1870  he  bought  the  property  he  now  owns 
and  cultivates.  He  later  added  fifty  acres  to 
his  original  purchase,  and  now  owns  one  hun- 
dred acres  of  fertile  land,  which  is  desirably 
located. 

On  September  19,  1857,  Mr.  Brown  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Artemas  Brown,  of  Antrim.  He  is  justly 
regarded  as  one  of   the   most   practical  farmers 


of  Temple,  and  is  liighly  esteemed  for  his 
integrity  and  other  sterling  qualities.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  jiolitics  and  a  Congrcgation- 
alist  in  his  religious  views. 


ILBUR  L.  rHELPS,*  a  prominent 
business  man  of  New  I|)swich,  was 
born  in  this  town,  August  28,  i  S67, 
and  is  the  son  of  Lorenzo  C.  B.  and  Helen  AI. 
(Judkins)  Phelps. 

Mr.  Phelps's  paternal  grandfather,  Simeon 
Phelps,  married  Lucinda  Putnam,  and  they 
had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living, 
namely:  Lucy  A.,  the  widow  of  Daniel  Pratt, 
and  Lorenzo  C.  B. ,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Grandfather  Phelps  was  a 
farmer  in  Sutton,  Mass.,  living  there  from  his 
birth  to  his  death;  and  in  Sutton  his  son 
Lorenzo  was  born. 

After  his  school  days  were  over,  Lorenzo 
went  to  Keene,  N.  H.,  then  to  Peterboro,  and 
finally  settled  in  New  Ipswich,  where  he 
worked  for  John  Kingsley,  of  the  express  com- 
pany running  from  New  Ipswich  to  Boston,  as 
express  messenger  for  many  years.  Later  he 
engaged  in  the  livery  business  for  himself  in 
New  Ipswich,  which  he  continued  until  about 
ten  years  ago,  when  advancing  years  and  poor 
health  compelled  him  to  retire  from  active 
work.  He  now  enjoys  the  results  of  his 
former  industry.  Mr.  Lorenzo  C.  B.  Phelps 
has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being 
Mary  J.  Miller,  of  Peterboro,  N.H.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  leaving  no 
children.  His  second  wife,  formerly  Helen 
M.  Judkins,  is  the  mother  of  Mr.  Wilbur  L. 
Phelps.  She  was  married  to  Mr.  Phelps 
October  17,  1854,  in  Boston,  the  ceremony 
being  performed  by  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  A.  A. 
Miner.  Wilbur  L.  is  the  only  living  child. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lorenzo  C.  B.  Phelps  are  both 
members  of  the  Baptist  church.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  well  known  and 
highly  re-spected   in    New  Ipswich. 

Wilbur  Phelps  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools,  and  began  the  work  of  life  by  being 
employed  for  about  two  years  by  H.  R. 
Wheeler  in  a  general  store.  He  then  went  to 
Boston  for  a  time;  and,  returning  to  New  Ips- 


448 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


wich    in    1S89,  he  purchased  his  present   busi- 
ness stand. 

Mr.  Phelps's  popularity  is  attested  by  the 
various  offices  he  has  held.  In  1893  he  was 
chosen  Town  Clerk,  and  has  held  that  position 
up  to  the  present  time.  Since  1895  he  has 
been  Town  Treasurer.  On  April  26,  1892, 
he  married  Miss  Abbie  L.  Balch,  daughter  of 
Moses  Balch,  of  this  place. 


§OHN  BLISS,  an  expert  woollen  manu- 
facturer and  overseer  of  one  of  the 
mills  in  Gilsum,  Cheshire  County, 
N.H.,  was  born  in  this  town,  October 
25,  1848,  son  of  Cyrus  and  Sarah  C.  (Nash) 
Bliss.  He  is  a  grandson  of  the  first  settled 
physician  in  Gilsum  and  a  descendant  of 
Colonial  ancestry.  The  immigrant  founder  of 
the  family  in  New  England,  Thomas  Bliss, 
who  was  born  in  Belstone  Parish,  Devonshire, 
England,  in  1585,  located  at  Braintree,  Mass., 
in  1635.  In  1640  he  settled  in  Hartford, 
Conn.,  and  resided  there  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Samuel  Bliss,  a  son  of  Thomas,  was  born  in 
Belstone  Parish,  England,  in  1624,  and  died 
in  Springfield,  Mass.,  March  23,  1720.  Jon- 
athan Bliss,  a  grandson  of  Thomas,  was  born 
in  Springfield,  Mass.,  January  5,  1672,  and 
died  in  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  about  1740. 
Jonathan  Bliss,  second,  great-grandson  of 
Thomas  and  great-grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Windsor,  Conn., 
January  4,  1712,  and  died  in  April,  1799. 
He  was  a  pioneer  settler  in  Gilsum  and  prob- 
ably the  first  one.  His  son,  Ur.  Abner  Bliss, 
John  Bliss's  grandfather,  was  born  in  Tolland, 
Conn.,  November  29,  1752.  He  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Gilsum,  was  the  first  physician 
of  the  town,  and  practised  medicine  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  May  29,  1812.  He  was 
the  father  of  ten  children;  namely,  Naomi, 
Ruth,  Abner,  Lucinda,  Sybil,  Levi,  Sally, 
John,  Nancy,  and  Cyrus. 

Cyrus  Bliss,  father  of  John  Bliss,  was  born 
in  Taunton,  Mass.,  April  16,  1798.  Pie  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Gilsum,  where  he  re- 
sided for  the  rest  of  his  life;  and  his  active 
years  were  spent  in  farming.  He  imited  with 
the  Christian  church,  of  which  he  was  elected 


Bishop,  April  7,  1828;  and  he  was  sincerely 
esteemed  for  his  high  moral  character  and 
earnest  piety.  Cyrus  Bliss  died  July  24, 
1872.  His  first  wife,  Nancy  Dean,  born  in 
1807,  daughter  of  David  Dean,  of  Taunton, 
Mass.,  died  April  17,  1836.  Sarah  Chastina 
Nash,  his  second  wife,  who  was  born  in  1827, 
daughter  of  Levi  and  Martha  D.  (Miller) 
Nash,  died  September  6,  1849.  Cyrus  Bliss 
was  the  father  of  nine  children,  seven  by  his 
first  marriage  and  two  by  his  second,  namely: 
Cyrus  R.,  born  June  19,  1826;  John  N.  ; 
Hannah  and  two  others  who  died  in  infancy  ; 
Plunice  M.,  born  June  2,  1831;  Nancy  C, 
who  died  young;  Nancy  L.,  born  April  8, 
1846,  who  died  May  19,  1852;  and  John,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Cyrus  R.  Bliss,  who 
is  a  farmer  and  lumberman  of  Gilsum,  has 
been  married  three  times.  Eunice  M.,  who 
died  in  September,  1894,  was  the  wife  of 
Nathaniel  Heath,  of  Stoddard,  N.  H.,  and  left 
a  family. 

John  Bliss  was  educated  in  Gilsum,  and 
after  finishing  his  studies  he  learned  the 
woollen  manufacturer's  trade.  He  has  plied 
his  calling  in  New  Hampshire,  Vermont, 
Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  Pennsylvania, 
and  has  held  the  position  of  superintendent  of 
different  factories.  For  the  past  eight  years 
he  has  occupied  his  present  position  in  Gil- 
sum. He  is  thoroughly  conversant  with  the 
business;  and,  being  a  practical  mechanic,  he 
designs  and  makes  any  kind  of  a  device  or 
piece  of  machinery  he  desires  to  use.  He  is 
a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  a  Knight 
Templar,  and  is  also  connected  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Kebekahs, 
the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  the  Order  of 
American  Mechanics,  and  the  Daughters  of 
Liberty. 

Mr.  Bliss  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  P"anny  M.  Austin,  born  August 
8,  1854,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  T. 
(Green)  Austin,  of  Warrenville,  Conn.  She 
died  March  14,  1879.  His  present  wife  was 
before  marriage  Agnes  L.  Busia,  born  April 
25,  i860,  daughter  of  John  and  Louisa  (Sa- 
voice)  Busia. 

Mr.  Bliss  is  interested  in  orange  growing  in 
Florida,  and  owned  a  nice  grove  of  two  hun- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


449 


dred  trees,  which  were  killed  down  to  the 
ground  by  the  groat  freeze-u|)  in  February, 
1895.  The  loss  was  nearly  total;  but  the 
trees  are  sprouting  up  again.^and  it  is  hoped 
they  will  fully  recover  their  former  condition 
after  a  few  years. 

Two  of  Mr.  Bliss's  ancestors  were  soldiers 
in  the  Revolutionary  War;  namely,  his 
mother's  grandfather  and  great-grandfather, 
James  and  Abraham  Nash,  of  Taunton,  Mass. 
Abraham  Nash  was  in  General  Ward's  di- 
vision at  the  siege  of  Boston  in  1775-76;  and 
his  son,  James  Nash,  was  in  service  from  1776 
to  the  close  of  the  war. 


"ENRY  W.  FLETCHER,  general 
superintendent  for  the  Cheshire 
Improvement  Company,  Rindge, 
N.H.,  was  born  in  Bennington, 
Hillsboro  County,  December  8,  1851,  son 
/of  Samuel  W.  and  Emily  T.  (Brooks) 
Fletcher.  The  first  American  ancestor  of 
the  family  was  Robert  Fletcher,  an  English- 
man, it  is  thought  from  Yorkshire,  who  with 
his  three  sons  —  Luke,  William,  and  Samuel 
—  came  to  this  country  in  1630  and  settled  in 
Concord,  Mass.,  where  he  died  April  3,  1677. 
Walter  Fletcher,  grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  born  in  Westford,  Mass,,  in 
1805,  as  we  learn  from  the  Fletcher  Geneal- 
ogy, was  of  the  seventh  generation  in  descent 
from  the  immigrant.  He  married  for  his  first 
wife  Mary  Chamberlain. 

Their  eldest  son,  Samuel  W.,  Henry  W. 
Fletcher's  father,  was  born  in  Westford,  Jan- 
uary 24,  1829.  He  came  to  Rindge  when  a 
young  man,  and  here  began  his  business 
career.  Later  for  some  years  he  resided 
successively  in  Bennington,  N.  H.,  and  in 
Haverhill,  Mass,  whence  he  returned  to  this 
town,  where  he  was  a  prosperous  merchant  for 
a  number  of  years,  also  serving  as  Postmas- 
ter. He  afterward  removed  to  Newton,  Mass., 
where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  continuing 
in  mercantile  business.  His  first  wife,  Emily 
T.  Fletcher,  born  Brooks,  whom  he  married 
in  Rindge,  April  25,  1850,  was  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Emily  T  Brooks.  She  died 
when   her   only  son,  Henry  W.,  the  subject  of 


this  sketch,  was  si.\  months  old;  and  Samuel 
W.  Fletcher  married  her  sister,  Caroline  M. 
Brooks. 

Henry  W.  I""letcher  completed  iiis  education 
at  the  New  Ipswich  Academy.  After  teaching 
two  terms  of  school  he  was  for  a  time  engaged 
with  his  father  in  trade  at  Rindge  Centre  and 
at  West  Rindge,  and  for  a  year  was  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  pails  at  West  Rindge. 
About  1890  he  became  connected  with  the 
Cheshire  Improvement  Company,  at  that  time 
engaged  in  raising  thoroughbred  Jersey  cattle 
and  horses  upon  a  large  scale,  controlling  seven 
thousand  acres  of  land,  and  employing  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men.  This  concern  has  a 
lumber-mill,  a  brickyard,  and  a  stone  quarry; 
and  for  the  past  four  years  Mr.  Fletcher  has 
been  general  superintendent  of  the  enterprise. 
He  has  served  as  a  Selectman  for  si.x  years  in 
succession,  was  formerly  Ta.x  Collector  and 
at  one  time  Postmaster,  and  was  Census  Enu- 
merator in  1890. 

On  September  8,  1875,  Mr.  Fletcher  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Anna  C.  Norcross,  of 
Rindge,  daughter  of  Joshua  Norcross,  and  a 
great-grand-daughter  of  Jeremiah  Norcross,  a 
Revolutionary  soldier.  Four  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fletcher,  namely: 
Eva  A.  and  Charles  W.,  both  graduates  of 
the  Winchendon  High  School;  Alice  E.,  who 
died  aged  fifteen  months;  and  Sidney  N.,  now 
attending  school  in  Rindge.  Charles  W. 
Fletcher  entered  Dartmouth  College  in  the 
autumn  of  the  present  year,  1897.  Mr. 
Fletcher  is  connected  with  the  Order  of  the 
Golden  Cross,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational church,  of  which  he  is  clerk. 


lEWIS  G.  HILDRETH,  M.D.,*  a 
physician  of  Bennington,  Hillsboro 
County,  N.H.,  was  born  in  White- 
field,  Coos  County,  N.  H.,  February 
3,  1868.  His  parents  were  George  and  Alvira 
(Ingram)  Hildreth.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Stephen  Hildreth,  was  born  in  Lisbon,  N.H., 
where  he  lived  the  greater  part  of  his  life, 
and  carried  on  general  farming.  He  married 
Amanda  Holmes,  and  they  had  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living;  namely,  Mary, 


45° 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Carrie,  and  Edwin.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years;  and  his  wife,  Dr.  Hil- 
dreth's  grandmother,  now  makes  her  home  at 
Whitefield,  N.H. 

George  Hildreth,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  in  Whitefield,  N.H., 
and  resided  there  during  his  life,  engaged  in 
general  farming,  in  which  he  was  very  suc- 
cessful. He  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-one 
years;  and  his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Alvira 
Ingram,  was  about  the  same  age-  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  Their  children  were:  Lewis 
G.,    Elwin,    Sydney,    and   Gertrude. 

Lewis  G.  Hildreth,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  received  his  early  education  in  his 
native  town,  graduating  from  the  high  school. 
He  then  entered  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Wooster,  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
and  took  one  course,  after  which  he  went  to 
the  Kentucky  School  of  Medicine,  Louisville, 
Ky.,  where  he  was  graduated.  Shortly  after- 
ward he  settled  at  Glen  Station,  Carroll 
County,  N.H.,  remaining  for  one  year;  and 
in  1893  he  removed  to  Bennington,  where  he 
has  practised  with  good  success  up  to  the 
present  time.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
School  Board  for  the  last  three  years,  is  also 
one  of  the  library  trustees  and  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Health.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat.  He  is  also  a  member  of  White 
Mountain  Lodge  of  Masons,  No.  84,  of 
Whitefield.  On  June  17,  1896,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Florence  A.  Russell,  daughter  of  Aus- 
tin N.  Russell.  Mrs.  Hildreth  is  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  church. 


184s, 


"IRAM  C.  NEWTON,  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  monthly  sheet  known 
as  the  Home  Companion,  was  born 
in  Marlboro,  N.H.,  December  8, 
son  of  Martin  Luther  and  Mary  Ann 
(Crombie)  Newton.  His  father  was  the 
grandson  of  Luther  Newton,  who  was  a  son 
of  Seth  Newton,    of  Southboro,   Mass. 

Luther  Newton  removed  with  his  wife  in 
May,  1788,  from  Southboro  to  Marlboro, 
N.H.,  where  he  resided  for  a  time  on  a  farm 
now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  the  late  Rufus 
S.    Frost.     He  purchased  a  lot  of  land,    and 


erected  with  his  own  hands  a  compact  and 
well-finished  log  house,  located  near  what 
was  known  for  many  years  as  the  Newton 
Meadow,  but  which  is  now  a  pond.  He  was 
very  industrious,  and  with  his  great  strength 
and  power  of  endurance  was  able  to  accom- 
plish more  work  than  most  men.  His  land 
was  rather  poor,  and  he  was  obliged  to  work 
out  by  the  day  in  order  to  procure  the  neces- 
saries of  life  for  his  family.  His  evenings 
were  spent  making  shingles  and  doing  other 
work  about  his  premises;  and  he  was  subse- 
quently able  to  buy  another  piece  of  land, 
upon  which  he  made  a  clearing  and  built  the 
house  on  what  is  known  as  the  Newton  place, 
removing  to  it  in  1797.  About  the  same 
time  he  brought  on  his  shoulder  quite  a  long 
distance  a  young  elm,  which  he  set  out  within 
a  few  feet  of  the  house,  and  which  has  grown 
to  be  the  large  tree  now  to  be  seen  there, 
spreading  its  long  branches  over  the  house 
and  dooryard.  His  wife,  Miriam,  was  no  less 
diligent.  To  clothe  her  family  she  worked 
at  dressmaking  and  millinery  for  the  neigh- 
bors, taking  her  pay  in  spinning  and  weaving. 

Luther  Newton  died  November  19,  1829, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine;  and  his  son  Calvin 
came  into  possession  of  the  home  farm, 
Miriam  Newton,  the  widowed  mother,  resid- 
ing there  until  her  death,  which  occurred 
September  22,  1852,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
eight.  The  Newtons  have  generally  been 
a  long-lived  race.  Luther  Newton's  grand- 
mother lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  six  and 
his  great-grandmother  one  hundred  and  twelve 
years  of  age. 

Calvin  Newton  resided  on  the  home  farm 
until  the  spring  of  1S57,  removing  at  that 
time  to  West  Swanzey,  where  he  lived  four- 
teen years,  until  the  fall  of  1871,  at  which 
time  he  came  to  Troy,  where  he  made  his 
home  with  his  son,  Martin  L. ,  until  his 
death,  December  16,  1873,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three.  He  was  five  times  married. 
The  Troy  History,  recently  published,  speaks 
of  him  as  follows:  — 

"Calvin,  the  father  of  Martin,  was  a  man 
of  much  ability  arid  dignity  of  character.  He 
was  for  many  years  one  of  the  foremost  citi- 
zens  of   the  town,    respected  for  his    general 


\0nii</  c/ict^j 


BIOGRArHICAL    REVIEW 


45' 


knowledge  and  sound  juilgment;  and  his  farm 
became  a  model  one  for  the  times.  He  en- 
joyed the  good  opinion  of  his  townsmen  as  an 
honest  and  enterprising  man."  When  about 
fifty  years  of  age,  as  he  was  one  day  leading  a 
horse  to  plough,  he  was  struck  in  the  ankle 
by  the  horse's  foot,  which  proved  a  serious 
accident,  lockjaw  for  a  time  being  feared,  but 
prevented.  Ever  after  he  had  a  bad  leg,  was 
lame  and  unable  to  do  much  work,  although 
he  continued  to  live  there. 

His  son,  Martin  L.,  came  into  possession 
of  the  farm  in  the  spring  of  1845,  and  there 
resided  and  carried  it  on,  working  hard  to  im- 
prove its  condition  until  the  spring  of  1866, 
when  he  sold  it  to  George  Thatcher,  still  re- 
siding on  the  place  until  the  spring  of  1869, 
when  he  removed  about  a  mile  distant,  to 
what  was  known  as  the  Alton  Thatcher  place, 
where  he  lived  one  year.  In  the  spring  of 
1870  he  came  to  Troy,  purchasing  of  Ira  G. 
Starkey  the  place  where  he  ever  afterward  re- 
sided until  his  death,  which  occurred  Decem- 
ber 26,  1895,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  Like 
his  ancestors,  Martin  L.  Newton  was  a  tall, 
large,  muscular  man,  and  in  his  younger  days 
performed  a  large  amount  of  work.  He  was 
considered  one  of  the  best  farmers  in  Marl- 
boro, and  by  industry,  economy,  good  calcula- 
tion, and  the  assistance  of  a  helpful  wife,  who 
was  also  a  hard  worker  and  good  calculator,  he 
accumulated  considerable  property.  He  was 
much  like  his  father  and  grandfather  in 
methods,  despising  hypocrisy  and  false  pre- 
tence, and  being  opposed  to  extravagance  and 
outside  show,  but  in  favor  of  having  the  com- 
forts of  life  and  paying  for  the  same.  He  was 
considered  a  square  man  in  his  dealings,  and 
paid  his  honest  debts,  his  financial  motto 
being,  "Live  within  your  means,  and  pay  as 
you  go."  The  Nev^^  Hampshire  Sentinel  pub- 
lished a  very  lengthy  and  touching  notice  of 
his  life  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

February  14,  1845,  Martin  Luther  Newton 
married  Mary  Ann  Crombie,  of  Hancock,  who 
became  the  mother  of  Hiram  C.  Newton. 
She  died  April  12,  1847;  and  he  married  sec- 
ond. May  14,  1848,  Sarah  M.  Strong,  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  and  Sally  Strong,  of  Dublin. 

Hiram     C.     Newton    was    educated    at    the 


Marlboro  Depot  district  school.  He  was  l)orii 
and  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm,  where 
he  worked  hard  until  he  was  twenty-three 
years  old.  l-'or  the  ne.xt  year  or  two  he 
worked  winters  sawing  wood  in  Marlboro  vil- 
lage and  elsewhere,  chopping,  etc.,  and  in  the 
summer,  on  the  highway,  at  farm  work, 
shovelling  gravel,  on  the  quarry,  or  wherever 
he  could  get  work.  In  the  fall  of  1870  he 
came  to  Troy,  and  engaged  as  night  watch- 
man in  the  Troy  blanket-mills,  following  this 
business  for  two  years.  In  April,  1872,  he 
published  the  first  number  of  the  Home  Coiii- 
paiiioii,  the  first  paper  ever  published  in  Troy. 
It  was  announced  in  this  issue  to  be  published 
quarterly  at  twenty-five  cents  per  year.  At 
the  end  of  three  months,  when  it  became  time 
to  print  the  second  nmubcr,  the  expenditure 
had  been  over  one  hundred  dollars  more  than 
the  receipts,  and  the  prospect  was  such  that 
many  would  have  given  up  the  venture;  but 
Mr.  Newton  was  naturally  persevering,  and 
went  into  the  work  with  a  determination  to 
succeed  if  possible,  and,  by  giving  strict  at- 
tention to  business  and  working  hard,  he  made 
a  success  of  it.  In  connection  with  publish- 
ing the  paper,  he  advertised  in  the  same 
notions  and  novelties,  such  as  could  be  sent 
by  mail,  and  also  advertised  both  paper  and 
notions  in  the  magazines;  and  for  a  while  he 
did  a  good  mailing  business,  sending  goods 
to  all  ]3arts  of  the  country,  his  postage  at  one 
time  amounting  to  more  than  all  the  rest  of 
the  town. 

This  business  becoming  unprofitable  after 
two  or  three  years,  on  account,  partly,  of 
being  overdone,  he  hired  rooms  in  the  old 
academy  building,  and  put  in  a  class  of  goods 
more  suitable  for  home  trade.  In  this  he  was 
quite  successful  for  several  years,  until  the 
business  depression  came  on.  During  all  the 
time  from  April,  1872,  to  the  present  he  has 
published  the  Companion,  most  of  the  time 
after  the  first  two  years  as  a  monthly.  For 
about  six  years  of  this  time  he  published  the 
local  news  in  it;  but,  on  account  of  the  extra 
expense  required  and  small  amount  of  re- 
ceipts, the  town  being  small,  he  lost  six  hun- 
dred dollars  in  this  undertaking  in  the  six 
years,    besides   much   extra    time    spent.      He 


452 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


then  discontinued  the  local  department,  with 
the  honor  of  having  published  the  first  and 
only  local  paper  ever  published  in  Troy.  In- 
stead of  a  local  sheet  the  Companion  is  novk'  a 
literary  paper,  adapted  to  all  classes  and  all 
places.  Mr.  Newton  also  sends  out  several 
teams  with  the  Boston  Sunday  papers  to  the 
neighboring  towns,  his  territory  extending 
from  Peterboro  to  Westport,  and  including 
Dublin,  Harrisville,  and  Marlboro.  A  few 
years  ago  he  bought  the  Whittemore  granite 
quarry  which  had  not  been  much  worked  up 
to  that  time,  and  sold  it  to  parties  who  began 
quarrying  stone.  They  in  turn  sold  it  to 
other  parties  who  built  a  stone  shed  capable 
of  accommodating  one  hundred  stone  cutters. 
Thus  a  new  industry  was  founded  in  Troy, 
which  has  been  of  great  benefit  to  the  town. 

Mr.  Newton  has  shown  himself  to  be  per- 
severing in  all  his  undertakings.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  cast  his  first  Presi- 
dential vote  for  General  U.  S.  Grant  in  1868. 
Mr.  Newton  belongs  to  no  church  and  to  no 
secret  society,  being,  as  he  himself  expresses 
it,  only  "a  member  of  the  great  human  race" 
and,  we  may  be  permitted  to  add,  "in  good 
standing."  Ujion  his  father's  death  in  De- 
cember, 1895,  he  inherited  the  homestead  in 
Troy,  the  dwelling  being  a  fine  stone  house 
situated  near  the  Fitzwilliam  road;  and  here, 
in  accordance  with  his  father's  wishes,  his  be- 
loved mother  makes  her  home  with  him. 


ON.  JOHN  STEPHEN  COLLINS, 
the  well-known  woollen  manufacturer 
of  Gilsum,  a  former  member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Senate,  was  born 
December  15,  1841,  in  Oxford,  Mass.  His 
parents,  Stephen  and  Anastasia  (Murphy) 
Collins,  were  natives  of  Ireland;  and  his 
grandfather,  John  Collins,  was  a  woollen  man- 
ufacturer of  Cork.  He  emigrated  with  his 
family  to  the  United  States  in  1830,  settling 
at  Webster,  Mass. 

Stephen  Collins,  son  of  John,  was  born  in 
Dublin,  Ireland,  June  24,  1811.  He  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  this  country,  and,  having 
learned  the  woollen  manufacturing  business, 
was  employed   for  a   number  of   years    in   fac- 


tories in  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and 
Connecticut.  Afterward,  in  company  with 
his  sons,  he  started  a  factory  in  Brattleboro, 
Vt.,  a  venture  that  proved  disastrous.  He, 
however,  paid  every  dollar  of  his  indebted- 
ness; and,  accumulating  more  capital,  he  and 
his  sons  again  established  themselves  in  busi- 
ness at  Gilsum,  where  they  became  successful 
manufacturers  of  beaver  cloth,  worsted,  and 
other  woollen  goods.  Stephen  Collins  retired 
from  business  in  1873,  and  removing  to  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  resided  there  the  rest  of  his  life. 
He  was  a  man  highly  esteemed  for  his  upright 
character  and  honorable  business  methods. 
Michael  Collins,  elder  son  of  Stejjhen,  fin- 
ished his  education  at  Holy  Cross  College, 
Worcester,  Mass.,  and  started  in  the  woollen 
manufacturing  business  with  his  father  and 
brother.  He  later  engaged  in  business  on  his 
own  account  in  Springfield,  Vt.,  where  he 
remained  three  years ;  was  next  located  at 
Harrisville,  N. H.,  the  same  length  of  time; 
and  then  established  himself  in  Dracut, 
Mass.,  where  he  is  now  proprietor  of  an  ex- 
tensive woollen  plant.  The  village  of  Col- 
linsville,  which  has  sprung  up  around  his 
factory,  was  named  for  him;  and  he  has  ac- 
quired a  high  reputation,  not  only  for  his 
business  ability,  but  for  his  liberality  and 
benevolence.  He  is  a  thirty-second  degree 
Mason.  Mrs.  Stephen  Collins,  who  is  still 
living,  resides  in  Gilsum,  and  is  remarkably 
bright  and  active  at  the  age  of  eighty-six 
years. 

John  Stephen  Collins  began  his  education 
in  Stafford  Springs,  Conn.,  and  completed  it 
in  Worcester,  Mass.  He  became  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  woollen  manufacturing  in- 
dustry under  the  direction  of  his  father,  with 
whom  he  was  associated  in  business;  and  since 
the  death  of  the  elder  Collins  he  has  carried 
on  the  plant  in  Gilsum.  His  factory  produces 
beaver  cloth  and  worsted  goods  of  a  superior 
quality,  which  are  marketed  in  Boston  and 
New  York;  and  his  business  ability  is  of 
much  benefit  to  the  community. 

Mr.  Collins  is  actively  interested  in  public 
affairs.  He  served  as  Town  Treasurer,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  School  Board,  ably  repre- 
sented  his  district   in   the    legislature  in  1 871 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


453 


and  1872,  was  a  State  Senator  in  1885  and 
1886,  and  again  a  member  of  the  lower  house 
in  i88g,  during  which  session  he  was  assigned 
to  the  Committee  on  Judiciary. 


RANK!. IN  B.  HEALD,*  a  prominent 
resilient  of  Greenville,  Hillsboro 
County,  N.H.,  and  for  many  years 
an  influential  factor  in  public  affairs,  was 
born  in  West  Townsend,  Mass.,  August  20, 
1829,  son  of  Josiah  G.  and  Mary  (Chicker- 
ing)  Heald.  His  paternal  grandfather  was 
Colonel  Thomas  Heald,  a  native  of  Concord, 
Mass.  Thomas  Heald  and  his  brother  Timo- 
thy purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  New  Ipswich, 
N.II.,  and  in  1770  Tiiomas  bought  Timothy's 
share.  He  erected  a  tavern,  which  he  carried 
on  for  many  years  in  connection  with  farm- 
ing. He  was  a  man  of  sterling  ability  and 
good  educational  attainments.  He  com- 
manded the  militia  forces  in  New  Ipswich 
and  vicinity  at  the  time  of  the  Concord  fight, 
and  was  Captain  of  a  company  at  the  capture 
of  Ticonderoga  and  through  the  campaign 
which  resulted  in  the  surrender  of  General 
Burgoyne.  He  was  soon  after  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  Colonel.  After  the  close  of 
the  war  he  resumed  agricultural  pursuits  in 
New  Ipswich,  and  resided  there  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  August  20,  1806.  By 
his  wife,  Sybil,  who  died  in  1788,  he  had 
five  children;  and  by  his  second  wife,  Delia 
Blanchard,  he  had  four  children,  among 
whom  was  Josiah  G.  Heald,  father  of  Frank- 
lin B. 

Josiah  G.  Heald  was  born  in  New  Ipswich, 
and  when  a  young  man  he  learned  the  trade 
of  clothier.  He  plied  his  calling  in  Town- 
send  for  some  time,  and  it  was  customary  in 
those  days  for  the  farmers  in  the  vicinity  to 
bring  their  wool  to  him  to  be  made  into  cloth. 
In  1839  he  moved  to  Greenville,  where  the 
rest  of  his  life  was  spent,  and  for  a  few  years 
he  worked  in  a  satinet  factory  here.  He  was 
prominently  identified  with  political  affairs  in 
Townsend,  and  ably  filled  some  of  the  town 
offices.  As  a  Representative  to  the  General 
Court  of  Massachusetts  he  was  one  of  the  first 
to   support  a  bill   for  the  suppression   of  the 


liquor  traffic,  and  the  cause  of  temperance 
had  in  him  an  earnest  and  willing  advocate. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  first  supporters  of  the 
abolition  movement  in  this  section,  josiah 
G.  Heald  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years. 
Liberal  in  his  religious  belief,  he  was  a  man 
of  high  moral  principles  and  upright  life,  and 
was  highly  res]iected.  His  wife,  Mary,  was  a 
daughter  of  Abner  Chickering,  of  New  Ips- 
wich, and  a  sister  of  Jonas  Chickering,  the 
founder  of  the  famous  pianoforte  manufactory 
which  bears  that  name.  Abner  Chickering 
was  for  many  years  a  scythe  maker  in  Mason, 
now  Greenville;  and  the  entire  family  were 
musical,  with  the  single  exception  of  Mary. 
Josiah  G.  and  Mary  C.  Heald  were  the  par- 
ents of  nine  children,  two  of  whom  are  living, 
namely:  Fraid<lin  B.,  the  sid^ject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Edwin,  who  is  married  and  has 
one  daughter,  Emma.  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Heald 
lived  to  be  a  little  more  than  si.xty  years  of 
age.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 

F"ranklin  B.  Heald  resided  in  Townsend 
until  he  was  nine  years  old,  at  which  time 
ills  parents  moved  to  Greenville,  and  he  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  he  went  to  Manchester,  N. H., 
where  he  worked  for  the  Amoskeag  Manufact- 
uring Company  a  time;  but  failing  health  pre- 
vented him  from  remaining  in  tliat  business. 
He  spent  two  years  travelling  through  the 
Western  States  for  the  benefit  of  his  health, 
and,  .returning  to  Greenville  in  1852,  has  re- 
sided here  for  the  greater  portion  of  the  time 
since.  He  has  interested  himself  in  business 
and  financial  enterprises,  which  have  profited 
by  his  ability;  and  he  was  treasurer  of  the 
Greenville  Savings  Bank  during  the  first  six 
years  of  its  existence. 

In  politics  he  acts  with  the  Republican 
party,  and  his  public  services  have  been  of  a 
nature  to  gain  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
all  classes,  irrespective  of  politics.  He  was 
a  Selectman  in  Mason  before  tlie  town  was 
divided,  and  is  still  serving  in  that  capacity 
in  Greenville.  He  was  appointed  Postmaster 
in  1865,  holding  the  office  for  over  twelve 
years  in  Mason  and  Greenville,  was  Tax  Col- 
lector two   years,    superintended    the  erection 


454 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


of  the  town   hall   in  1876,  and  has  had  charge 
of  the  construction  of  other  public  works. 

On  April  i,  1865,  Mr.  Heakl  was  joined  in 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Emeline  E.  Livingston, 
born  Pritchard,  of  New  Ipswich.  They  have 
one  daughter,  Myrtie  E.  Mr.  Heakl  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  since  he  was  twenty-one  years  old. 


f^-» 


ESLIE  H.  GOODNOW,  Postmaster 
and  Town  Treasurer  of  East  Sulli- 
JLH*  ^  van,  Cheshire  County,  N.H.,  was 
born  in  Sullivan,  July  \6'  1848, 
son  of  Caleb  and  Mary  L.  (Buss)  Goodnow. 
His  grandfather,  Daniel  Goodnow,  who  was 
a  native  of  Nelson,  N.H.,  settled  in  Rox- 
bury,  N.H.,  when  a  young  man,  and  there 
followed  the  business  of  a  carpenter  and 
builder.  His  last  days,  however,  were  spent 
in  Sullivan.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Polly  Ik'lden.  Their  children  were: 
Caleb;  Mary  M.,  who  married  Abijah  H. 
Raymond,  a  farmer  and  miller  in  Westmin- 
ster, Mass.,  and  has  a  family;  and  Lucy  A., 
who  died  young. 

Caleb  Goodnow,  father  of  Leslie  H.  Good- 
now, was  born  in  Roxbury,  N.H.,  August  23, 
1820.  He  was  a  miller  and  a  millwright, 
and  carried  on  business  in  Keene  and  Sullivan 
during  the  active  period  of  his  life.  He 
served  as  a  Representative  in  the  legislature, 
and  was  Postmaster  in  Sullivan  for  a  number 
of  years.  While  living  in  Keene  he  was 
Councilman  one  year  from  Ward  Two.  In  his 
religious  views  he  was  a  Congregationalist. 
His  wife,  Mary  L.  Buss,  who  was  a  native  of 
Marlboro,  N.H.,  became  the  mother  of  six 
children,  namely:  Charles  P.;  Ella  M.  and 
a  twin  sister  (both  deceased);  Leslie  H.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Daniel  W. ;  and  Fanny 
L.  Charles  F.  Goodnow  resides  in  Philadel- 
phia, and  is  agent  for  Dr.  Daniel's  veterinary 
preparations.  He  married  Julia  A.  Johnson, 
and  has  two  children.  Ella  M.  was  the  wife 
of  Marshall  W.  Nims,  now  of  Concord,  and 
at  her  death  left  one  child.  Daniel  W.  Good- 
now, who  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Goodnow 
&  Whitcomb,  furniture  dealers  at  Keene, 
married   Ella   M.  Nims,   of   that   city,  and  has 


a  family.  F"anny  L.  Goodnow  married  M.  W. 
Hubbard,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Sullivan, 
and   has  three  children. 

Leslie  H.  Goodnow  completed  his  educa- 
tion at  Powers  Institute,  Bernardston,  Mass. 
After  working  at  the  carpenter's  trade  a  year, 
he  learned  the  milling  business,  which  he 
has  since  followed  in  East  Sullivan.  He 
manufactures  chair  stock  in  connection  with 
his  other  business,  and  is  one  of  the  stirring 
men  of  this  locality.  He  has  been  Town 
Treasurer  for  the  past  twelve  years,  has  ren- 
dered valuable  service  in  behalf  of  education 
as  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  and  has 
satisfactorily  filled  the  office  of  Postmaster 
for  a  number  of  terms.  He  is  favorably 
known  throughout  the  county  as  an  excellent 
musician  and  teacher  of  singing-schools,  is 
a  leader  of  the  choir  at  the  Congregational 
church,  and  was  a  director  of  the  Sullivan 
band  and  orchestra  during  the  existence  of 
those  organizations. 

Mr.  Goodnow  married  Martha  Davis,  who 
was  born  October  10,  1850,  daughter  of  Mar- 
cus Davis,  of  .Stoddard,  N.H.  Mrs.  Goodnow 
is  the  mother  of  two  children:  Minnie  L., 
born  December  25,  1876,  who  was  graduated 
at  the  Keene  High  School,  and  is  now  teach- 
ing in  Keene,  N.H.  ;  and  Walter  L.,  born 
July  21,  1884.  Mr.  Goodnow  is  a  member 
of  the  local  commandery  of  the  United  Order 
of  the  Golden  Cross. 


(^TYLEXANDER  C.  HATCH,*  superin- 
tendent of  the  Howard  Furniture  Com- 
pany's manufactory,  \\'ilton,  was 
born  in  East  Plarvey,  Vt. ,  January 
23,  1849,  son  of  Charles  P.  and  Lydia  (Tay- 
lor) Hatch.  His  great-grandfather,  John 
Hatch,  Sr.,  who  was  a  native  of  Connecticut 
and  was  a  farmer  and  a  surveyor,  migrated  to 
Vermont,  and  there  laid  out  the  town  of  Nor- 
wich, where  he  resided  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
John  Hatch,  Jr.,  grandfather  of  Alexander 
C. ,  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Vermont.  In  young 
manhood  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in 
Norwich,  but  later  became  a  hotel-keeper,  and 
was   prominent    in    the   public   affairs   of    that 


iilOGRArillCAL    KliVlKW 


455 


town.  He  married  a  Miss  Ainswoitli,  and 
had  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Charles 
P.  was  the  eighth-born.  John  Hatch,  Jr., 
lived  to  be  ninety-one  years  old,  and  his  wife 
also  attained  a  good  old  age. 

Their  son  Charles  was  born  in  Norwich  and 
reared  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  settled 
upon  a  farm  in  Hard  wick,  Vt. ,  where  he 
spent  his  active  years  in  tilling  the  soil,  being 
known  as  a  prosperous  farmer  and  a  useful  cit- 
izen. In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  His 
wife,  Lydia  Taylor,  a  native  of  Hardwick, 
was  the  daughter  of  John  Taylor,  who  com- 
manded a  company  and  was  killed  in  the  War 
of  1 812.  She  became  the  mother  of  fourteen 
children,  ten  of  whom  are  living;  namely, 
Egbert  B. ,  Frances,  Marshall,  Emily,  Flor- 
ence, Clarence,  Alexander  C.  (the  sub- 
ject of  his  sketch),  George  \V. ,  John,  and 
Josephine.  Egbert  B.  married  l.aura  Butter- 
field,  who  died  leaving  two  children  —  Luella 
and  Lida.  Frances  married  her  cousin, 
Elias  W.  Hatch,  and  has  five  children.  Mar- 
shall wedded  Alma  Clark,  and  has  two  sons. 
Emily  is  the  wife  of  Harry  J.  Bedea,  and  has 
five  children.  Florence  married  H.  M. 
Fretts,  and  has  one  son,  Charles.  Clarence 
married  a  Miss  Davidson,  and  has  four  sons. 
George  W.  married  a  Miss  Bedea,  and  has 
five  children.  John  married  Zoe  Beedy,  and 
has  three  children.  Josephine  is  the  wife  of 
John  Ikown,  and  has  one  child.  Charles  1'. 
Hatch  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years,  and 
his  wife  died  at  the  same  age.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church. 

Alexander  C.  Hatch  was  educated  in  Hard- 
wick ;  and  after  completing  his  studies  he 
began  to  learn  the  trade  of  door,  sash,  and 
blind  making  in  Burlington,  Vt.,  remaining 
there  for  a  year.  He  then  went  to  Lebanon, 
N.  H.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  furniture  for  eleven  years;  and,  going 
from  Lebanon  to  Keene,  N.  H.,  he  was  gen- 
eral manager  of  ex-Governor  Samuel  Hale's 
shop  for  four  years.  For  the  succeeding 
twelve  years  he  carried  on  a  furniture  manu- 
factory upon  his  own  account  in  Nashua,  N.  H.  ; 
and  in  1892  he  became  superintendent  of  the 
Howard  Furniture  Company's  factory  in  Wil- 
ton,   where    he    has    since    resided.      He    has 


under  him  about  forty  workmen,  and  his  long 
experience  in  the  business  makes  him  espe- 
cially competent  to  fill  the  responsible  ])ositioi) 
he  now  holds. 

Mr.  Hatch  and  Mary  S.  Miller,  of  Hyde 
I'ark,  Vt.,  were  married  on  January  i,  1870. 
Eleven  children  have  been  born  to  them,  and 
nine  are  now  living;  namely,  Ida  M.,  l->ed 
C. ,  Ernest  A.,  (ieorge  W.,  Charles  I^.,  Wal- 
ter R. ,   Josiah  G.,    Florence  I.,  and  John   B. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hatch  supports  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  his  assiduous  devotion  to  his 
business  prevents  him  from  taking  any  active 
part  in  public  affairs.  He  is  deeply  interested 
in  the  general  welfare  of  the  town,  and  is 
highly  respected  as  a  worthy,  uiMight  citizen. 
Mrs.  Hatch  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 


RWIN    D.    WILDER,*  a  stirring  farmer 

of  Lyndeboro,  Hillsboro  County,  was 
born  in  the  adjoining  town  of  New 
Boston,  October  14,  1828,  son  of  Cyrus  and 
Nancy  (Erwin)  Wilder.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, John  Wilder,  who  resided  in  Dublin, 
N.H.,  was  for  a  number  of  years  engaged  in 
teaming  between  that  town  and  Boston.  He 
died  in  Dublin  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years, 
having  been  the  father  of  nine  children,  Cyrus 
being  the  sixth  child. 

Cyrus  Wilder,  father  of  Erwin  I).,  was 
born  in  Dublin  in  October,  1790.  In  his 
earlier  mature  years  he  followed  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  in  Vermont  and  in  New  York  State; 
and  after  his  marriage  he  settled  in  New  Bos- 
ton, where  he  was  engaged  in  his  calling  for 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  lived  to  be  sixty- 
six  years  old.  He  served  in  the  War  of  18 12, 
and  was  in  the  battle  of  Plattsburg.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Democrat.  He  and  his  wife, 
Nancy  Erwin,  who  was  a  daughter  of  David 
Erwin,  of  New  York  State,  reared  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  four  are  living,  namely  :  James 
M.  ;  Alfred  C.  ;  Erwin  D.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  William  W.  Alfred  C.  married 
Naomi  McConihe,  of  Mont  \'ernon,  N.  H.', 
and  has  four  children —  Fred,  Walter,  George, 
and  Harry.  William  W.  wedded  for  his  first 
wife  Mary  P'landers,  of  Newton,  N.  H.,  and  by 
that    union    has    three      children  —  P^landers, 


45^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Lizzie,  and  Mary.  I-'or  his  second  wife  he 
married  Mrs.  Frances  Page  Kent,  of  Kingston, 
N.H.  Mrs.  Nancy  E.  Wilder  lived  to  be 
ninety  years  old.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

Erwin  D.  Wilder  grew  to  manhood  in  New 
Boston,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  began  to 
learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  working  with  his 
father.  In  i  S67  he  settled  in  Lyndeboro, 
where  he  continued  to  follow  his  trade  until 
about  two  years  ago.  Soon  after  settling  here 
he  bought  seventy-five  acres  of  land,  to  which 
he  has  since  added  fifty  acres;  and  he  is  now 
devoting  his  time  exclusively  to  agricultural 
pursuits. 

On  January  11,  1S54,  Mr.  Wilder  married 
Sarah  ¥..  Kendall,  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Elizabeth  (Messer)  Kendall,  of  Dunstable, 
Mass.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilder  have  four  sons, 
as  follows:  Alfred  E. ,  Charles  F. ,  Arthur  W. , 
and  William  C.  Alfred  E.  married  Lotta 
Andrews,  of  New  Boston,  and  has  one  daugh- 
ter, Ma^ry  E.  Charles  F.  wedded  Mary  F. 
Whittier,  of  Newton,  N.  H.,  and  has  three 
children  —  Howard  E.,  Mabel  E.,  and  Wal- 
lace W.  Arthur  W.  married  Clare  E.  Peas- 
lee,  of  Newton,  and  his  children  are:  I^rwin 
S.  and  Esther  W.  William  C.  married  Adria 
A.   Holt,  of  Lyndeboro,  and  has  no  children. 

Politically,  Mr.  Wilder  is  a  Democrat,  and 
he  served  with  ability  as  a  Selectman  in  1895. 
He  and  his  wife  have  been  connected  with 
the  Lyndeboro  Grange  for  the  past  twenty 
years,  and  he  has  held  various  ofifices  of  trust. 
Mrs.  Wilder  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 


HOMAS  H.  WHITE,  one  of  the  most 
active  business  men  in  Harrisville, 
was  born  in  Marlboro,  N.  H.,  May  22, 
1S39,  son  of  Thomas  and  Lucretia  B.  (Lewis) 
White.  The  family  ancestry  is  traced  to 
William  White,  the  "Mayflower"  Pilgrim, 
and  directly  to  Peregrine  White,  distinguished 
in  history  as  the  first  white  child  born  in  the 
Plymouth  Colony.  The  first  ancestor  to  settle 
in  Cheshire  County  was  William  White,  a 
native  of  Bolton,  Mass.,  and  a  rope-maker  by 
trade.      He    located    in    Marlboro,    which   has 


been  the  birthplace  of  five  generations  of  the 
family.  Thomas  White  (first),  the  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  a  life- 
long resident  of  Marlboro,  cultivated  the  home- 
stead farm  during  his  active  period.  Of  an 
even  and  kindly  disposition,  he  won  the  sin- 
cere admiration  of  his  neighbors,  and  was 
never  known  to  have  an  enemy.  He  married 
Rebecca  Metcalf,  daughter  of  Asa  Metcalf, 
who  was  a  native  of  Ro.xbury,  N.  H.,  and  a 
Revolutionary  soldier.  One  of  her  children 
died  in  infancy.  The  others  were:  Lorenzo, 
Sophia,  Thomas,  and  Rebecca.  Lorenzo  was 
an  industrious  farmer  of  Marlboro,  and  the 
father  of  twelve  children.  Sophia,  who  mar- 
ried Luther  ^Converse  for  her  first  husband  and 
Samuel  Blodgett  for  her  second,  had  four  chil 
dren  by  her  first  union.  Rebecca  married  for 
her  first  husband  Edmund  Needham  and  for 
her  second  Luke  Blodgett. 

Thomas  White  (second),  Thomas  H. 
White's  father,  was  born  at  the  homestead, 
January  2,  1818.  When  a  young  man  he  was 
in  business  in  Montreal,  Canada,  for  a  time, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Marlboro,  pur- 
chased the  homestead,  and  became  a  prosperous 
farmer,  owning  five  hundred  acres.  For  about 
twenty-five  years  he  was  a  travelling  salesman. 
He  was  Ta.x  Collector  of  Marlboro  a  number  of 
years.  A  man  of  high  principles,  he  was  one 
of  the  first  in  this  town  to  support  the  cause  of 
abolition,  and  he  was  an  earnest  advocate  of 
temperance.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church  and  a  liberal  contributor  toward 
the  support  of  religious  and  charitable  work. 
His  last  years  were  devoted  to  compiling 
the  White  Genealogy,  a  work  of  nearly  four 
hundred  pages,  the  proof  of  which  he  lived  to 
see.  He  died  November  22,  1S95.  His  wife, 
Lucretia,  was  born  February  5,  1816,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Lucretia  (Bemis)  Lewis,  of 
Ro-xbury,  N.H.  She  became  the  mother  of 
twelve  children,  born  as  follows:  Thomas 
Herbert,  the  subject  of  this  biography  ;  Homer 
Edwin,  June  12,  1840;  Asa  Metcalf,  Novem- 
ber 17,  1841;  Rodolphus  Isaiah,  May  11, 
1843;  Arthur  Amasa,  November  22,  1846; 
Sarah  Angeline,  January  24,  1849;  John 
Milton,  January  7,  1850;  Ashley  Newell, 
August  2,    1851;    Augustus  A.,    October   23, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


457 


1S52;  Leslie  Leinan,  May  21,  1854;  Sarah 
Angeline  (second),  RLnrch  29,  1S56;  and  Mary 
Cloiigh,  November  S,  1S58.  Homer  E.  is  in 
the  insurance  business  in  Boston,  and  resides 
in  Maiden,  Mass.  He  married  Abbie  lillis, 
and  has  one  son,  a  dentist,  who  married,  has 
one  son,  and  also  resides  in  Maiden.  Asa  M., 
who  served  in  the  late  war,  received  in  the 
battle  of  Williamsburg  a  severe  wound,  from 
which  he  never  fully  recovered,  and  died  May 
4,  1891.  He  wedded  Mary  L  Knight,  and 
left  two  children  —  Homer  A.  and  Bertrand  A. 
Rodolphus  L  died  in  the  army,  December  20, 
1861.  Arthur  A.  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  and  six  months.  Sarah  (first)  died  at 
the  age  of  six  weeks,  and  Augustus  A.  died 
aged  four  months.  John  M.,  who  is  a  sales- 
man residing  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  married  for 
his  first  wife  Etta  S.  Smith,  of  Marlboro, 
N.  H.  They  had  an  adopted  son,  Harry  Her- 
bert, who  married  Cora  A.  Dustin.  They 
have  three  children,  and  reside  on  the  old 
homestead.  John  M.  White  married  for  his 
second  wife  Mrs.  Emma  Dustin,  of  Lowell, 
Mass.,  who  has  two  children  —  Cora  and 
George.  Ashley  N.  White,  who  is  overseer 
in  a  mill  at  l\LTrlboro,  married  Julia  E.  Clark, 
and  has  four  chiklren  —  Arthur  N.,  Perley  C, 
Ruby  T.,  and  Ethel  Lucretia.  Leslie  L., 
who  is  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Marlboro,  mar- 
ried Hattie  Knight,  and  is  the  father  of  seven 
children  —  Grace  H.,  Lewis  A.,  Winfred  L., 
L.  Blanche,  Ernest  D.,  Bernard,  and  Hazel 
M.  Sarah  A.  (second),  who  resides  in  Marl- 
boro, has  been  twice  married,  and  her  first  hus- 
band was  Lucius  Ormsby.  She  is  now  the 
wife  of  George  W.  Shattuck,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren —  George  A.  and  P'orest  L.  Mary  C.  is 
the  widow  of  Frederick  T.  Jewett,  late  of 
Harrisville,  and  has  three  children  —  Mamie 
L. ,  Ethelyn  T^. ,  and  Fred  T.  Mrs.  Lucretia 
White  died  August  14,   1876. 

Thomas  H.  White  completed  his  education 
at  the  New  Hampshire  Conference  Seminary 
in  Tilton,  and  for  some  time  after  was  a  trav- 
elling salesman.  He  was  engaged  in  the 
pottery  business  in  the  early  sixties,  and  for  a 
year  and  more  manufactured  woodenware.  He 
next  took  a  position  in  the  freight  department 
of  the  Cheshire  Railroad  in  Keene.      This  he 


held  until  taken  down  with  typhoid  fever. 
Not  recovering  strength  after  four  months,  he 
gave  up  the  situation.  Then,  purchasing  a 
farm  in  Marlboro,  he  was  engaged  in  tilling 
the  soil  for  some  time,  until  he  resumed  his 
former  occupation  of  salesman.  After  travel- 
ling in  the  interest  of  a  nursery  for  ten  years, 
he  engaged  in  that  business  upon  his  own 
account,  and  profitably  carried  it  on  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  jiolitics  Mr.  White  is  a 
Republican.  One  of  the  most  active  workers 
in  the  local  party  organization,  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Republican  Club  for  the  past 
thirty  years.  For  five  years  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen,  and  he  has 
been  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  some  time. 
When  proposed  as  a  candidate  for  the  legislat- 
ure, he  lacked  but  four  votes  of  election.  He 
is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  an  advanced  Odd 
Fellow;  and  he  is  connected  with  the  Im- 
proved Order  of  Red  Men,  the  Knights  of 
Honor,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry,  and  several  minor  organizations. 
He  is  a  charter  member  and  was  the  Second 
Master  of  Silver  Lake  Grange;  and  he  was  the 
P'irst  Master  of  Cheshire  County  Pomona 
Grange  for  two  years  and  Lecturer  for  one 
year.  While  serving  as  Deputy,  he  has 
organized  and  reorganized  seventy-three  sub- 
ordinate granges,  and  assisted  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  six  Pomona  Granges. 

Mr.  White  married  P^idie  E.  Bancroft,  who 
was  born  in  Nelson,  N.H.,  June  15,  1839. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Joel  and  Julia  Bancroft, 
who  were  lifelong  residents  of  the  town. 
Mrs.  White  has  had  two  children:  Leslie  R., 
born  August  16,  1864,  who  died  March  13, 
1889;  and  Bertha  C,  born  May  22,  1870, 
who  is  a  school  teacher  and  assisted  her  grand- 
father in  the  work  of  the  White  Genealogy. 


K 


WILLIAM   C.    BARRETT.*  the 

po]nilar     dentist      of      Winchester, 


la  

^J^y  N.  H.,  well  known  throughout  Chesh 
ire  County,  was  born  in  Hinsdale, 
on  July  14,  1837,  son  of  John  and  Sybil  (Doo- 
little)  Barrett.  His  grandfather,  Captain 
John  Barrett,  was  a  native  of  Hinsdale;  but 
before  the  War  of    1S12    he  had  removed    to 


458 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Canada.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  hostili- 
ties he  was  given  the  choice  between  talking 
ii[)  arms  against  the  States  and  leaving  Canada. 
A  loyal  patriot,  he  refused  to  fight  against  his 
native  land,  and  exchanged  his  fine  farm  for  a 
horse  and  team,  with  which  he  conveyed  his 
family  and  few  household  goods  to  the  States. 
He  died  at  Hinsdale.  He  and  his  wife,  who 
was  a  Miss  Leach  before  marriage,  had  a  large 
family  of  children. 

John  Barrett,  above  named,  one  of  their 
sons,  followed  the  river  as  his  father  had 
done,  running  a  line  of  boats  between  Bellows 
Falls  and  Hartford.  His  wife,  Sybil,  was 
descended  from  the  famous  Rev.  Benjamin 
Doolittle,  who  was  such  a  prominent  figure  in 
the  early  history  of  Northfield,  Mass.  The 
Doolittle  family  is  said  to  be  of  Norman 
French  e.xtraction,  and  to  have  gone  to  Eng- 
land with  William  the  Conqueror.  Its  repre- 
sentatives early  came  to  America,  and  de- 
scendants of  these  pioneers  have  been  among 
the  leading  and  progressive  men  of  New  Eng- 
land. The  Rev.  Benjamin,  who  was  the 
great  -  great  -  grandfather  of  Dr.  Barrett's 
mother,  was  pastor  of  the  church  in  Nortli- 
tield  from  171 8  to  174S  or  1749.  He  was  a 
native  of  Wallingfield,  Conn.,  and  was  gradu- 
ated at  Yale  in  17 16.  Not  only  was  he  edu- 
cated for  the  ministry,  but  he  had  a  good 
knowledge  of  medicine  and  surgery,  and  in 
time  came  to  have  an  extensive  practice, 
people  going  to  consult  him  from  long  dis- 
tances. 

After  seventeen  years  of  his  pastorate  had 
elapsed,  a  feeling  of  disaffection  arose  among 
certain  of  his  parishioners,  who  claimed  that  he 
inclined  toward  Arminianism.  Although  this 
breach  was  afterward  healed  and  the  good  man 
reinstated  in  the  regard  of  his  beloved  parish, 
it  created  great  disturbance  at  the  time. 
Only  last  year  a  letter  written  by  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Doolittle  to  three  members  of  his  church, 
suggesting  ways  in  which  an  adjustment  of  the 
trouble  might  be  secured,  was  found,  and 
brought  to  light  for  the  first  time.  Written 
over  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  it  is  of 
curious  interest  at  the  present  day.  Mr.  Doo- 
little was  a  man  of  liberal  views  and  seem- 
ingly  far  ahead    of    the    spirit    of    his    times. 


From  the  Rev.  Benjamin  to  Captain  Otis 
Doolittle,  fathei'  of  Mrs.  Barrett,  the  descent 
is  throLigh  Lucius  and  Oliver.  Oliver  came 
to  Hinsdale  among  the  early  settlers,  and  be- 
came very  prominent  in  the  town.  His  wife 
was  Sybil  Field,  of  Northfield.  Captain  Otis 
Doolittle,  a  farmer,  who  was  born  in  1770, 
and  died  in  1854,  was  quite  a  military  man, 
and  was  a  leader  in  both  church  and  town  af- 
fairs. His  wife  was  Sophia,  daugher  of  Will- 
iam Shattuck,  descended  from  a  well-known 
family.  She  was  married  when  only  thirteen 
years  and  three  months  old,  and  before  her 
twentieth  birthday  was  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren. She  lived  to  be  eiglity-seven  years  of 
age.  Captain  Otis  was  a  Democrat.  He 
was  called  the  wealthiest  man  in  Hinsdale  in 
his  time,  and  was  the  largest  land-owner  in  the 
county.  The  will,  which  he  dictated  when  old 
and  feeble,  and  which  covers  sixteen  pages  of 
foolscap,  is  considered  a  remarkable  instru- 
ment. Sybil,  mother  of  Dr.  Barrett,  was  the 
fifth  child  of  Captain  Doolittle.  John  and 
Sybil  Barrett  were  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren ;  namely,  Sylvanus  O.,  John  A.,  and 
William  C.  Sylvanus  died  leaving  one  son, 
since  deceased,  and  a  daughter.  His  wife  was 
Sabrina  Caswell,  of  Montague,  Mass.  John 
A.  married  Clara  Thayer,  and  resides  in 
Erving,  Mass.,  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness. He  runs  three  and  sometimes  four 
portable  mills. 

William  C.  Barrett  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Hinsdale,  N.  H.  He  assisted 
at  farm  labor  until  1859,  and  then  went  West 
and  spent  some  time  at  Battle  Creek,  Mich., 
and  in  Illinois.  In  1863  he  returned  to  Win- 
chester and  took  up  the  study  of  dentistry  with 
Dr.  Ira  W.  Russell,  who  was  in  practice  in 
Winchester.  After  studying  for  two  years  he 
began  practice  for  himself.  He  was  in  Mon- 
tague, Mass.,  for  five  years  and  in  Hinsdale 
for  three  years.  Dr.  Barrett  has  unusual  in- 
ventive and  constructive  genius.  The  quality 
of  work  done  in  his  ofifice  in  filling,  extract- 
ing, or  in  artificial  make,  is  always  excellent. 
Probably  no  dentist  has  ever  had  so  large  a 
share  of  the  patronage  of  the  people  here  as 
Dr.  Barrett ;  and  not  only  are  the  people  of  the 
town  sensible  of  the  value  of  his  work,  but  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


459 


renown  has  gone  abroad,  and  patients  come  to 
him  from  long  distances.  As  his  eyesight  is 
not  now  as  good  as  it  has  been,  he  uow  leaves 
some  of  the  finer  worl<  to  his  son  Clinton,  who 
is  in  company  with  him. 

Dr.  Barrett  married  Ellen  C,  daughter  of 
Jacob  Rich,  who  was  a  miller,  one  of  the  typi- 
cal New  England  kind  and  a  most  worthy 
man.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife  have  one  son, 
Clinton  H.,  named  above,  and  have  been  be- 
reft of  two  daughters  :  Addie  E. ,  who  was  born 
May  2,  1S64,  and  died  on  April  19,  1884; 
and  Efifie  G. ,  who  was  born  January  27,  1875, 
and  died  on  December  27,  1894,  each  aged 
twenty  years  lacking  one  month.  Clinton 
Barrett,  who  was  born  March  9,  1866,  is,  like 
his  father,  endowed  with  remarkable  mechan- 
ical genius,  and  is  also  a  fine  mathematician. 
He  prepared  for  college  at  Winchester  High 
School  and  subsequently  entered  Dartmouth. 
While  he  was  on  his  third  year  there  his  sister 
Addie  died,  and  her  loss  was  such  a  grief  to 
him  that  he  gave  up  his  studies  for  a  time  and 
decided  to  go  into  business  life.  He  had  pre- 
viously intentled  to  study  engineering.  Later 
he  studied  dentistry  with  his  father,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  practice  of  that  profession  in 
the  State  of  New  Hampshire  by  examination. 
For  a  time  he  did  designing  and  pattern-mak- 
ing, but  subsequently  came  back  to  Winches- 
ter; and  since  January  18,  1894,  he  has  been 
settled  here.  Some  years  ago  he  invented  a 
miller's  platform,  such  as  is  now  used  all  over 
the  country  ;  but  not  having  sufficient  capital  at 
that  time  he  did  not  develop  it.  P'ifteen 
years  later  some  one  else  used  a  like  model. 
He  has  used  with  flattering  success  the  hyper- 
dermic  process  for  the  painless  extraction  of 
teeth.  Patrons  have  even  come  from  New 
Haven  to  have  teeth  extracted,  and  in  this  way 
the  reputation  of  both  father  and  son  has  been 
widely  extended  and  their  practice  greatly 
increased.  The  best  people  in  Winchester  and 
the  surrounding  country  are  their  patrons. 
Dr.  Clinton  Barrett  also  makes  a  specialty  of 
very  nice  and  finished  artificial  work.  Dr. 
Clinton  Barrett  married  Katie  B.  Doolittle, 
and  has  had  three  children — ^  Alice  Addie;  an 
infant  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  months; 
and   Max  Clinton.      He  is    a    member    of    the 


Order  of  the  Golden  Cross,  and  is  Senior  War- 
den of  Philesian  Lodge,  No.  40,  F.  &  A.  M. 
Dr.  William  C.  Barrett  is  a  young  man  for 
his  age.  He  has  been  Master  of  Philesian 
Lodge  twice,  and  is  still  active  in  tliat  body. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  State  convention  that  nomi- 
nated Governor  Sawyer.  The  Doctor  is  a 
great  reader,  and  never  happier  than  when 
indulging  in  the  perusal  of  one  of  his  favorite 
books.  He  has  a  well-selected  library,  and  it 
is  by  far  the  largest  in  town. 


AMUEL     ANDERSON,*    of     I'cter- 


boro.     N.H.. 


well 
only 


known     as     a 
in      Hillsboro 
the     New 


builder,     not 

County  but  throughout 
England  States,  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
March  14,  1845.  His  parents,  William  and 
Sarah  (Anderson)  Anderson,  were  both  born 
in  Scotland.  His  father,  who  was  a  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five 
years;  and  his  mother,  long  surviving  her 
husband,  lived  to  her  seventy-third  year,  the 
latter  part  of  her  life  being  spent  at  Peterboro. 
Of  her  five  children  three  are  now  liviTig, 
namely;  Sarah  J.,  wife  of  Charles  Chaplin; 
John,  who  married  Martha  Johnson;  and  .Sam- 
uel, of  Peterboro,  above  named. 

Samuel  Anderson  went  to  school  in  New 
York  City,  and  then  worked  in  a  cotton-mill  in 
Massachusetts,  and  afterward  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade  at  .Shirley,  Mass.,  where  he 
resided  till  1875.  Going  to  Clinton,  Mass., 
in  that  year,  he  there  worked  at  his  trade,  being 
employed  by  the  Lancaster  Mills  Corporation 
for  sixteen  years,  or  up  to  1891.  While 
doing  this,  he  was  also  for  two  years  managing 
contract  work  and  building  outside  the  mill, 
devoting  some  time  to  architectural  wood- 
work. In  1892  Mr.  Anderson  came  to  Peter- 
boro, opened  a  shop,  and  began  taking  contract 
work.  He  has  built  many  public  buildings  as 
well  as  private  residences,  among  them  being 
the  asylum  and  superintendent's  house  at 
Goffstown  for  the  county  of  Hillsboro  and  a 
school-house  for  the  town  of  Henniker.  At 
present  he  is  engaged  in  building  a  school- 
house  at    South  I'raminghani,  Mass.,  and  vari- 


460 


BIOGRAPHICAL    KEVIFAV 


ous  other  structures  in  different  parts  of  the 
New  England  States.  Since  coming  to  Peter- 
boro,  Mr.  Anderson's  son  has  been  in  partner- 
ship with  him,  the  firm  name  being  S.  Ander- 
son &  Son.  In  the  shop  they  employ  about 
twelve  workmen,  and  the  outside  force  numbers 
abiiut  forty  more. 

In  1866  Mr.  Anderson  was  married  to 
Annie  J.  Cunningham,  of  Lowell,  Mass. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  them,  two  of 
whom  are  living:  Archibald  M.,  who  married 
Gertrude  Martin,  of  Peterboro,  and  is  in  busi- 
ness with  his  father;  and  Harry  C. 

In  politics  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  always  been  interested  in  the  public 
and  social  life  of  the  town  in  which  he  has 
lived.  While  in  Clinton  he  was  engineer  of 
the  Fire  Department  for  two  years  and  Road 
Commissioner  for  three  years,  and  while  at  the 
Lancaster  Mills  he  was  foreman  of  the  con- 
struction department  of  all  the  buildings.  He 
is  a  member  of  Lancaster  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. , 
No.  89,  and  has  passed  through  all  the  chairs. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  encampment  in 
Peterboro.  Through  his  own  industry  and 
push  Mr.  Anderson  has  attained  business  pros- 
perity, and  as  a  man  of  unimpeachable  integ- 
rity he  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  an 
extended  circle  of  accpiaintances. 


LBERT  BEARD,  a  well-to-do  citizen 
of  ^Wilton,  Hillsboro  County,  now 
retired  from  active  business,  was 
born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  January  31, 
1 841,  son  of  Luke  and  Hannah  W.  (Perkins) 
Beard.  The  father  was  a  resident  of  the  New 
England  metropolis,  where  he  established, 
and  for  many  years  carried  on,  a  successful 
bottling  business,  which  was  located  on  How- 
ard Street,  near  the  old  Howard  Theatre.  He 
had  a  summer  residence  at  Wilton,  and  he 
died  leaving  a  large  estate.  His  wife,  Han- 
nah, was  a  daughter  of  Mark  D.  Perkins,  of 
Mont  Vernon,  N.  H.  They  had  five  children, 
of  whom  but  two  are  now  living:  Albert,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Emily,  wife  of 
Nathan  B.  Boutwell,  of  Cambridge,  Mass., 
w^ho  has  one  child,  Horace  K. 

Albert  Beard  attended  school  in  Cambridge, 


Mass.,  until  reaching  the  age  of  thirteen  years, 
when  he  accompanied  his  mother  to  Wilton, 
N.H.,  his  father  having  died  some  time  pre- 
viously. His  studies  were  completed  at  the 
Appleton  Academy  at  Mont  Vernon.  After  a 
period  of  some  years,  during  which  he  was 
variously  employed,  he  engaged  in  the  boot  and 
shoe  business  in  Nashua,  in  which  he  was  so 
successful  that  at  the  end  of  ten  years  he  found 
himself  in  a  position  to  retire  with  a  com- 
petence. He  now  occupies  his  father's  old 
residence  in  Wilton,  which  with  the  accom- 
panying grounds  constitutes  a  fine  estate.  Mr. 
Beard  was  married  January  3,  1865,  to  Miss 
Jennie  L.  Williams,  daughter  of  Bradford 
Williams,  of  Taunton,  Mass.  He  has  one 
daughter — Stella  Pratt,  who  was  born  in  Mil- 
ford,  N.H.  Mr.  Beard  is  a  member  of  Clin- 
ton Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Wilton;  and  of 
Penacook  Lodge,  No.  44,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  of 
Nashua,  of  which  he  was  formerly  treasurer. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  respected  residents  of 
the  town,  as  he  is  one  who  can  always  be  de- 
pended upon  to  perform  his  full  duty  as  a  man 
and  as  a  citizen. 


AMES  PIERCE,*  the  superintendent  of 
the  Cheshire  Woollen  Mill  of  H.;irri,s- 
ville,  was  born  in  Salem,  Mass.,  June  4, 
1846,  son  of  Leonard  and  Mary  (Oakes) 
Pierce.  His  grandfather,  Leonard  Pierce, 
who  at  one  time  was  a  resident  of  New  Bedford, 
Mass.,  moved  from  there  to  Amherst,  Mass. 
Leonard  was  the  father  of  four  children; 
namely,  Lorin,  Leonard,  Lydia,  and  La  Prelat. 
Leonard,  Jr.,  a  native  of  Bedford,  Mass.,  born 
in  1822,  was  reared  and  educated  in  Amherst, 
Mass.,  and  learned  the  wheelwright's  trade. 
After  residing  in  Salem  for  a  time,  he  returned 
to  Amherst,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  gro- 
cery business  until  his  retirement,  which  took 
place  some  ten  years  ago.  He  has  long  been 
active  in  both  the  political  and  religious  af- 
fairs of  Amherst,  and  he  is  a  Deacon  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  wife,  Mary, 
who  was  born  in  Salem  in  1822,  daughter  of 
John  Oakes,  became  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren—  James  and  Clara.  Clara,  a  native  of 
Salem,  born   in  May,   1854,  married  Henry  W. 


BIOG RA I'll iC AL    REV  1 EW 


461 


Warren,  of  Amherst,  Mass.,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren —  Walter  and  Harry. 

James  Pierce  acquired  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Salem  and  Amherst.  When  his 
studies  were  completed,  he  entered  a  cotton- 
mill  in  ]>rool<field,  Mass.,  with  the  view  of 
learning  the  trade.  Subsequently,  not  liking 
the  business,  he  sought  other  employment,  and 
for  about  three  years  worked  in  a  woollen-mill 
near  Fitchburg,  Mass.  He  followed  the  same 
occupation  in  Holyoke,  Mass.,  for  a  year,  was 
employed  in  Connecticut  some  three  years,  and 
then  in  Dedham,  Mass.,  for  seven  years.  He 
was  later  connected  with  mills  in  Delaware 
and  Virginia;  was  for  two  years  agent  for  the 
Knowles  Loom  Works  of  Worcester,  Mass.  ; 
and  held  a  responsible  position  in  a  large 
woollen-mill  in  Tennessee  for  five  years. 
About  the  year  1892  he  came  to  Harrisville 
as  superintendent  of  the  Cheshire  Mill. 
Since  taking  charge  of  this  enterprise,  he  has 
introduced  various  improvements,  including 
better  machinery  and  the  construction  of  a 
new  dam,  thereby  making  the  Cheshire  one  of 
the  most  successful  factories  of  its  size  in  the 
country. 

Mr.  Pierce  married  Emily  M.  White,  who 
died  leaving  two  children  —  Waterman  J.  and 
Julia.  Julia  resides  with  her  father  in  Harris- 
ville. Waterman  J.  Pierce,  born  in  Salem, 
Mass.,  May  i,  1865,  was  educated  in  Dedhnm 
and  Boston,  and  learned  the  woollen  manufact- 
uring business  under  the  direction  of  his 
father.  He  has  been  superintendent  of  mills 
in  Westerly,  R.  I.,  and  Pittsfield,  Me.,  and  is 
now  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Cheshire 
Mill.  He  married  Frances  McCrosson,  who 
was  born  in  Chester,  Pa.,  in  September,  1866, 
and  has  three  children  —  Ivy  Frances,  Marga- 
ret E.,  and  Gordon.  Mr.  Pierce,  Sr.,  and  his 
son  are  Republicans  in  politics. 


AMUEL  B.  BLOOD,*  a  well- 
known  farmer  of  Mollis  and  one  of 
the  most  highly  respected  citizens  of 
the  town,  was  born  in  the  old  Bay 
State  at  Charlestown,  December  12,  1S22,  son 
of  James  and  Mary  (Jones)  Blood.  Mr. 
Blood's  grandfather  was   Peter   Blood,  born    in 


Dunstable,  Mass.,  a  sturdy,  active  man  and 
one  held  in  universal  esteem.  lie  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty  years.  His  .son  James,  father  of 
Mr.  Samuel  Blood,  was  born  at  Dimstable,  and 
was  for  many  years  a  cooper  in  that  town.  He 
was  a  large  hearted  man,  devoted  to  his  family, 
and  always  interested  in  any  good  cause. 
Seven  of  his  eight  chilchen  grew  to  maturity, 
and  two  of  them  are  now  living;  namely,  Sam- 
uel and  Orville  T. 

The  boyhood  of  Samuel  IMood  was  spent  in 
his  father's  family  at  Dunstable,  JiLass., 
where  he  attended  the  common  schools  and 
gathered  such  knowledge  as  might  be  obtained 
from  them.  When  about  si.xteen  years  of  age 
he  came  to  Mollis,  and  here  the  active  part  of 
his  life  has  been  passed.  At  first  he  worked 
out  for  different  farmers,  his  labors  in  the 
fields  varying  with  the  successive  seasons; 
also  for  some  time  he  was  engaged  in  burning 
charcoal,  which  then  was  quite  an  industry. 
He  was  always  thrifty  as  well  as  industrious; 
and,  early  determining  to  own  some  day  a  home 
of  his  own,  he  constantly  kept  this  end  in 
view.  The  first  land  he  invested  in  was  a 
forty-four-acre  lot  in  Hoi  lis.  This  he  after- 
ward sold,  and  bought  in  its  place  the  land 
upon  which  he  now  lives.  This  was  in  1N55. 
Mr.  Blood's  farm  now  embraces  one  hundred 
acres;  and  he  has  placed  it  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation,  also  raising  general  farm  and 
garden  produce.  He  has  worked  hard,  and 
has  every  year  been  making  improvements  on 
the  farm.  In  1S55  Mr.  Blood  brought  his 
bride  to  the  new  home.  She  was  before  her 
marriage  a  Miss  Sally  Wheeler,  and  was  a 
native  of  this  town.  Her  parents  were  Amos 
and  Mary  (Rideout)  Wheeler.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Blood  have  four  children,  three  sons  and  one 
daughter,  namely:  Mary  F.,  of  Mollis; 
Charles  M.,  of  Pepperell;  F'red  C.  and  Will- 
iam J.,  both  of  Hollis. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  l^lood  are  devoted  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  Church  of  Hollis. 
In  political  principles  Mr.  I^lood  is  a  Demo- 
crat. The  success  in  life  of  men  of  this 
stamp,  who  carve  out  for  themselves  positions 
of  influence  and  respect  in  the  community  in 
which  they  live,  forms  a  valuable  object  les- 
son to  the  younger  men  who  are  coming  up,  and 


462 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


must  always  be  to  them  a  source  of  inspiration 


and  courage. 


ORDON  WOODBURY  is  a  native 
of  New  York  State,  and  was  born 
in  New  York  City,  September  17, 
Mr.  Woodbury's  father  was  born  in 
Bedford,  and  lived  there  during  early  life. 
Dr.  Peter  Perkins  Woodbury  settled  there  in 
1820  on  what  was  known  as  the  Rowe  place. 
Later  he  moved  nearer  to  the  centre  of  the 
town. 

P'reeman  P.  Woodbury  was  a  business  man 
in  New  York  City,  and  carried  on  a  large  ex- 
port trade.  He  retired  from  business  about 
1S80.  After  his  retirement  he  spent  a  large 
part  of  his  time  in  Bedford.  Mr.  Woodbury 
died  in  New  York  City  in  1886.  His  widow 
resides  in  Bedford  now.  Her  four  children 
are:  Dr.  John  Woodbury,  a  physician  in 
New  York ;  Helen,  wife  of  Dr.  W.  S.  Sea- 
mans,  of  New  York ;  Mr.  Gordon  Woodbury 
and  his  brother  Thornton,  who  is  associated 
with  him  in  the  management  of  the  Manches- 
ter Union.  Mr.  Woodbury's  wife  was,  be- 
fore her  marriage,  Miss  Charlotte  E.  Woodbury. 

[Autobiog.] 


f^'"> 


HARLES    B.     HOPKINS,*  one  of  the 


foremost  citizens   of   Hinsdale,  N.H., 
^^Hs  was   born    in   the   neighboring    town 

of  Chesterfield  on  May  16,  1855, 
his  parents  being  Richard  Henry  and  Ellen 
M.  (Newton)  Hopkins.  His  great-grand- 
father, Richard  Hopkins,  was  a  resident  of 
Chesterfield  as  early  as  1787.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  a  man  highly  re- 
spected. He  married  Lucy  Fairbanks,  a  rel- 
ative of  the  noted  scale  manufacturers.  She 
died  on  October  23,  1855,  aged  eighty-three 
years.  Their  children  were  named  as  follows: 
Jonathan,  Richard,  Rufus,  Henry,  Lucy,  Car- 
oline, Weston,  Betsey  H.,  Thornton,  Samuel 
F.,  and  Elliot  B. 

Richard  (second),  grandfather  of  Mr.  Charles 
Hopkins,  was  born  on  May  i,  1793,  and  died 
on  January  26,  1864.  He  was  a  lifelong  res- 
ident of  Chesterfield,  and  was  engaged  for 
some  years  in  the  manufacture  of  wheel  heads 


at  P'actory  Village.  His  brothers,  P^lliot  P. 
and  Samuel  F.,  were  also  engaged  for  a  time 
in  the  same  industry,  and  were  among  the 
first  to  manufacture  these  articles.  Richard 
Hopkins,  second,  was  a  very  enterprising  man, 
and  took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs,  serv- 
ing as  Selectman.  Pie  died  in  1864;  and  his 
wife,  Emeline,  daughter  of  Reuben  Lewis, 
died  on  March  11,  1877.  Their  children 
were:  Harriet  ¥.,  timeline  L.,  Sarah  W., 
and  Richard  Henry. 

Richard  Henry  Hopkins,  born  on  May  9, 
1 83 1,  resided  in  Chesterfield  until  1870,  when 
he  removed  to  Hinsdale.  Ambitious  and  en- 
ergetic, early  in  life  he  decided  to  become  a 
mechanic.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  with 
Newhall  &  Merrill  at  Hinsdale,  and  had  mas- 
tered the  trade  before  he  reached  his  twenty- 
first  birthday.  His  father  and  uncles  had 
been  engaged  in  manufacturing  for  some  time; 
and,  as  Factory  Village  was  an  enterprising 
place,  he  returned  to  Chesterfield,  and  began 
the  manufacture  of  bits  and  augers,  which 
proved  to  be  a  successful  venture.  P'or  a 
while  he  was  in  company  with  Benjamin 
Pierce.  He  subsequently  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Horace  Howe  for  the  purpose  of 
making  doors,  window  sashes,  and  blinds. 
In  1870  he  returned  to  Hinsdale,  and  in  com- 
pany with  George  S.  Wilder  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  chisels  and  carpenter's  tools. 
Two  years  later  this  partnership  was  dissolved, 
as  Mr.  Hopkins  thought  he  saw  a  better  open- 
ing for  business.  He  went  into  company  with 
George  C.  Fisk,  and  started  the  business  of 
which  his  son  is  now  the  well-known  agent. 
This  undertaking  prospered,  and  its  founders 
received  rich  returns  for  their  intelligent  e.\- 
penditure  of  capital  and  of  effort. 

Richard  H.  Hopkins  married  Pollen  M. 
Newton,  who  was  born  on  October  20,  1831. 
She  died  on  September  26,  1875,  having  been 
the  mother  of  the  following-named  children: 
Charles  B. ;  Isabel,  who  died  on  September 
6,  1858;  Herbert  IL;  Hattie  E.,  who  died 
on  August  18,  1S65;  Clara  E. ;  and  George 
C.  Herbert  is  in  the  creamery  business  in 
Illinois.  George  C.  was  for  some  time  teller 
in  the  First  National  Bank  at  Greenfield, 
Mass.;    but    since    June,  1897,    he    has    been 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


463 


in  company  with  his  brother  Herbert  in  the 
creamery  business,  which  is  in  a  highly  pros- 
perous condition.  The  father  was  honored  by 
his  fellow-townsmen  with  election  to  various 
positions  of  responsibility.  He  was  Select- 
man of  Chesterfield  in  1S58  and  1S59,  and 
Representative  in  1865  and  1866.  Any  call 
for  assistance  which  reached  him  was  met 
with  a  ready  response,  and  he  was  most  gen- 
erous in  helping  forward  any  worthy  cause. 
He  and  his  wife  were  faithful  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  church,  in  their 
lives  exemplifying  their  belief  that  the  pros- 
perity of  the  church  depends  in  large  measure 
upon  the  ready  support  its  members  give  it, 
both  morally  and  financially.  Mr.  Richard 
H.  Hopkins  died  on  February  21,   1877. 

Charles  B.  Hopkins,  having  profited  by  all 
the  instruction  that  could  be  obtained  in  the 
common  schools  of  Chesterfield  and  Hinsdale, 
went  into  the  paper-mill  to  work  under  his 
father,  and  soon  became  familiar  with  all  the 
details  of  the  business.  Shortly  after,  his 
father  died;  and  Mr.  Fisk,  being  for  a  while 
sole  proprietor  of  the  business,  recognized  the 
young  man's  business  capacity,  and  appointed 
him  agent  for  the  concern.  Since  Mr.  Hojv- 
kins  has  thus  been  officially  connected  with 
the  manufactory,  it  has  more  than  doubled  its 
output,  and  the  quality  of  the  goods  produced 
has  kept  pace  with  the  increase  in  quantity. 
Few  people  are,  perhaps,  aware  that  there  are 
almost  as  many  varieties  of  paper  as  there  are 
of  textile  fabrics,  and  that  they  differ  as  widely 
in  weight,  strength,  and  utility,  tlie  demand 
for  some  kinds  being  almost  unlimited,  while 
others,  used  for  special  purposes,  are  almost 
unknown  to  the  general  public.  Tissue 
papers  are  more  or  less  familiar  to  every  one; 
but  it  is  not  so  generally  known  that  the  pro- 
ductions of  different  manufacturers  differ 
greatly  in  quality,  some  being  of  uniformly 
superior  merit  as  regards  te.xture,  strength, 
beauty,  and  evenness  of  coloring,  while  others 
are  quite  the  reverse.  The  fine  manilla  tissue 
papers  made  by  the  Fisk  Paper  Company  are 
conceded  by  the  consumers  of  the  trade  to 
rank  second  to  none;  and,  as  the  company  have 
facilities  which  enable  them  to  fill  orders 
promptly,  and   quote  the   lowest  market  rates. 


it  is  not  surprising  that  their  productions 
should  be  in  great  demand.  The  company 
operate  a  complete  jilant  of  the  most  im- 
proved machinery,  and  employ  twelve  or  fif- 
teen workmen.  Their  trade  in  the  United 
States  extends  to  California;  and  orders  arc 
received  chiefly  by  mail,  as  the  manufacturers 
sell  direct  to  the  retail  trade.  Mr.  P'isk  re- 
sides at  l^rightwood,  Mass.,  and  devotes  most 
of  his  time  to  looking  after  the  interests  of 
the  VVason  Manufacturing  Compan)',  of  which 
he  is  president.  He  makes  only  occasional 
visits  to  Hinsdale  to  keep  in  touch  with  the 
business  here.  Hence  it  is  evident  that  its 
great  success  in  recent  years  has  been  due 
almost  entirely  to  the  able  management  of 
Mr.   Hopkins. 

Mr.  Hopkins  is  prominently  identified  with 
the  social  interests  of  Hinsdale,  and  is  a  well- 
known  Republican.  He  is  not  an  aspirant  for 
political  office,  but  has  served  on  the  School 
Poard  for  si.x  years,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention.  He  has  also  been 
on  the  Republican  State  Committee,  and  has 
taken  part  in  numerous  State  and  county 
conventions.  Through  his  efforts  the  last 
Senatorial  Convention  was  held  in  Hinsdale. 
Mr.  Hopkins  inherits  a  generous  nature  from 
his  father.  Any  good  cause  finds  always  in 
him  a  warm  champion;  and  he  is  ever  ready 
to  contribute  for  public  celebrations,  athletic 
sports,  or  other  public  movements.  He  is  an 
active  Mason,  and  is  a  member  of  the  com- 
mandery  and  chapter  at  Keene,  of  Aleppo 
Shrine,  Boston,  also  of  the  Red  Men  and 
Foresters  of  America. 


INTHROP  KNIGHT,*  a  venerable 
resident  of  Troy,  Cheshire  County, 
N.H.,  long  in  business  as  a  carpen- 
ter and  wheelwright,  was  born  in  Sudbury, 
Mass.,  September  g,  1816,  and  comes  of  old 
Massachusetts  stock.  His  father,  Joel 
Knight,  who  was  the  son  of  Jolm,  and  was  a 
farmer  and  miller  of  Sudbury,  served  in  the 
War  of  1812,  being  stationed  at  Fort  Hill, 
]?oston.  He  died  at  the  age  of  forty  years. 
By  his  wife,  formerly  Ik'tsey  Gibbs,  of 
Framingham,   he  had   fourteen   children,  twins 


464 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


having  been  born  to  them  three  times.  The 
only  survivors  of  l^his  large  family  are  Will- 
iam, Betsey,  and  Winthrop.  William  Knight 
lives  in  Minnesota,  and  Betsey  in  Springfield, 
Vt. 

Winthrop  Knight  first  went  to  school  in 
Sudbury,  and  was  eight  years  old  when  he 
came  to  Cheshire  County,  New  Hampshire,  to 
live  with  a  man  in  Dublin,  where  he  remained 
for  six  years.  He  then  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade,  and  afterward  did  shop  carpen- 
ter's work,  such  as  making  sashes  and  doors, 
also  wheelwright  work.  Opening  a  shop  in 
Troy  in  1839,  he  has  here  carried  on  business 
ever  since.  He  has  added  a  grist-mill  to  his 
place,  has  repaired  his  house  and  built  a  new 
shop,  and  also  built  his  own  water-power  since 
he  came  here.  He  married  first,  April  7, 
1840,  Lydia  Fuller.  One  of  their  children, 
a  daughter,  Frances  E.,  died  in  infancy;  a 
son,  Arthur  P.,  married  Ella  Wright,  and 
has  two  children  —  Ralph  and  Mildred.  Mr. 
Knight  married  for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Bet- 
sey Clark  Starkey.  By  a  previous  marriage 
the  present  Mrs.  Knight  has  two  children  — 
Mary  J.  Haskell  and  Warren  B.  Starkey.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Knight  are  connected  with  the  Bap- 
tist church.  Mr.  Knight  has  always  been  an 
active  business  man,  is  now  one  of  the  few 
survivors  of  a  past  generation,  and  is  revered 
by  all  his  townspeople.  A  decade  or  two  ago 
he  knew  every  resident  in  this  vicinity.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  his  first  Presiden- 
tial vote  having  been  cast  in  1840  for  the  suc- 
cessful Whig  candidate,  William  Henry  Har- 
rison. 


-|p)TARRIS      HALP:,*    one     of    the    best 
L^J       known  residents  of   Rindge,  was  born 
_|_l9  I  in   this  town,  August  10,   1813,  son 

—  of  Emerson  and  Jennie  (Foster) 
Hale.  He  is  a  descendant  in  the  sixth  gen- 
eration of  Captain  Thomas  Hale,  who  was 
born  in  Newbury,  Mass.,  February  11,  1658, 
and  appears  to  have  enjoyed  considerable  dis- 
tinction, as  he  served  as  a  Civil  Magistrate 
for  many  years.  Captain  Thomas  Hale  was 
also  a  man  of  means;  and  his  name  is  found 
among  those  of  the  early  proprietors  of  Lunen- 


burg, as  having  purchased  a  lot  of  land  in  that 
town  for  his  son,  Joshua.  He  married  Sarah 
Northend,  daughter  of  Ezekiel  and  Edna 
(Lambert)  Northend.  Their  son,  Moses 
Hale,  first,  was  born  in  Newbury  in  1702. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Wheeler,  daughter  of 
Jethro  and  Hannah  (Frence)  Wheeler;  and 
they  resided  in  Rowley,  Mass.  Moses  Hale, 
second,  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  in  Rowley,  February 
18,  173 1.  He  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
in  Hampstead,  N.H.,  but  later  moved  to 
Rindge,  where  he  became  prominent  in  public 
affairs.  He  was  a  Selectman  in  1772,  was 
elected  Coroner  of  Cheshire  County  in  July, 
1776,  and  was  afterward  County  Treasurer. 
He  died  March  2,  1799.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  wife  was  Abigail  Emerson.  Moses 
Hale,  third,  Harris  Hale's  grandfather,  was 
born  about  the  year  1760.  In  1777  he  joined 
General  Stark's  brigade,  with  which  he  fought 
in  the  Revolutionary  War;  and  after  his  dis- 
charge from  the  army  he  became  a  prosperous 
farmer  in  Rindge.  He  was  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  was  in  maidenhood  Sibyl 
Adams,  of  Chelmsford,  Mass.  ;  and  his  second, 
before  her  union  with  him,  was  Mrs.  Sibyl 
Howe  Sawtell. 

Emerson  Hale,  Harris  Hale's  father,  was 
born  March  20,  1783,  and  was  a  lifelong 
and  prominent  resident  of  Rindge,  being  for 
many  years  a  prosperous  merchant  in  the 
middle  village.  His  wife,  Jennie  Foster 
Hale,  became  the  mother  of  five  children; 
namely,  John  F.,  Moody,  Ruby,  Jemima,  and 
Harris.     John  F.  and  Moody  are  now  deceased. 

Plarris  Hale  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  town,  and  began  active  life  as  a 
farmer.  He  also  carried  on  lumbering  opera- 
tions for  several  years,  and  at  one  time  owned 
considerable  land,  but  has  in  recent  years 
disposed  of  his  real  estate.  He  had  charge  of 
the  town  farm  for  a  number  of  years,  and  as 
a  business  man  has  been  both  active  and  suc- 
cessful. He  has  been  frequently  elected  to 
important  town  offices,  in  which  his  ability 
and  integrity  were  exercised  to  the  advantage 
of  the  community;  and  his  public  services 
have  been  appreciated  by  his  fellow-towns- 
men.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  cast 


BlUGRAl'llICAL    REVIEW 


4*^5 


his  first  Presidential  vote  l\)r  Martin  Van 
Buren.  Mr.  Male  married  Eliza  Kimball, 
and  has  no  children. 


JDWIN  I.  WELLINGTON,*  an  enter- 
prising farmer  and  business  man  of 
Rindge,  was  born  in  this  town,  June 
29,  i860,  son  of  I  vers  and  Mary  (Townsend) 
Wellington.  His  grandfather  was  Liberty 
Wellington,  of  Ashby,  Mass. ;  and  he  is  a 
descendant  of  Roger  Wellington,  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Watertown. 

Ivers  Wellington,  Edwin  L  Wellington's 
father,  was  born  in  Ashby,  January  12,  181 2. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  a  lumberman,  and  resided 
in  Rindge  from  1857  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  when  he  was  eighty  years  old.  As  a 
man  of  excellent  business  ability  and  sound 
judgment  his  opinion  and  advice  were  fre- 
quently solicited  both  in  public  and  private 
matters,  and  his  upright  character  was  recog- 
nized and  appreciated  by  his  fellow-townsmen. 
Mary  Townsend  Wellington,  his  wife, 
whom  he  married  January  6,  1857,  was  a 
daughter  of  Joshua  Townsend.  She  became 
the  mother  of  two  sons  —  Cyrus  W. ;  and 
Edwin  L,    the  subject  of  this   sketch. 

Edwin  L  Wellington  attended  the  common 
anil  high  schools;  and,  after  completing  his 
studies,  he  turned  his  attention  to  agriculture. 
He  was  for  some  time  superintendent  of  the 
farm  belonging  to  the  Cheshire  Improvement 
Company.  The  winter  of  1882  and  1883  he 
spent  in  Florida.  Becoming  associated  with 
his  father  in  farming  and  lumbering,  he  took 
charge  of  the  estate  after  the  elder  Welling- 
ton's death;  and  in  i8gi  he  bought  of  O.  D. 
Converse  the  mill  which  he  is  now  operating. 

On  December  23,  18S5,  Mr.  Wellington 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Emma  A.  Wel- 
lington, daughter  of  Cecil  and  Eunice  (Shep- 
ard)  Wellington.  Previous  to  her  marriage 
Mrs.  Wellington  was  a  successful  school 
teacher.  She  has  been  the  mother  of  five 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living;  namely, 
Lila  S.,  Mary  li.,  and  Olive  E.  The  two 
deceased  are  Mark  E. ,  who  was  drowned  July 
28,    1897;   and   Thursa,    who   died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Wellington    has  always  declined  to  ac- 


ccyii  public  ofificc.  When  requested  to  become 
a  member  of  the  School  Board  in  1892,  he 
proposed  his  wife  as  being  better  qualified  for 
the  position  ;  and  Mrs.  Wellington  was  elected, 
and  is  now  serving  her  second  term  of  three 
years.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  Mr.  Wellington  is  Master  of 
Marshall  P.  Wilder  Grange,  No.  134,  Patrons 
of  Husbandry,  of  which  his  wife  also  is  a 
member.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  James 
G.  Blaine  in  1884. 


LIJF.RT  L.  RUSSELL,*  of  Ilarris- 
ville,  Cheshire  County,  an  expert 
electrician  and  tormerly  a  member 
of  the  Western  IClectric  Company, 
was  born  in  this  town,  July  16,  1844,  son  of 
James  and  Annie  P.  (Mason)  Russell.  His 
grandfather  was  Jonathan  Russell,  a  native 
of  Roxbury,  N. H.,  who  passed  much  of  his 
life  in  Harrisville,  and  was  the  father  of  two 
sons  —  Lyman  and  James. 

James  Russell,  father  of  Albert  L.,  was 
born  in  Harrisville  in  181 2.  He  was  engaged 
in  farming  and  contracting,  and  his  upriglit 
character  and  amiable  disposition  made  for 
him  many  friends.  Quiet  and  unassuming, 
he  avoided  public  life,  preferring  to  devote 
his  entire  energy  to  his  private  business 
affairs.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  sang  in  the  choir  for 
many  years.  He  married  Annie  P.  Mason, 
who  was  born  in  Harrisville  in  1824,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Mason.  She  became  the  mother 
of  five  children,  as  follows:  Calista,  who  mar- 
ried Samuel  D.  Bcmis,  of  this  town;  Albert 
L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  PIdward  G., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years; 
Edson,  who  died  at  twenty-three;  and  Adney, 
who  resides  in  Harrisville.  James  Russell 
died  in  1858;  and  his  wife  survived  him 
thirty-five  years,  dying  in  1893. 

Albert  I..  Russell  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Harrisville  and  Dublin,  this  county, 
and  after  finishing  his  studies  was  for  a  short 
time  engaged  in  farming.  About  the  year 
1863  he  went  to  Boston,  where  he  became 
connected  with   the  manufacture  of  electrical 


466 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


appliances,  and  acquired  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  electrical  science.  He  had  much  to 
do  with  the  manufacture  of  the  first  telephone 
instruments  under  the  Bell  patents,  and  was 
employed  in  the  construction  of  the  first  ex- 
perimental line,  which  ran  from  the  factory  to 
the  residence  of  Mr.  Charles  Williams,  in 
Somerville.  About  icS83  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Western  Electric  Company,  which 
manufacture  the  Bell  Telephone  instruments, 
and  have  offices  in  Chicago,  New  York,  and 
Berlin.  He  remained  with  that  concern  until 
about  four  years  ago,  when  he  retired,  and  has 
since  resided  in  Harrisville.  He  owns  and 
cultivates  a  good  farm,  and  also  operates  a  saw- 
mill. 

Mr.  Russell  married  Emma  F.  Williams, 
who  was  born  in  Somerville,  Mass.,  in  1842, 
a  daughter  of  Charles  Williams.  Mrs.  Rus- 
sell has  had  three  children :  Grace,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  six  years;  Edward  G.,  who  re- 
sides at  home ;  and  Percy,  who  married  Ger- 
trude Derby,  and  has  one  child.  Percy  Rus- 
sell resides  in  Harrisville.  Mr.  Russell  is  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He  attends 
the  Universal ist  church. 


jATHAN  GRAY  WOODBURY,*  for 
a  number  of  years  one  of  Cheshire 
County's  most  energetic  and  suc- 
cessful business  men  and  manu- 
facturers, was  born  in  Augusta,  Me.,  April  16, 
1823,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Keene.  Decem- 
ber 28,  1896.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of 
Nathan  and  Clarinda  (Whitney)  Woodbury. 
When  he  was  about  three  years  old,  the  fam- 
ily removed  to  Massachusetts,  where  they  re- 
mained until  1834,  when  they  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Rindge,  Cheshire  County,  N.H.  On 
reaching  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  young 
Nathan  purchased  his  time  of  his  father,  and 
went  to  Winchendon,  where  he  worked  on  a 
farm  until  attaining  his  majority.  He  then 
learned  the  trade  of  box-making  with  Edwin 
Parks,  of  that  place,  and  subsequently  went 
into  that  business  in  company  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Samuel  Page,  at  Fitzwilliam, 
this  county.  Although  beginning  with  but 
a  small   amount  of  capital,  the  venture  proved 


a  success.  At  the  end  of  nine  months  Mr. 
Woodbury  became  the  active  proprietor,  Mr. 
Page,  however,  still  retaining  a  financial  in- 
terest in  the  concern. 

In  1847,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  Mr. 
Woodbury  went  to  Richmond,  where  he  bought 
the  Enos  Holbrook  trip-hammer  shop,  upon  a 
water-power  about  two  miles  from  the  Four 
Corners,  on  the  road  to  Winchendon.  An 
old  farm-house  was  included  in  the  purchase. 
The  shop  was  rigged  over  into  a  saw-mill; 
and  Mr.  Woodbury  got  men  and  teams,  and 
began  clearing  off  a  wood  lot,  cutting  up  the 
timber  and  manufacturing  pails.  He  boarded 
his  men,  doing  the  cooking  and  washing  him- 
self, drove  one  of  his  teams,  and  always  made 
it  a  point  to  haul  as  many  or  more  loads  every 
day  himself  than  were  drawn  by  any  man  he 
hired.  In  due  time  he  built  quite  a  large 
saw-mill  and  pail  factory  on  the  pond,  which 
he  carried  on  until  1870.  He  was  successful 
in  business,  and  before  long  became  known 
as  a  man  who  had  money  to  lend.  In  that 
way  he  was  able  to  help  many  of  his  fellow- 
townsmen  during  the  war,  when  funds  were 
scarce.  Soon  after  coming  to  Richmond  he 
married  Angelia  Bryant,  of  that  town,  who 
died  July  16,  1894.  They  had  one  son,  who 
lived  to  be  eleven  years  of  age. 

In  1870  Mr.  Woodbury  moved  to  Keene, 
and  bought  the  old  Page  mill  on  upper  Wash- 
ington Street,  where  he  began  making  pails, 
afterward  extending  his  shops  from  time  to 
time.  He  built  a  large  two-story  shop,  and 
equipped  it  with  a  full  line  of  machinery  for 
the  manufacture  of  furniture  soon  after  coming 
to  Keene;  and  this  he  carried  on  until  it  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1S75.  Mr.  Woodbury's 
loss  was  about  ten  thousand  dollars.  He  car- 
ried no  insurance. 

Soon  after  the  fire  he  formed  a  copartner- 
ship with  Oscar  J.  Howard,  establishing  the 
furniture  store  of  Woodbury  &  Howard,  which 
soon  grew  to  be  the  largest  retail  furniture 
establishment  in  Keene.  This  business  has 
since  been  continued  by  the  same  partners; 
and  at  certain  hours  of  the  day  Mr.  Woodbury 
could  almost  invariably  be  found  in  the  store, 
it  being  his  custom  to  keep  in  touch  person- 
ally with  all  the  business  which  he  carried  on. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIKW 


467 


Not  long  after  coming  to  Keenc  lie  built 
the  two-story  wooden  mill  on  the  corner  of 
Armory  and  Spruce  Streets,  which  was  rented, 
first  as  a  soap  factory  and  afterward  as  a  glue 
factory.  He  equipped  this  mill  with  steam- 
power  several  years  ago,  and  converted  it  into 
a  pail  manufactory,  since  which  time  it  has 
been  kept  continually  in  operation.  His 
mills  on  Washington  Street  were  also  kept 
busy,  although  recently  the  water-power  has 
grown  poor,  so  that  they  could  not  be  op- 
erated as  much  as  formerly. 

Mr.  Woodbury's  last  purchase  for  manufact- 
uring purposes  was  the  Foster  tannery  prop- 
erty on  Beaver  Street.  The  buildings  have 
been  largely  refitted,  the  steam-power  put  in 
order,  a  large  circular  saw-mill  set  up,  and  a 
modern  dry  house  and  pail  machinery  added, 
converting  the  old  tannery  into  a  useful  man- 
ufactory. The  real  estate  belonging  to  the 
property  has  been  added  to  and  improved, 
the  old  swamp  in  the  rear  drained  and  filled, 
and  the  owner  was  making  prciiarations  to 
open  streets  in  the  rear  of  the  mill. 

Mr.  Woodbury  emj^loyed  in  manufacturing 
from  sixty  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
men  usually,  including  his  choppers  and 
teamsters,  his  force  being  always  largest  in 
the  fall  and  winter.  He  looked  after  every 
part  of  his  business  personally,  kept  no  clerks 
and  few  books,  and  relied  on  his  memory  for 
details,  which  he  always  had  so  well  in  hand 
that  no  customer,  debtor,  or  employee  could 
often  get  the  better  of  him.  If  a  man  gave 
out  anywhere  on  the  works,  Mr.  Woodbury 
would  usually  take  his  place  until  be  came 
back  or  until  another  person  was  hired.  His 
purchases  of  timber  were  extensive,  including 
tracts  worth  as  much  as  ten  thousand  dollars, 
for  which  he  was  as  ready  to  pay  cash  as  for 
smaller  ones;  and  he  has  for  years  been  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  successful  pail  man- 
ufacturers in  New  England.  He  did  not  take 
kindly  to  trusts  or  combines,  but  usually  put 
his  goods  on  the  market  and  sold  them  at  a 
profit,  regardless  of  competition.  Mr.  Wood- 
bury's real  estate  in  Keene  includes  a  large 
number  of  houses  and  much  valuable  prop- 
erty. 

While     living     in     Richmond,    Mr.    Wood- 


bury held  numerous  offices  of  trust,  serving 
as  Moderator  frequently,  as  Town  Clerk  for 
a  number  of  years,  antl  as  Representative  for 
several  terms.  In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat. He  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  the  first  city  government  of 
Keene.  He  was  a  director  of  the  Keene 
National  Bank  and  a  trustee  of  the  Keene 
Guaranty  Savings  Bank. 

In  January,  i8g6,  Mr.  Woodbury  married 
for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Mary  (I'arks) 
Wilder,  a  friend  of  his  youth,  who  sur- 
vives him,  together  with  one  brother,  An- 
drew C,  of  Winchendon,  and  four  sisters, 
Mrs.  Laurette  W.  Parks,  Mrs.  Clarinda  A. 
Sargent,  Mrs.  Maria  A.  Wallace,  of  Win- 
chendon, ami  Mrs.  Lucinda  15.  Newman,  of 
Keene. 


AVID  STKVKN.S,*  one  of  the  .stir- 
ring farmers  and  best  known  resi- 
dents of  Bedford,  Hillsboro  County, 
N.H.,  son  of  Moody  M.  and  ICunice 
(Chandler)  Stevens,  was  born  June  7,  1823, 
upon  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  His 
grandfather,  David  Stevens,  first,  whose  birth 
took  place  May  23,  1755,  served  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  fought  in  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  that  part  of  Bedford  in  which 
the  Stevens  farm  is  located;  and  he  resided 
here  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occur- 
ring December  23,  1819.  His  wife,  Judith, 
whom  he  married  December  15,  1778,  was 
born  March  5,  1759,  and  died  Sejitcmber  15, 
1826.      She  had  nine  children. 

Moody  M.  Stevens,  son  of  David,  first,  was 
born  at  the  homestead  in  liedford,  June  4,  1781. 
He  acquired  a  good  education,  and  in  his  earlier 
mature  years  was  engaged  in  teaching  school. 
He  eventually  succeeded  to  the  ownership 
of  the  homestead  property,  and  became  one 
of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  his  day.  He 
was  a  Whig  in  politics  until  the  formation  of 
the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  became  an 
earnest  supporter.  He  served  as  a  Selectman 
for  a  number  of  years,  was  Town  Clerk  one 
year,  and  he  represented  this  town  in  the  leg- 
islature.    For  many  years  he  was  a  Deacon  of 


468 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


the  Presbyterian  church.  Moody  M.  Stevens 
died  June  i6,  1870,  having  long  survived  his 
wife,  Eunice  Chandler,  a  native  of  Duxbury, 
Mass.,  who  died  in  August,  1851.  They  had 
ten  children,  nine  of  whom  grew  to  maturity; 
and  David,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the 
only  one  now  living. 

David  Stevens  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  Bedford  and  at  the  academy  in 
Francestown.  He  has  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  at  the  homestead  since  his  youth, 
and  under  his  management  the  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  has  been  made  to 
yield  a  good  profit  annually.  A  Republican 
in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  he  is  regarded  with  the  utmost 
esteem  and  confidence  by  his  neighbors  and 
fellow-townsmen.  Mr.  Stevens  is  unmarried. 
He  is  energetic,  capable  of  much  hard  work, 
and  his  activity  is  still  unabated. 


tive 


OSEPH  L.  STARKEY,  a  thriving 
dairy  farmer  of  Swanzey,  was  born  in 
Richmond,  N.H.,  October  17,  1854. 
His  father  was  Joseph  Starkey,  a  na- 
of  Richmond.  His  grandfather,  Henry 
Starkey,  was  also  a  native  of  that  town. 
Henry  Starkey  settled  in  Swanzey  about  sixty 
years  ago,  and  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  shooks  in  connection  with  farming.  He 
acquired  the  title  of  Colonel  in  the  State 
militia,  and  was  a  man  highly  esteemed  for 
his  sterling  traits  of  character.  Politically, 
he  acted  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  his 
religious  belief  was  that  of  the  Universalists. 
He  reared  a  family  of  six  children,  as  follows: 
John  W. ,  who  was  formerly  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness in  Massachusetts,  and  died  in  Keene, 
N.H.  ;  Alvin,  who  died  in  Michigan;  Henry, 
who  also  died  in  Michigan;  William,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  woodenware  in 
that  State;  Lucy,  who  resides  with  her 
brother  William  ;  and  Joseph. 

Joseph  Starkey,  father  of  Joseph  L. ,  was 
reared  to  manhood  partly  in  Richmond  and 
partly  in  Swanzey.  Some  time  after  his  mar- 
riage he  removed  to  the  mining  districts  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  died. 

Joseph  L.   Starkey  was  left  an   orphan  at  the 


age  of  ten  years,  the  death  of  his  mother  hav- 
ing occurred  five  years  previous  to  that  of  his 
father.  He  was  reared  and  educated  by  his 
grandfather,  and  after  the  latter's  death  he 
inherited  the  farm  jointly  with  his  aunt. 
Subsequently  purchasing  her  interest  in  the 
property,  he  has  since  carried  it  on  success- 
fully, being  engaged  both  in  general  farming 
and  dairying.  It  contains  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres  of  excellent  land,  including 
tillage,  pasture,  and  wood  land;  and  he  owns 
another  farm  in  Richmond.  Mr.  Starkey  is 
a  prominent  citizen  of  his  town.  He  served 
as  Selectman  five  years,  during  the  last  of 
which  he  was  chairman  of  the  Board;  and  he 
was  Road  Agent  until  declining  to  serve 
longer.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He 
has  been  called  upon  to  appraise  several 
estates,  has  been  delegate  to  several  party 
conventions,  and  exercises  a  potent  influence 
in  local  affairs.  He  married  Miss  Addie 
Harris,  daughter  of  Warren  Harris,  of  Swan- 
zey, and  has  two  children  —  Gladys  and  Myrtle. 


EORGE  H.  SNOW,*  recently  Post- 
master of  Winchester  and  formerly 
a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature,  was  born  in  Athol,  Mass.,  Janu- 
ary 24,  1849,  son  of  John  H.  and  Louisa 
(Hamilton)  Snow.  His  great-grandfather  was 
an  early  settler  in  Winchester;  and  his  grand- 
father, Samuel  Snow,  who  was  a  native  of 
this  town,  followed  general  farming  during 
his  active  years.  Samuel  Snow  was  the 
father  of  seven  children  —  Hannah,  John  IL, 
George  C. ,  lirastus  E.,  Emily,  William,  and 
Willard.  George  C.  is  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
this  town.  Erastus  E.,  who  was  formerly 
cashier  of  the  Winchester  Bank,  went  to  Grin- 
nell,  la.,  where  he  engaged  in  banking,  and 
is  now  retired.  Emily  married  Warren  La- 
zell.  Willard  died  in  Chicopee  Falls,  Mass. 
John  H.  Snow,  father  of  George,  was  born  in 
Winchester,  and  learned  the  cabinet-maker's 
trade  in  Athol,  Mass.  He  was  for  some  years 
associated  with  his  brother  Willard  in  carry- 
ing on  business  in  Winchester,  but  eventually 
returned  to  Athol,  where  he  resided  for  the 
rest  of   his  life.      His  wife,  Louisa,  who  was  a 


HIOGRAi'HlCAL    REVIEW 


469 


claiightcr  of  Jesse  Hamilton,  became  the  mother 
of  two  children  :  Everett,  who  resides  in  Athol ; 
and  George  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

George  M.  Snow  resided  in  Winchester 
from  the  time  he  was  seven  years  (jld  until  his 
death,  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools..  He  began  life  as  a  clerk  in  the  gro- 
cery store  of  F.  Weeks,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained seventeen  years;  and  in  1S84  he 
engaged  in  business  for  himself.  He  con- 
ducted a  clothing  store  in  the  Bowers  Block 
for  a  year,  and  for  the  next  eight  years  had 
charge  of  a  store  owned  by  Chase  &  Richard- 
son, of  Keene.  He  next  engaged  in  business 
with  S.  H.  Holton,  with  whom  he  was  asso- 
ciated a  year.  Then  selling  out  to  his  partner, 
he  devoted  his  time  to  his  ofificial  duties.  Po- 
litically, he  was  a  Democrat.  He  served  as 
Town  Clerk  for  thirteen  years,  receiving  the 
support  of  both  parties,  was  Selectman  one 
year,  served  as  Moderator,  was  janitor  of  the 
town  hall  for  three  years,  and  during  his  two 
terms  in  the  legislature  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Committee  on  Ways  and  Means.  He  was 
at  one  time  secretary  of  the  Democratic  Club, 
and  he  acted  as  delegate  to  many  party  conven- 
tions. While  managing  the  Winchester  store 
of  Chase  &  Richardson,  he  was  appointed 
Postmaster,  and  was  reappointed  in  1893.  He 
was  actively  interested  in  the  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  the  town,  and  was  a  stockholder  in  the 
Winchester  Creamery  Association.  He  was  a 
member  of  Philesian  Lodge,  No.  48,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  of  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men.  Mr. 
Snow  died  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  at  Sara- 
toga, N.Y. ,  August  29,  1897. 

He  married  Addie  C.  Rayiuond,  daughter 
of  Stephen  Raymond,  of  Winchester;  and 
Mrs.  Snow  is  the  mother  of  two  children  — 
George  R.   and  Florence  M. 


-AMES  WARREN,  proprietor  of  the 
Maple  Ridge  Farm  in  New  Boston, 
N.H.,  was  born  in  this  town,  August 
26,  1842,  son  of  John  B.  and  Lovina 
(Wilson)  Warren.  His  great-grandfather, 
Josiah,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  New 
Boston,  and  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
He,  together  with  a   Mr.  Campbell   and  a  Mr. 


Caltlwell,  was  taken  prisoner  l)y  the  Indians; 
but  they  were  subsequently  released.  They 
returned  home  in  time  for  the  June  election, 
which  was  called  the  Puritan  election.  The 
descendants  of  these  three  families  have  com- 
memorated the  above  incident  for  many  yeans 
by  periodical  reunions.  Josiah  Warren  lo- 
cated in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  where 
members  of  the  family  still  hold  land.  He 
died  at  an  advanced  age.  Captain  Roi)ert 
Warren,  the  grandfather,  was  a  thrifty  farmer 
of  this  town,  and  was  Captain  in  the  old  State 
militia.  His  children,  nine  in  number,  were 
as  follows:  John  B.,  born  July  13,  1801; 
Elizabeth,  born  January  25,  1803;  Zibiah, 
born  March  27,  1805;  I'^phraim,  born  October 
20,  1807;  Daniel,  born  October  15,  1809; 
Mary  G,  C,  born  January  13,  1812;  Mary 
G.  C.,  second,  born  March  18,  1814;  Robert 
F. ,  born  February  22,  18 16;  and  Naomi,  born 
February  21,  1818. 

John  B.  Warren,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  article,  was  born  in  New  Boston,  and  was 
a  farmer  and  lumberman.  An  enterprising 
and  progressive  man  and  a  diligent  worker, 
he  was  quite  successful  for  his  times,  and  was 
an  influential  citizen.  He  served  as  Select- 
man in  his  town.  In  religious  matters  he  was 
an  independent  thinker,  and  in  politics  he 
was  a  Democrat.  He  died  December  8,  1885. 
His  wife,  Lovina,  was  born  January  i,  1808, 
and  died  July  16,  1882.  Their  children  were: 
Ira,  Almus,  Matilda,  Janus,  George,  and 
Annis.  Ira,  born  August  2,  1837,  died  Octo- 
ber 4,  1838.  Almus,  born  February  25,  1839, 
is  now  a  farmer  of  this  town.  Matilda,  born 
October  7,  1840,  died  December  21  of  that 
year.  George  was  born  July  30,  1847,  and  is 
a  lumberman  and  farmer  of  New  Boston. 
Annis,  born  March  31,   1850,  is  now  deceased. 

James  Warren  grew  to  manhood  in  his  na- 
tive town,  and  received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation. He  has  followed  general  farming, 
and  has  also  of  late  years  made  a  specialty  of 
taking  summer  boarders.  His  property  con- 
sists of  an  excellent  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres,  which  he  has  greatly  improved,  and 
the  buildings  of  which  he  has  remodelled  quite 
extensively.  The  farm  is  one  of  the  finest  in 
the    town,  and    is  very   picturesquely  situaleil. 


"iiui^  I 


470 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


He  can  accommodate  from  twenty-five  to  thirty 
guests.  He  is  an  active,  successful  man  and 
a  good  manager.  He  is  a  member  of  Joe 
English  Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  ot  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  New  Boston,  and  in  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat. 

Mr.  Warren  was  married  March  i6,  1869, 
to  Sarah  A.,  who  was  born  in  Londonderry, 
N.  H.,  November  25,  1839,  daughter  of  Sen- 
ter  and  Olivia  (Flint)  Farley.  He  has  six 
children:  Lilla  F.,  born  February  20,  1870; 
Addie  J.,  born  December  26,  1871  ;  Cora  W. , 
born  June  29,  1875;  John  B.,  born  December 
8,  1877;  Fred  M.,  born  October  31,  1879; 
and  Lizzie  M.,  born  January  8,  1882. 


OLOMON     D. 


leading  merchant 


ATWOOD,*  the 
in  New  Boston, 
N.  H.,  was  born  in  Hillsboro,  N.  H., 
May  7,  1839,  the  son  of  the  Rev. 
John  and  Lydia  (Dodge)  Atwood.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather  was  John  Atwood,  who  married 
a  Miss  Blodgett,  of  Hudson.  Their  son,  the 
Rev.  John  Atwood,  was  born  in  Hudson, 
N.  H.,  October  3,  1797.  He  pursued  his 
theological  studies  at  Waterville  College, 
which  he  entered  in  1817.  He  was  or- 
dained as  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  New 
Boston  in  1825,  and  closed  his  labors  here  in 
1836.  Later  he  held  the  office  of  Representa- 
tive from  the  town  of  Hillsboro  and  vicinity 
for  five  years,  and  afterward  he  was  State 
Treasurer  for  si.\'  years.  While  residing  in 
Concord,  he  was  chaplain  of  the  State  prison  ; 
and  in  1850  he  was  nominated  by  the  Demo- 
crats for  Governor,  but  his  name  was  recalled 
on  account  of  his  anti-slavery  opinions.  No- 
vember 28,  1826,  he  married  Lydia  Dodge, 
daughter  of  Deacon  Solomon  Dodge,  of  New 
Boston.  In  his  later  years  the  Rev.  John 
Atwood  returned  to  New  Boston,  and  carried 
on  general  farming  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  April  28,  1873.  He  was  the  father 
of  eight  children,  as  follows:  Lydia  D.,  Sarah 
E.,  John  B.,  Roger  W.,  Ann  J.,  Mary  F., 
Solomon  D.  (the  subject  of  this  sketch),  and 
John  H.  Of  these  children  John  H.  and 
John   i3.    died    in    infancy.      Sarah    E.    married 


John  L.  Blair,  and  resides  in  Alton,  111. 
Ann  J.  married  the  Rev.  J.  L.  A.  Fish,  and 
died  March  15,  1874,  at  Duluth,  leaving  two 
children  —  J.  Leroy  and  Alice  B.  Roger  W. 
married  Emily  Larcom,  and  they  also  live  in 
Alton,  111.  Lydia  D.  is  at  present  residing 
in  New  Boston,  and  Mary  F.  is  deceased. 

Solomon  D.  Atwood,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  the  youngest  of  his  father's  family, 
and  has  lived  in  New  Boston  since  the  age  of 
eleven  years.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  the  town,  at  New  London, 
and  at  Colby  University.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  New 
Boston  in  company  with  Joseph  K.  Whipple, 
now  of  Chelsea,  Mass.,  this  firm  continuing 
for  a  term  of  eight  years.  Afterward  for 
about  four  years  the  style  was  Atwood  & 
Kelso.  The  buildings  were  then  destroyed  by 
fire,  and  Mr.  Atwood  for  a  while  carried  on 
the  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Atwood 
&  Co.  Again  in  1887  he  suffered  severely  by 
fire,  this  time  losing  his  entire  stock.  Di- 
rectly after  he  went  to  Auburn,  Me.,  and 
established  himself  in  trade.  A  few  years 
later  he  returned  to  New  Boston,  where  he 
has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Atwood  owes  his  present  position 
entirely  to  the  good  offices  of  Mr.  J.  Reed 
Whipple,  of  lioston,  Mass.,  who  assisted  him 
in  the  hour  of  adversity,  thereby  proving  him- 
self to  be  a  true  friend.  Mr.  Atwood  has 
been  Postmaster  in  the  town  for  many  years, 
his  first  appointment  to  this  office  having  been 
under  Abraham  Lincoln. 

He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Republican 
State  Committee,  but  is  not  one  who  has  taken 
any  active  part  in  political  life  as  an  office- 
holder. In  1864  he  married  Florence  A. 
Dodge,  of  Francestown,  born  in  1843,  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  Dodge.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  At- 
wood are  both  members  of  the  Baptist  church, 
in  which  he  has  been  very  active,  having  been 
superintendent  of  the  Sabbath-school  for  a 
number  of  years.  They  have  had  ten  children, 
as  follows:  John,  Lillie,  Myrtie  M.,  Emily 
M.,  Roger  D.,  Annie  A.,  Florence  F. ,  Solo- 
mon R.,  Howard  D.,  and  Ruby  M.  Of  these 
Myrtie  M.  married  a  Mr.  Eastman  ;  Emily  mar- 
ried  a   Mr.   Skinner,   and    is   now   deceased,  as 


BIOGKAl'lilCAL   REVIEW 


47' 


are  also  John,  Lillio,  and  Roger.  Mi.  Atwood 
is  now  tlio  pioneer  tradesman  of  the  town,  and 
is  to-day  carrying  on  its  leading  business. 


ON.    LEMUEL    ERANK    LISCOM,* 
■of     Hinsdale,    N.  H.,    State    Senator 


from  the  l'"ourteenth  District,  is  a 
native  of  this  place.  He  was  born 
Eebriiary  17,  1S41,  son  of  Lemuel  Liscom, 
second,  and  Emmerancy  (Horton)  Liscom. 
The  family  is  of  English  origin,  and  the 
name  was  originally  spelled  Liscomb. 

Mr.  Liscom's  grandfather,  Lemuel,  first, 
born  in  old  Dorchester,  Mass.,  came  with 
five  children  to  Hinsdale,  among  the  early 
inhabitants.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  dealt  ex- 
tensively, for  those  times,  in  horses.  His 
wife  was  Submit  Barret,  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried September  26,  1796;  and  their  children 
were  as  follows:  Polly,  born  January  4,  1798; 
Lemuel,  born  October  g,  1799;  Gratia,  born 
July  20,  1801;  Philip,  born  June  29,  1803; 
John,  born  January  6,  1806;  Levi,  born  June 
6,  1808;  Sophronia,  born  August  24,  1810; 
Charles,  born  September  24,  1813;  and  Sam- 
uel, who  was  born  I-'ebruary  19,  18 16,  and 
died  in  November,  1835.  Polly  married 
Henry  Reed,  of  Brattleboro,  Vt.  ;  Gratia  be- 
came Mrs.  Arms;  and  Sophronia  married  a 
Crosby.  Grandfather  Liscom  died  July  7, 
1836,  at  the  age  of  si.\ty-seven  ;  and  his  wife 
died  October  25,   1839,  aged  si.xty-four. 

Lemuel  Liscom,  second,  above  named,  was 
born  in  Vernon,  Vt.  He  remained  with  his 
parents  until  reaching  his  majority,  when  he 
went  to  Boston  and  engaged  with  Lyman  & 
Ralston,  the  first  firm  in  that  city  to  deal  in 
coal.  Later  Mr.  Liscom  started  an  indepen- 
dent coal  business,  being  the  second  in  that 
line  in  ]3oston.  He  had  coal  brought  down 
the  mountains  in  Penn.sylvania  from  the  Le- 
high mines.  People  were  slow  at  first  to  be- 
lieve in  the  power  of  coal,  supposing  it  to  be 
nothing  but  a  stone;  and  Mr.  Liscom  had  a 
])rocess  served  on  him.  He,  however,  con- 
vinced them  of  its  heat-producing  jiower,  and, 
continuing  in  the  business  for  about  eight 
years,  accumulated  a  small  fortune.  On  ac- 
count of  the  poor  health    of    his  wife    he  re- 


moved to  Hinsdale  and  carried  on  farming 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  July  5,  1886. 
He  took  a  strong  and  active  part  in  the  jjublic 
affairs  of  the  town,  was  Selectman  during  sev- 
eral terms,  and  held  various  other  public 
offices.  lie  was  a  Whig  in  politics  and  later 
a  Republican.  He  was  a  devoted  member  of 
the  ]5aptist  church,  as  was  also  his  wife,  I'jn- 
merancy,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Hezekiah 
Horton.  She  was  of  Scotch  and  iuiglish 
descent  and  kin  to  Lord  Ikunham,  at  one  time 
a  member  of  Parliament.  Mrs.  Liscom  was 
born  on  October  19,  1807.  Her  children  were 
as  follows:  Sarah  Jane,  born  March  12,  1834; 
Charles  Horton,  born  January  2,  1S36,  died 
February  24,  1863,  in  Arlena,  Ark.,  of 
wounds  received  at  the  battle  of  Vicksburg; 
Samuel  Elliot,  born  May  24,  1837;  Julia 
Elizabeth,  born  September  28,  1838;  Lemuel 
Frank,  born  February  17,  1841  ;  Emmerancy, 
born  May  28,  1842;  Lucy  Rebecca  and  Lu- 
cius Gray,  twins,  born  August  28,  1843; 
Henry  Cabot,  born  May  4,  1846;  and  Emma 
Isabella,  born  May  18,  1850.  Charles  H. 
Liscom  was  a  coal  and  real  estate  dealer  at 
Clinton,  la.,  and  went  out  in  the  Twenty-si.xth 
Iowa  Regiment.  Samuel  li.  was  three  years 
in  the  war.  He  enlisted  from  Hinsdale,  in 
Company  H  of  the  New  Hampshire  \'ohni- 
teers,  was  in  active  service  in  a  number  of 
battles,  and  at  Opikam  Creek  was  seriously 
wounded  in  the  head  and  in  the  leg.  Lucius 
removed  to  Port  Hudson,  Mich.,  and  is  now  in 
the  employ  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad. 
Ilenry  is  a  lumber  dealer,  and  resides  in 
Brattleboro,  Vt. 

Lemuel  F.  Liscom,  familiarly  known  as 
L.  Frank,  completed  his  educational  course  at 
Kimball  Union  Academy  in  \SC->o.  He  then 
assisted  his  father  on  the  farm,  and  on  August 
II,  1862,  enlisted  in  the  Union  army.  He 
was  much  of  the  time  on  duty  at  the  national 
capital,  and  was  also  at  Harper's  I"'erry,  in 
the  Red  River  e.xi)edition  at  I'etersburg,  and 
with  General  Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah  \'al- 
Icy.  He  was  one  of  the  soldiers  present  at  the 
capture  of  Jefferson  Davis,  there  having  been 
sent  a  body  of  infantry  from  the  liast  and 
of  cavalry  from  the  W'est  to  make  the  innsuit 
and  capture.      Mr.    Liscom  was  discharged    at 


472 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Savannah,  Ga. ,  July  8,  1865,  retiring  from  the 
service  with  the  rank  of  Orderly  Sergeant. 
Returning  North,  he  went  to  Boston,  where 
he  secured  employment  in  the  shops  of  the 
National  Bridge  Company,  for  which  business 
he  had  been  partially  fitted  by  the  course  in 
engineering  taken  at  the  academy.  He  worked 
in  the  engineering  deiiartnient  and  in  the  office 
of  the  company,  and  secured  a  thorough  mas- 
tery of  the  details  of  the  business.  He  was 
employed  by  the  Keystone  Bridge  Company, 
by  the  Edgmore  Bridge  Company,  and  by 
others.  He  became  superintendent  of  con- 
struction, and  in  that  position  had  charge  of 
the  building  of  the  train-houses  of  the  Boston 
&  Albany  road,  of  the  ]5oston  &  Providence, 
and  of  the  Boston  &  Lowell.  He  put  the  first 
iron  on  the  Vermont  Central  road  at  Dog 
River,  and  had  charge  of  the  making  of  many 
railroad  bridges.  Mr.  Liscom  was  receiving 
a  salary  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars, 
and  had  fine  prospects  of  advancement;  but  his 
father  was  reaching  the  age  when  working  days 
were  over,  and,  as  some  one  was  needed  to  look 
after  the  home  interests,  he  resigned  his  posi- 
tion in  Boston  in  1880,  at  the  dictates  of  filial 
duty,  and  returned  to  Hinsdale,  where  he  has 
since  been  engaged  in  farming  and  in  lumber- 
ing. Before  this  he  had  bought  up  tracts  of 
timber  lands,  and  had  already  cpiite  e.xtensive 
lumber  interests.  He  finally  bought  out  his 
father's  property  and  started  a  saw-mill.  He 
now  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  hay  and  to- 
bacco, raising  eleven  tons  of  the  last-named 
staple  in  1895. 

In  the  term  of  1891-92  and  again  in  1S93- 
94  Mr.  Liscom  served  as  a  Representative  in 
the  State  legislature,  and  in  1897  took  his 
seat  in  the  Senate,  having  been  elected  on  the 
largest  majority  vote  ever  cast  in  the  district, 
a  vote  far  exceeding  that  cast  for  governor. 
His  opponent  was  Daniel  VV.  Patten,  of  West- 
moreland. While  in  the  legislature  Mr.  Lis- 
com formed  the  first  "Farmers'  Council  "  ever 
held  in  this  State,  a  society  whose  object  is  to 
give  weight  to  the  influence  of  the  farmer 
through  systematic  organization.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  to  advocate  moving  the  Agricult- 
ural College  to  Durham,  in  order  to  gain  the 
fund  of  Benjamin  Thompson,  and  has  been  a 


warm  friend  to  the  college  in  the  matter  of 
securing  appmiiriations  and  other  advantages. 
During  his  first  term  in  the  house  he  was 
clerk  of  the  Committee  on  Roads,  Bridges,  anil 
Canals,  and  in  the  second  term  Chairman  of 
the  Public  Improvements  Committee.  As  a 
Senat(jr  he  is  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Claims.  While  in  the  legislature  Mr.  Lis- 
com introduced  a  bill  jiroviding  for  an  electric 
road  from  Hinsdale  to  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  and 
used  every  effort  to  secure  its  passage.  It  was 
defeated,  however,  through  the  influence  of  the 
railroad;  but,  on  its  being  a  second  time  intro- 
duced, both  parties  agreed  to  refer  its  decision 
to  the  Supreme  Court.  In  the  Senate  Mr. 
Liscom  has  introduced  a  bill  to  give  the  Con- 
necticut River  Water  Power  Company  fran- 
chise to  build  a  water  system  between  Brattle- 
boro and  Hinsdale.  He  is  earnest  in  advocat- 
ing this  measure,  and  intends  to  make  a  hard 
fight  for  it.  He  is  known  as  a  strictly  tem- 
perate man  himself,  and  works  faithfully  to 
secure  the  legislation  desired  by  his  constitu- 
ents. 

Senator  Liscom  married  Dolly  Amelia, 
daughter  of  Orrin  T.  Mason,  of  New  York, 
a  woman  of  most  lovable  and  noble  character, 
now  deceased.  She  had  great  artistic  ability, 
and  continued  her  art  studies  and  painting  dur- 
ing her  married  life.  She  left  two  children: 
Flora  Dolly,  born  in  Truthville,  N.Y. ,  Janu- 
ary 22,  1875;  and  Mary  Edith,  born  in  Hins- 
dale, October  31,  1878. 

Senator  Liscom  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Commandery  in  Keene,  N.  H.  ;  of  Sheridan 
Post,  No.  14,  G.  A.  R.  ;  of  the  Order  of  Red 
Men  ;  and  of  the  grange. 


fs^AMES  S.  ELLINWOOD,*  a  represent- 
ative of  an  old  Deering  family  and  an 
ex-member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature,  was  born  in  this  town,  De- 
cember 30,  1S20,  son  of  John  and  Ruth 
(Baker)  Ellinwood.  His  grandfather,  Roland- 
son  Ellinwood,  was  probably  a  native  of  Am- 
herst, N.  H.,  as  he  was  reared  in  that  town  and 
followed  agricultural  pursuits  there  for  some 
years.  He  finally  moved  to  Deering,  and 
cleared  a  part  of  the  farm  which    is   now  occu- 


BlOGKAriHCAL    KKVllAV 


473 


pied  by  his  grandson.  lie  lived  to  be  eighty 
years  old ;  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Hildreth,  also  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
chiireh.  His  family  consisted  of  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  John  was  the  second  in  order  of 
birth,  and  none  are  living  to-day. 

John  L'.llinwood,  father  of  James  S.,  was 
born  in  Amherst,  and  came  to  Deering  when 
he  was  nineteen  years  old.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  brick  and  stone  mason,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  some  time  in  Boston;  but  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  was  spent  at  the  homestead. 
He  was  possessed  of  much  natural  energy,  and 
was  very  successful  considering  his  opportuni- 
ties. In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  John 
l^llinwood  lived  to  be  eighty-two  years  old. 
His  wife,  Ruth  leaker,  was  a  native  of  New- 
bury, N.H.,  daughter  of  a  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier. She  became  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  James 
S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Ruth 
Sophia,  who  is  the  widow  of  Luther  Cheney, 
late  of  Deering,  and  who  has  three  children — 
Sophia,  Leona,  and  Morris.  Mrs.  Ruth  B. 
Ellinwood  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church. 

James  S.  Ellinwood  was  educated  in  Deer- 
ing, and  when  a  young  man  learned  the 
mason's  trade  with  his  father.  He  followed  it 
more  or  less  up  to  within  a  few  years,  when  he 
turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits; 
and  he  is  now  tilling  the  soil  at  the  homestead. 

On  November  25,  1S51,  Mr.  Ellinwood  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Rachel  G.  Turner, 
daughter  of  Caleb  Turner,  of  Antrim,  N.H. 
Nine  children  have  been  born  to  them,  and 
six  are  living;  namely,  F'rank  P.,  Mary  S., 
Clara  E. ,  Lizzie  S.,  Clark  S.,  and  Scott  L. 
P^rank  P.  wedded  Maria  Bart  left,  of  Deering, 
and  has  five  children  —  Willis,  Charles,  Maud, 
Ethel,  and  Nellie.  Clara  PZ.  is  the  wife  of 
Myron  E.  Johnson,  of  Hancock,  N.  H.,  and 
their  children  are:   Bertie  and  Lester. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ellinwood  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  served  as  a  Selectman  for  nine  years, 
was  Superintendent  of  Schools  two  years,  and 
he  ably  represented  Deering  in  the  State  legis- 
lature for  the  years  1862  and    1863.      He  takes 


much  interest  in  the  general  welfare  of  the 
community,  and  is  much  esteemed  by  his 
neighbors  and  fellow-townsmen. 


s 


VNILL  G.  SMITH,  an  enterprising 
larnicr  of  New  Boston,  was  born  on 
his  ]iresent  tarm,  July  13,  1836,  son 
of  Thomas  and  Annie  L.  ((jove) 
Smith.  The  Smiths  are  one  of  the  oldest 
families  here.  John  Smith,  the  jjaternal 
great-grandfather  of  Daniel  G.,  settled  in  the 
north-west  part  of  the  town  in  the  year  1734. 
Having  much  business  ability,  he  was  a  ])ro- 
gressive  farmer,  and  became  one  of  the  wealthy 
men  of  New  Boston.  He  built  one  of  the  first 
sawmills  erected  in  the  town. 

Thomas  Smith,  the  grandfather,  married  a 
lady  of  Beverly,  Mass.,  who,  born  May  i, 
1774,  died  October  8,  1851.  Their  children 
were:  Susanna,  Ann,  John,  Esther,  Thomas, 
William,  Moses  B.,  Rachel,  Clarinda,  Ivers, 
George  W. ,  Ethan,  and  Sarah.  The  father's 
death  occurred  May  i,  1854.  Thomas  Smith, 
the  father  of  Daniel  G.,  born  in  New  Boston, 
April  8,  1801,  chose  the  occupation  of  a 
farmer,  and  succeeded  his  father  in  the  owner- 
ship of  a  portion  of  the  old  homestead.  Also 
inheriting  much  business  capacity,  he  was 
enterprising  and  successful.  In  religion  he 
was  liberal.  In  politics  he  was  faithful  to  the 
Democratic  principles  held  by  his  father.  His 
wife,  Annie,  who  was  born  in  Wearc,  P'ebru- 
ary  6,  1805,  had  two  children,  namely:  Ann 
P.,  born  May  26,  1836,  who  married  Nathan 
Randall,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years;  and  Daniel  G. ,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Thomas  Smith  died  in  New  Boston 
in  1S79,  and  his  wife  in  1874. 

Daniel  G.-  Smith  has  always  liveil  on  the 
farm  which  is  now  his  home.  The  knowledge 
obtained  by  him  in  the  district  school  was 
supplemented  by  that  received  in  a  few  terms 
sjient  in  Derry,  N.H.  Since  he  succeeded  to 
the  farm,  he  has  carried  on  general  farming 
successfully.  Having  added  to  the  land  owned 
by  his  father,  he  now  has  about  three  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  the  largest  farm  in  this  vicin- 
ity. The  residence,  barns,  and  out-buildings 
are  well  kept;  and  everything  about  the  place 


474 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


indicates  good  management.  In  politics  Mr. 
Smith  is  a  Republican;  and,  besides  serving 
the  community  in  some  minor  offices,  he  repre- 
sented New  Boston  in  the  legislature  of  18S9. 
On  December  26,  1865,  Mr.  Smith  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Marietta  Wood- 
bury, daughter  of  Benjamin  S.  and  Sarah 
(Jones)  Woodbury.  Her  grandfathers,  Will- 
iam Woodbury  and  Joshua  Jones,  were  both  in 
the  Revolutionary  War..  The  former  was  a 
shoemaker  by  trade,  and  also  followed  farming. 
He  died  in  New  Boston  at  a  good  age.  Ben- 
jamin S.  Woodbury  was  born  in  Beverly, 
Mass.,  whence  he  came  here  with  his  father. 
He  followed  general  farming  as  an  occupation, 
served  the  town  in  the  capacities  of  Selectman 
and  Tax  Collector,  and  owned  the  place  on 
which  A.  C.  Wilson  resides.  In  religion  he 
was  liberal,  in  politics  a  Democrat.  He  died 
December  26,  1846;  and  his  wife's  death  oc- 
curred in  November,  1884.  They  had  eleven 
children,  of  whom  Benjamin  F.,  Lucetta,  and 
Eli:ia  J.  are  deceased.  Lucetta  married  Bixby 
Simons,  and  Eliza  J.  married  Montiville 
Brown.  The  others  are:  Mrs.  Sabrina  Phil- 
brick,  William,  Joshua  A.,  Harriett  R.,  Fran- 
ces A.,  Marietta,  Jones  Woodbury,  and  Devi 
P.  Woodbury.  Harriett  married  Thomas 
Holmes,  and  Frances  A.  is  the  wife  of  Esquire 
Eastman.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  the  parents 
of  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living. 
Byron,  their  only  son,  born  September  23, 
1870,  is  clerking  in  a  furniture  store  in  Man- 
chester. Evelyn  M.,  their  surviving  daugh- 
ter, born  November  14,  1872,  lives  at  home. 
Annie  died  when  a  year  and  a  half  old,  and 
illsie  at  twenty-five.  The  latter  was  the  wife 
of  Henry  Eastman.  Mr.  Smith  and  his  wife 
hold  liberal  views  regarding  religion.  They 
enjoy  the  respect  and  confidence  of  a  large 
circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


BAVID    ROYCE,*  a  well-known  citi- 
zen of  East  Alstead,  N.H.,  by  trade 
a    blacksmith    and    shoemaker,    was 
born  in  this  town,  t'ebruary  3,  1828, 
his   parents    being    Samuel   and    Mary    (Buss) 
Royce.      His  grandfather,  Samuel  Royce,  Sr., 
was  a  farmer  and   lived  in  Marlow.      He  had 


a  large  family  of  children,  of  whom  Samuel, 
Jr.,  father  of  Mr.  David  Royce,  was  one  of  the 
oldest.  Samuel  Royce,  Jr.,  was  a  farmer  of 
Alstead,  coming  to  this  town  when  very 
young.  His  wife,  Mary,  was  born  in  Marlow 
in  1S05,  and  died  in  1891.  Their  five  children 
were:  Calista,  Elisha,  David,  Eliza,  and  Anne. 
Elisha  Royce  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
Eliza  married  a  Mr.  Elliot,  a  farmer  of 
Walpole.  Anne  married  Charles  Elliot,  of 
Marlow,  and  had  a  large  family  of  children. 

Mr.  David  Royce  learned  the  trade  of  car- 
riage-maker and  blacksmith,  and  also  did  some 
shoemaking  and  carried  on  a  farm,  living 
nearly  all  his  life  in  Alstead,  where  he  was 
highly  esteemed  as  a  citizen  and  beloved  by 
a  large  number  of  warm  personal  friends. 
Mr.  Royce  married  Clarissa  Kidder,  and  she 
bore  him  five  children  —  Herbert,  Miland, 
Ella,  Addie,  and  Edward  E.  Herbert  Royce 
lives  at  Walpole,  and  is  engaged  in  carpen- 
tering and  in  farming.  He  married  Ella 
Cook,  and  has  three  children — ^  Lottie,  Nella, 
and  John.  Miland  is  a  carpenter  and  farmer 
of  Walpole.  His  wife  was  before  her  mar- 
riage Nellie  Fuller.  Ella  Royce  married 
Charles  Towle,  of  Walpole,  a  farmer  and  a 
carpenter.  They  have  three  children —  Harry, 
Fred,  and  Elsie.  Addie  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-two  years.  She  never  married.  Ed- 
ward E. ,  born  in  August,  1870,  has  always 
lived  on  the  home  farm  with  his  father.  He 
is  unmarried. 


§OHN  LOVEJOY,*  a  venerable  and 
highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Milford, 
Hillsboro  County,  N.H.,  residing  at 
the  corner  of  Union  and  Orange 
Streets,  retired  for  some  years  past  from 
active  business,  was  born  February  24,  181 5, 
in  Hebron,  N.H.  His  parents  were  Stejihen 
and    Sallie    (Flint)    Lovejoy. 

Samuel  Lovejoy,  father  of  Stephen,  was  a 
native  of  Massachusetts  and  a  Revolutionary 
soldier.  Stephen  Lovejoy  was  born  in  Pep- 
perell,  Mass.  He  was  a  blacksmith,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  for  many  years,  making 
his  home  in  Hebron.  Late  in  life  he  came 
to  Milford,  and   he  here  passed  his  declining 


lilOURAI'UlCAL    REVIEW 


475 


years.  Sallie  Flint  Lovcjoy,  his  wile,  was 
a  native  of  Lyme,  N.H. 

John  Lovejoy  remained  in  Hebron  with  his 
parents  up  to  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  Milford  to  live  with  his  uncle,  Will- 
iam Lovejoy,  of  whose  family  he  was  a  mem- 
ber until  his  uncle's  death,  which  occurrei!  in 
the  seventfes.  The  uncle  was  a  builder  of  turn- 
pike roaiis,  and  also  followed  farming.  John 
Lovejoy  received  a  district  schooling  at  Hebron 
and  in  Milford,  making  good  use  of  such  op- 
portunities as  were  offered  for  obtaining  an 
education.  The  active  years  of  his  life  were 
mostly  spent  in  farming,  in  connection  with 
which  he  at  one  time  engaged  in  lumbering. 

When  about  twenty-six  years  of  age,  on 
January  19,  1S41,  Mr.  Lovejoy  married  Miss 
l<!lizabeth  Lovejoy,  daughter  of  William  and 
Sallie  (Fessenden)  Lovejoy,  of  RHlford.  Her 
father  was  born  in  Pepperell,  Mass.  ;  but  when 
two  years  old  he  came  to  Milford  with  his 
parents,  who  were  early  settlers  here.  Her 
mother  was  a  native  of  Le.xington,  Mass.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lovejoy  have  two  sons,  namely:  John 
A.,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  now  living  in 
Claremont,  N.H.;  and  Fred  W.,  a  successful 
physician  at  Pepperell,  Mass. 

Mr.  Lovejoy  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  and  his  wife  are  earn- 
est Christians  .and  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 


tICHARD    FRF 
esteemed  citiz( 
died     at     his 


:ETTS,  late  a  highly 
izen  of  Hillsboro  County, 
is  home  in  Merrimac 
June  30,  1S90.  He  was  born  in 
this  town,  May  29,  1827,  son  of  Henry 
and  Joanna  (Barnes)  Fretts.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Andover,  Mass.,  and  his 
mother  was  born  in  Merrimac.  Henry 
F'retts  came  to  Merrimac  when  a  young  man, 
and  settled  upon  a  farm.  He  was  a  shoe- 
maker, and  continued  to  follow  his  trade  in 
connection  with  farming,  his  life  being  one 
of  industry  and  prosperity.  In  his  religious 
views  he  was  a  Congregational ist.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Joanna  Barnes,  lived 
to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six  years.      She 


was  the  mother  of  si.\  cliildren,  ol  wiiom  the 
only  survivor  is  Mrs.  luneliiic  Leverett,  of 
New  Bedford,  Mass.  The  others  were:  H:ir- 
rietM.;  Lorena;  George;  Richard,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  and  Catharine. 

Richartl  Fretts  acquired  a  district-school 
education,  anil  from  his  youth  was  engaged 
in  tilling  the  soil.  He  owned  a  good  farm 
of  eighty-eight  acres,  which  he  carried  on 
with  unusual  energy  and  ability,  being  natu- 
rally vigorous  and  active.  He  possessed  to 
a  high  degree  those  sterling  qualities  wiiich 
are  the  essential  elements  of  good  citizenship, 
was  deeply  interested  in  all  measures  calcu- 
lated to  improve  the  general  welfare  of  the 
community,  and  he  was  regarded  as  an  honest, 
upright  man.  Politically,  he  acted  with  the 
I'lepublican  party.  In  religious  matters  he 
took  particular  interest,  and  was  a  Deacon  of 
the  Congregational  church  for  many  years,  or 
until  his  death. 

On  March  S,  1862,  Mr.  Fretts  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Lucy  A.  Cireeii.  She  was 
born  in  Litchfield,  N.H.,  I\Iarch  7,  1835, 
daughter  of  Hartwell  W.  and  .Sarah  (jieen. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Mass.,  May 
5,  i8og;  and  her  motlier  was  born  in  Jaffrey, 
N.H.,  September  22,  1S04.  Hartwell  W. 
Green,  in  early  life  a  boatman,  settled  in 
Merrimac  in  1838,  and  here  spent  the  rest  of 
his  active  period  as  a  farmer,  his  death  occur- 
ring July  30,  1889.  His. wife  dieil  January 
15,  1S79.  Both  were  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational church.  They  were  the  parents  of 
six  children,  and  two  of  the  family  are 
living,  namely:  Lucy  A.,  who  is  now  Mis. 
Fretts;  and  Harrison  I-".  Green,  of  IMerrimac. 
The  others  were:  Mary  R.,  George  H.  and 
Albert  (twins;,  and  Charles  N.  Mr.  iMetts 
was  the  father  of  three  children,  namely: 
lunma  J.,  born  February  14,  1865,  who  mar- 
ried June  22,  1897,  Charles  A.  Kilborn,  of 
Webster,  N.H.;  Henry  A.,  born  September 
10,  1866;  and  Laura  F'.,  born  September  5, 
1 87 1.  The  mother,  Mrs.  I<"retts,  has  contin- 
ued to  reside  at  the  homestead  since  the  death 
of  her  husband,  and  has  displayed  remarkable 
energy  and  good  judgment  in  tlie  management 
of  the  farm.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational church. 


INDEX 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


A 

Abbott,  Henr)- 432 

Alden,  Warren 406 

Aldrich,  Walton  H 396 

Alexander,  Edward 331 

Alexander,  Elijah 374 

Alexander,  J.  Grace 332 

Allen,  Clarence  J 364 

Ames,  William 197 

Amidon,  Frank 325 

Anderson,  Samuel 459 

Angier,  Reuben  L 339 

Annett,  Thomas 432 

Appleton,  Charles  F 276 

Atherton,  William 403 

Atwood,  Solomon  D 470 

Averill,  George  W 123 

Avery,  George  A 149 

Ayer,  Warren  J 219 


B 

liacon.  lUnt 219 

Baker,  Elliot  W 192 

lialch,  John  A 188 

Baldwin,  John  B 157 

Bales,  George  E 307 

Ball,  Alvan  W 325 

Ball,  John  F 187 

Barber,  Henry  H 310 

Barker,  George  W 255 

Barnard,  George  F 399 

Barrett,  Forrest  V 95 

Barrett,  William  C 457 

Barrows,  Warren  S 61 

Barllttt,  Eben  L 2S1 


PAGS 

Bartlett,  James  H 60 

Bartlett,  Persons 311 

Beard,  Albert 460 

Belding,  Arthur  J 253 

Bemis,  Alvin  J 221 

Bemis,  Charles  L 294 

Bemis,  George  F 249 

Bemis,  Samuel  D 187 

Billings,  Louis  C 248 

Bishop,  John  B 221 

Blaisdell,  Frank 298 

Blake,  Amos  J 165 

Blake,  Charles  A 385 

Bliss,  John 448 

Blood,  Luther  A 27S 

Blood,  Samuel  B 461 

Boutelle,  John  A 224 

Boyden,  Elijah 76 

Bradley,  Oscar  H 206 

Bragdon,  Frank  L 439 

Brennan,  James  F 87 

Brown,  Daniel  J.  ....     .  424 

Brown,  James  A 48 

Brown,  Nathan  A 446 

Bruce,  John  E 349 

Bryer,  John  A 19 

Buffum,  Jewett  E 342 

Bullock,  Asa  H 130 

Burge,  Cyrus  F 198 

Burge,  J.  I'ayson 126 

Burnap,  James       .          ....  288 

Burns,  Daniel  W 176 

Burns,  James  M 58 

Burns,  John  M 223 

Burns,  Luther  M 295 

Butler,  George  S 323 

Butler,  John  F 21 


PAGR 

Butler,  Warren  II 347 

Butler,  William  W 3C)7 

Butterfield,  John  C 373 

Buttrick,  Daniel  T 294 


Caldwell,  Alexander 

?7 

Caldwell,  John  q.  A. 

411 

Caldwell,  William  H. 

29 

Came,  Brooks  R.  . 

86 

Campbell,  Clark    .     . 

41S 

Carlton,  Josejih  G. 

'59 

Carpenter,  George 

216 

Carpenter,  Mason  A 

307 

Carter,  Oliver  .     . 

.•501 

Cass,  Lewis  R. 

f«D 

Cass,  Moses     .     . 

'43 

Chase,  Dennis  R. 

230 

Chase.  Harry  R.  . 

299 

Christie,  Morris  , 

..      "^2^ 

Clark,  Hiram  I'.    . 

43' 

Clark,  Moses    .     . 

'53 

Clarke,  George  I".. 

1 10 

Cleaves,  William  L. 

'5' 

Cleveland,  Eli  S.  . 

434 

Clough,  Orrin  T.  . 

255 

Coburn,  Edward  A. 

295 

Coburn,  Stephen  C. 

20 

Cochran,  George  A. 

43 

Cochrane.  Thomas  R. 

245 

Coggin,  John  H.    .     . 

4' 

Colburn,  Franklin  V. 

249 

Colburn,  William  I'. 

44 

Colby,  Cyrus  P.    .     . 

105 

Colbv,  Francis  0. 

Si 

473 


INDEX 


PACiE 

Colby,  George  E 439 

Colby,  George  W 218 

Cole,  Theodore 256 

Collins,  John  M 395 

Collins,  John  S 452 

Colony,  Frederick  H 315 

Converse,  Oscar  1 391 

Cooke,  Charles  E 231 

Craig,  James  A 415 

Craig,  Rockwell  E 353 

Cristv,  Robert >  268 

Crombie,  Abner  B 44 

Crooker,  Andrew  J 352 

Crosby,  Joseph  F 209 

Cummings,  Elbridge     ....  265 

Currier,  George  H 236 

Curtis,  Eli  C 387 

Cuthbert,  Ale.xander      ....  425 

Cutler,  Charles  H 207 

Cutler,  George  1 96 

Cutter,  Benjamin  F 441 

Cutter,  James  D 300 

Cutter,  Jonas 314 


D 

Damon,  Jonas 437 

Dana,  Marshall  E 139 

Daniels,  David  L 330 

Darrah,  VVingate  IVI 306 

Davenport,  Sylvester  O.    .     .     .  297 

Davidson,  Albert  B 335 

Davis,  Amasa  B 315 

Davis,  George  G 82 

Davis,  Henry 376 

Davis,  James 430 

Davis,  Lyman 264 

Davis,  Murray       .     .          ...  383 

Dickinson,  Ansel 149 

Dickinson,  Milan  A 291 

Dinsmore,  Thomas 27 

Dinsmore,  William  W.       ...  18 

Dix,  .Mahlon  C 16 

Dodge,  Charles  B 286 

Dodge,  Charles  F 312 

Dodge,  George  H 177 

Dodge,  Henry  F.      ......  109 

Dodge,  Isaac  15 336 

Dodge,  John  C 92 

Dodge,  John  G 17 

Dodge,  Lendell 277 


PAGE 

Dodge,  Parley  W 414 

Doolittle,  Arthur  M 438 

Dow,  Leonard  B 160 

Downes,  George  E 117 

Downes,  .Samuel  D 182 


E 

Eaton,  Albert  B 407 

Elder,  Charles  B 279 

Eldredge,  Hiram  W 201 

EUinwood,  James  S 472 

Elliot,  Joel  H 99 

Ellis,  Bertram 240 

Ellsworth,  John  T 328 

Emerson,  Jesse  C 14 

Emory,  Warren  W 261 

Evans,  Earl 137 


F 

Farley,  George  E 312 

Farley,  Gil  man  F 59 

Farrar,  Charles  A 9t 

Farwell,  Darius 184 

Farwell,  Frank  C 189 

Farwell,  James  C 419 

Farwell,  John  H 127 

P'assett,  Charles  W 268 

Field,  Caroline  L 55 

Field,  Franklin      . — , — = — = — = — ,-*  291 

Fisk,  John  B 11 

Flanders,  Edwin 269 

Fletcher,  Henry  W 449 

Fletcher,  John  P 144 

FoUansbee,  Samuel  C 136 

F'orristall,  Frank  M 205 

Forsaitli,  Charles  W 183 

Fortier,  Joseph 172 

Foster,  John  E 2S4 

Foster,  John  L 69 

Foster,  Moses  F 281 

Foster,  Oliver  H 49 

Foster,  Warren  E 329 

Fox,  John  M 160 

French,  Henry  K 202 

French,  Warren  A 252 

French,  William  F 184 

Fretts,  Richard 475 

Frost,  Abner 388 


PACE 

Fuller,  John  A 246 

Fuller,  Lemuel 199 

Fuller,  Levi  A 94 


G 

Gay,  Ezra  M.,  Jr 327 

Gleason,  Aaron  R 373 

Goodall,  Lewis 1 73 

Goodell,  David  H 163 

Goodnow,  Leslie  H 454 

Goodnow,  Walter  L 208 

Goodrich,  John  H 254 

Goodwin,  Charles  B 360 

Gove,  Dana  B.      .    ■ 273 

Gowing,  Charles  W 127 

Gray,  Henry  N 334 

Greeley,  Horace 9 

Greely,  James  B 375 


H 

Hadley,  Charles  H 217 

Hadley,  Franklin 260 

Hadley,  Mark  M 293 

Hagen,  Charles 407 

Hale,  Harris 464 

Hall,  Jasper i<;4 

Hall,  Joseph  A 190 

Hardy,  Edward 392 

Hardy,  James  L 444 

Hardy,  Silas 3S6 

Harris,  Frank  S 227 

Harris,  Fred  J 118 

Hartshorn,  Charles  H 398 

Hartshorn,  Franklin       ....  309 

Harvell,  Horace  T 67 

Harwood,  Blake  A.  T 340 

Haslet,  George  W 316 

Hastings,  T.  Nelson      ....  354 

Hastings,  Thomas  A 412 

Hatch,  Alexander  C 454 

Hatch,  Riley  B 200 

Hayden,  Daniel  W 103 

Hayden,  David  N 102 

Hays,  Thomas 33 

Heald,  Brooks  M 1S6 

Heald,  David 172 

Heald,  Franklin  B 453 

Hemenway,  Luther 50 


INDEX 


479 


I'ACB 

Henick,  Benjamin  C 70 

Herrick,  Harrison  E.  .  .     .     .     .  301 

Higijins,  Oliver  H 412 

Hildretli,  James  C 346 

Hildreth,  Lewis  G 449 

Hill,  Gardner  C 359 

Ilillman,  Richard  11 1S5 

Hinds,  William  H.  \V 88 

Hitch,  Henry  V 58 

Holbrook,  Artluir  W 169 

Holbrook,  Frank  A 45 

Holbrook,  George  E 305 

Holbrook,  Ralph 170 

Holman,  Jason  R 68 

Holt,  Charles  D 330 

Holt,  Charles  E 423 

Hooker,  Henry 411 

Hopkins.  Charles  B 462 

Howard,  Albert  M 34 

Howard,  James  M 382 

Howard,  William  W 171 

Howison,  Robert  R 250 

Hubbard,  Eugene  C 30S 

Hubbard,  Henry  W 395 

Hull,  Edmund  B 76 

Huntley,  Dudley no 

Hurlin,  Henry  A 262 

Hutchinson,  Edmund  F.    .     .     .  408 

Hutchinson,  Herbert  S.     .     .     .  215 


J 

Jackman,  Ira  W 229 

Jefts,  Charles  P 228 

Johnson,  Rodney 13 

Jones,  Eben  W 26 

Jones,  Henry  M 73 

Jones,  John  B 210 

Jones,  Thomas 193 

Junkins,  Albert  A 129 

K 

Kaley,  Frank  E 96 

Kendall,  Daniel  F 47 

Kendall,  Kendrick 16 

Kennedy,  Michael 201 

Kimball,  Edward  F 99 

Kimball,  Mrs.  .Stephen       .  210 

Kinq;.  Oliver 30 


I-Ar.R 

Kittredge,  Russell  H 36S 

Knight,  Addison 302 

Knight,  Charles 71 

Knight,  John  B 66 

Knight,  Mclbern  E 56 

Knight,  William  A 31 

Knight,  Winthrop 463 

Knowlton,  James 404 

Knowlton,  William  M 62 

Kves,  Winslow  S 112 


L 

Laing,  John  H 165 

Lamson,  Frank  0 222 

Langdell,  George 298 

Langdell,  Nathan  F 435 

Lawrence,  Albert  B 442 

Lawrence,  Frederick  J.      .     .     .  280 

Laws,  James  M 80 

Leach,  George  H 380 

Leonard,  William  S 401 

Liscom,  Lemuel  F 471 

Little,  George  P 231 

Livermore,  Henry  H 336 

Lovejoy,  John 474 

Lovejoy,  Moses 327 

Lovell,  FJolivar 14 

Lowell,  Levi  F 405 

Lyford,  Asa  B 266 


M 


Marden,  David      .     .     . 

204 

Marsh",  Charles  E.     .     . 

SO 

Marsh,  Walter  E.      .     . 

So 

Marshall,  Daniel  .     .     . 

370 

Martin,  Charles  H.   .     . 

389 

Martin,  Francis     .     .     . 

'9 

Martin,  Van  Buren   .     . 

18 

Mason,  Christopher  A. 

'73 

Mason,  George  W.    .     . 

369 

Maxfield,  Arthur  L.  .     . 

270 

McCoUester,  Sullivan  H. 

3'7 

McCollom,  John  T.   .     . 

'.3S 

McColIum,  David  A. 

242 

McCurdy,  James  .     .     . 

2S3 

Mclntire,  Natlianiel  T. 

4'5 

McLane,  John  .... 

121 

McLane,  Neil   .... 

240 

McLane,  Reed  W.    . 
McLane,  Rodney 
Mcfhiesten,  William 
Melendy,  Charles  F. 
Merriam,  George  F. 
Merrill,  Calvin 
Merrill,  Charles  H. 
Merrill.  Frank  E. 
Merrill,  James  B. 
.Merrill,  Thomas  A. 
Messenger,  Henry  E 
Miller,  Arthur  II. 
Minor,  Francis  C. 
Monroe,  Ora    .    . 
Moore,  Cyrus  S.  . 
Moore,  Orren  C.  . 
Morrill,  Henry  C. 
Morrison,  Andrew 
Morrison,  Clarence  E. 
Morse,  H.  Martin 
Morse,  James  W. 
Mower,  Will  J.      . 
Muzzey,  George  W. 


263 
241 

22 

137 
167 
84 
42S 
400 

•33 
370 
191 
229 

lOI 

106 
302 

'55 
400 

4' 
309 
"75 

48 
408 


N 

Needham,  Henry  B 426 

Ncsmith,  Charles  S 95 

Newell,  Henry  L 263 

Newell,  Jason  H.  T 91 

Newton,  Hiram  C 450 

Nims,  Albert  F 427 

Noyes,  Frank  G 114 

Nutting,  Marshall  II 429 


P 

Page,  George  G 2S5 

Paige,  David  A 358 

Paige,  Enoch  C 36 

Paige,  Isaac  J 296 

Parker,  Charles  S 285 

Parker,  David  ,\ 275 

Parker,  Frank  M 116 

Parker,  John  M 135 

Parker,  Victor  L 422 

Partridge,  James  S 203 

Paltee,  George 266 

Patten,  William  M 53 

Peabody,  Daniel  A 74 


480 


Pease,  Byron  I) 7° 

Perkins,  James  M 404 

Perry,  George  R 398 

Phelps,  Wilbur  L 447 

Philbrick,  Albert  M 97 

Pierce,  Benjamin 343 

Pierce,  Charles  F 235 

Pierce, 

Pierce,  George  W 397 

Pierce,  James 460 

Pierce,  Raymond  J 3I9 

Poor,  Irad 389 

Porter,  George  A 222 

Powers,  Marcellus  J 83 

Pratt,  Warren '9' 

Pratte,  Arthur  A '54 

Prentiss,  John  W 43^ 

Prentiss,  William  H 104 

Prescott,  Orrin  D 126 

I'rince,  James  U 3^ 

Prouty,  Ira  J '35 

Prouty,  James  S 39° 

Putnam,  Amos  A 445 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Russell,  Moses 263 

Rutherford,  John 274 


Swett,  Eddy  B.      .     . 
Symonds,  William  F. 


PAGE 
139 

55 


Saben,  Daniel  T. 


34' 


Eloise  I\I 430  j  Safford,  Ellon  A '76 

Saltmarsh,  Reed  P 47 

Sawtelle,  Lyman  K 365 

Sawyer,  Alfred 239 

Sawyer,  Frederick  T 326 

Sawyer,  Samuel  S 1°° 

Scott,  Charles 142 

Scott,  John 205 

Scripture,  Amos 93 

Shattuck,  Zachariali 227 

Sheldon,  James 292 

Shepard,  Andrew  N 37^ 

Sberwin,  Oren  A 125 

Shirley,  Robert  L 32 

Simons,  George 402 

Skinner,  J.  Appleton      ....     287 

Slate,  Charles  E 443 

Smith,  Aaron '58 

Smith,  Charles  H.  V 72 

Smith,  Daniel  G 473 

Smith,  David  0 3'° 

Smith,  Edward  M 37' 

Smith,  Ezra  M 33 

Smith,  Handel  A 2201 

Smith,  Isaac 233 

Smith,  Silas  M 232 

Snow,  George  H 468 

Spalding,  John  A "6 

Spaulding,  George  F 335 

Spaulding.  Orlando  W.       •     •     •     35' 

Spaulding,  Reuben 345 

Stacy,  Minnie  E 57 

Stark,  Lewis  H 34' 

Starkey,  Joseph  L 468 

Stearns,  Dwight  W 103 


305 
313 
122 
140 
150 


Ramsdell,  George  A.     .     ■ 

Ramsdell,  James  M.       .     • 

Rand,  Thomas  C.      ... 

Randall,  Stephen  P.       •     • 

Raymond,  Charles  H.    .     . 

Read,  Luther  W '44 

Read,  Phineas  A 437 

Reed,  James  O.,  Jr 4' 7 

Rice,  Nelson  W 426' 

Richardson,  Barzilla       .     .     •     •  3^' ' 

Richardson,  Daniel "5 

Richardson,  Martin  L 424 

Richardson,  Nelson 72 

Richardson,  Thompson  H.     .     .  85 

Ri.xford,  Webster  L 393 

Robertson,  George "3 

Robertson,  Leonard       ....  280 

Robbins,  Frank  J 26 

Robinson,  William  L 324 

Royce,  David 474 

Ruefer,  JohnJ 35' 

Ruffle,  James  E 4i8 

Rugg,  Daniel  W 44° 

Russell,  Albert  L 465 

Russell,  Freeman  W 409 


Taft,  Albert  H 366 

Taft,  Herbert  J 54 

Talbot,  Bertell  L 79 

Tarbell,  Joseph  H 434 

Tenney,  Daniel  W -S 

Tenney,  Oliver 215 

Thompson,  Denman      ....  181 

Thompson,  Herbert  P.       ...  87 

Tinker,  Lucian  D 35° 

Tirrell,  Clinton  H "' 

Tirrell,  Jesse  W 348 

Titus,  William '75 

Todd,  James  P 38' 

Tolford,  George  G 353 

Tolles.  James  H "8 

Tolman,  Eben  C 32S 

Towne,  Hollis  F 333 

Trevitt,  John 67 

Trow,  Arthur  A '59 

Trow,  Daniel  W 252 

Trow,  Joseph  P 'O' 

Tucker,  George  S 384 

Turner,  Edward  A 39 

Tuttle,  Miles  B 346 


Twiss,  Alfred  G.  . 
Twitchell,  Aliiiou 


U 


442 

35 


'23 


Steele,  Charles  A. 
Steele,  John  H.  . 
Stevens,  David 


....  237 

....  28 

....  467 

Stevens,  Edwin  D '94 

Stevens,  William '4° 

Stiles,  Josejjh  W 75 

Story,  John  W 273 

Sumner,  Otis  F 83 

Swart,  William  D 39° 

Swett,  Anson 4° 


Upton,  J.  Edward      .... 

Upton,  Peter 247 

UiJton,  Samuel 207 


W 

Walbridge,  Andrew  J 4'° 

Wallace,  Robert  M 394 

Ware,  Alonzo  A 320 

Ware,  George  H.  P 42 

Warner,  Franklin  G.      .          .     .  236 

Warren,  George  C. 3'3 

Warren,  James 469 

Wellington,  Edwin  1 4^5 

Wellington,  Henry  W 435 

Wellington,  Joel 349 


INDEX 


48" 


Wlieeler,  Isaiah    . 
Wlieelcr,  Jackson  K. 
Wheeler,  William  A. 


Wli 
Wh 
Wh 
Wh 
Wh 
Wh 
Wh 
Wh' 
Wh 
Wh 
Wh 


pplc,  James  li.    . 
pple,  William  S. 
tcomb,  Daniel 
tcomb,  Oliver  C. 
te,  Thomas  H.    . 
te,  Willis  E.  .     . 
ting,  B.  Frank 
tman,  Asa  A. 
tney,  Charles  O. 
tney,  Cliarles  W. 
tney,  Nathan 


251 

Whittemoie,  Reed  P 

363 

261  j  Wilcox,  Kdward    . 

282 

151  1  Wilder,  Krwin  D. 

45i 

124    Wilder,  Geori^e  S. 

■45 

1 28    Wilkins,  Charles  L. 

106 

372  '  Willard,  Zophar    . 

178 

46    Wilson,  Frank  J.  . 

278 

456  ;  Wilson,  Ceorge  H. 

267 

121  ,  Wilson,  John    .     . 

189 

65 

Winch,  Thomas  D. 

224 

152 

Winn,  Thomas  J. 

"5 

1 1 1 

Winn,  William  F. 

1 88 

429 

Winshij),  Adron    . 

86 

23S 

Wood,  Curtis  A.   . 

242 

Woodbury,  (Gordon  ....  462 

Woodbury.  Nathan  G 466 

Woodman,  Elbridge  G.      ■          ■  '33 

Woods,  Charles  O.    .     .  1 58 

Woodward,  Arthur  A.   .  169 

Woodward,  Clement  J.       ...  163 

Worden,  Klislia  A 420 

Worden,  Nathan  M 420 

Wright,  Fred  A 416 

Y. 

Voungman,  Alden 129 


PORTRAITS. 


Ames,  William ig6 

Boyden,  Elijah  (steel)    ....  77 

Burnap,  James 289 

Butler,  George  S 322 

Cole,  Theodore  (steel)  ....  257 

Dickinson,  Ansel  (steel)     .     .     .  148 

Dodge,  Isaac  li 337 

Goodell,  David  H 162 

Gove,  Dana  B 272 

Greeley,  Horace "      8 


PAGE 

Hastings,  T.  Nelson      ....  355 

Hemenway,  Luther 51 

Kimball,  Stephen 213 

McLane,  John 120 

Merrill,  James  B 132 

Monroe,  Ora 107 

Newell,  Jason  H.  T 90 

Newton,  Hiram  C.    .     .     .     laces  450 

Prince,  James  U 37 

Ramsdell,  George  A.  (steel)   .     .  304 


PA(iB 

Robertson,  Lawson  . 

.      .      .      21 1 

Shattuck,  Zachariah 

.   226 

Shepard,  Andrew  N. 

•     ■     377 

Tenney,  Daniel  W.  . 

...       24 

Thompson,  Denman 

...     180 

Ware,  Alonzo  A. 

...     321 

Whiting,    B.  Frank,  an 

d    child, 

Paul  N.      .     .     . 

...       64 

Wood,  Curtis  A.  .     . 

•     ■     ■     243 

D     000  439  403   7 


